Corporate Governance, Firm Characteristics and Firm Performance : Empirical Evidence from Vietnam

The purpose of this research was to examine how corporate governance methods relate to the performance of companies in Vietnam. The study used a dataset of 85 manufacturing firms listed on the Ho Chi Minh City stock exchange (HOSE) and applied Random-Effect Model (REM) and the Feasible Generalized Least Squares Model (FGLS) method. We found that the performance of a firm is positively influenced by a CEO's age, and gender diversity in boards of directors (BOD). However, firm size and board size have a negative impact on firm performance. The research recommends that companies should not increase board size. Additionally, promoting women executives in the boardroom can bring cultural diversity benefits and reduce information asymmetry. Based on the findings, the research proposes several recommendations for companies and managers to improve performance and reduce the negative effects of poor governance mechanisms