Technology and Global Society: What the Internet Means to Youths in Rural Areas of Vietnam

In 1997, the first time Vietnam was connected to the Internet. Since then, it has expanded more and more rapidly in the country. Generally, of all age groups of the population, the youth have made the best use of the worldwide network. However, there is a gap between urban and rural youths in access to the Internet. Why is the Internet still strange to the majority of these people? To what extent are youths in rural areas of Vietnam approaching the Internet? This essay aims at answering these questions.

According to the Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth, which was carried out by WHO, UNICEF and some domestic organisations in 2005, 50.2% of urban youths have access to the Internet, while the figure for rural youths is 12.8%.

Behind the gap between figures are socio-economic gaps. Firstly, the infrastructure for the Internet has not been provided for many remote areas. One reason is geographical conditions of these areas. It costs the government much to expand Internet lines to distant or mountainous regions. Besides, priorities are often given to central cities because of their relative geo-political significance. Secondly, economic hardship keeps rural youths away from the Internet. Many rural families even cannot manage to meet basic needs of life such as food and clothing, let alone such luxuries as a computer and Internet service. Though the price of Internet service in Vietnam is one of the cheapest in the world, it is relatively high to average income level of people in rural areas. Thirdly, young people in rural regions do not have as much time for the Internet as those in cities. After school time, rural youths take over agricultural work of their families and housework. Whereas, many rural youths, especially those of upper middle and high income families, are free from those manual tasks. Instead, their parents or maids are the ones who take over housework.

In fact, a minority of young people in rural areas of Vietnam have some access to Internet services mainly provided by private Internet agencies. However, to these people, the Internet is mostly a source of entertainment rather than information. They mainly use it for chatting and games. Though in general, the majority of young Internet users in Vietnam still use the Internet mainly for these purposes, the figure for those in rural areas is nearly absolute.  In this case, the gap is not only access but also the extent of taking advantage of the Internet. There are some reasons for the difference. Firstly, rural youths lack the skill to make use of the Internet. While school training is zero, these youths also do not have frequent access to computers and the Internet. Therefore, they have little chance to explore the network to pick up experiences by themselves. Secondly, rural youths do not have as many channels of recreation as urban peers. Thus, once introduced, chatting and computer games have been extremely appealing to young people in rural areas.

In conclusion, there is a big difference between rural and urban youths in accessing and making use of the Internet in Vietnam. This gap is certain to lead to gaps in knowledge and information as well as opportunities in study and employment.

Reference list:

WHO, UNICEF, Vietnam Ministry of Health and Vietnam General Statistics Office. (2005). Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth. Hanoi: UNICEF Vietnam.

Energy and Ecology: How low income families in Vietnam cook

Gas cookers and microwave ovens are common among most upper middle and upper class families in urban areas in Vietnam. Yet, lower income families, especially those in rural areas, do not cook in such efficient and safe ways. Indeed, these families often use solid fuels such as coal, firewood and agricultural residues. Basically, rural families have been cooking in this way for hundreds of years. I will explain the significant reasons for this commonness and point out the impacts of this cooking method on environment and health of users.

In my opinion, the use of solid fuels in cooking can be explained by social and economic factors. The first reason itself lies in income levels of these families. In Vietnam, most rural people work in agricultural sector. Furthermore, long in history, rural people have managed to live within limited budget, especially during underdevelopment time. Therefore, they have developed a tradition of frugality, making use of every resource on hand. The case of low income urban families is different. They must cope with relatively high living expenses in cities. Three months ago, the price of gas in Vietnam reached a record peak following the trend of global increase. During the time of gas price rise, many lower middle income families who once used gas cooker have turned to coal cooker as a cheaper alternative. The second reason is the availability of these fuels in rural areas. After harvest time, peasants have abundant agricultural residues. As well, firewood can be easily cut down or collected from local woods or flooding rivers. Another reason is that rural families in Vietnam have little access to modern economical cooking equipments such as the solar cooker. Manufacturers have not reached this remote market and NGOs can only provide these equipments for a small minority.

Though seemingly economical, solid fuels cost serious health and environmental problems. In rural areas, families often cook with open fire. In many households, kitchens are poorly ventilated. Some families in both rural and urban areas even put a burning charcoal cooker in main rooms of their houses to cook and warm at the same time. Consequently, many people in rural families suffer long-lasting respiratory and optical illnesses. More seriously, some families have been found unconscious or even dead because of poisonous gas released by a charcoal cooker in a closed room. Besides health problems, solid fuel cookers make the environment suffer from toxic gases and deforestation.

In conclusion, many low income families in rural and urban areas of Vietnam are cooking by solid fuels, which are seemingly money saving but environmentally unfriendly and dangerous to health. The use of cooking fuels, in this case, shows an aspect of social stratification. Those of lower social and income status have lower living standards. They hardly have access to safe and efficient means of cooking. Some also lack basic knowledge to protect themselves from dangers such as toxic gases. Therefore, they are put under higher risks of health problems and even fatality.  

Population and Health: Imbalanced Sex Ratio at Birth – Some Comparisons between China and Vietnam

China now has the biggest imbalance in sex ratio at birth, calculated by the number of baby boys over 100 baby girls. According to Li (2007), the average sex ratio at birth in China in 2005 was 120.5. Of all of the regions in China, the highest ratio was 122.9 for rural areas. The normal ratio, according to UNFPA, is between 103 and 107. The ratio in China by far has exceeded the normal level.

Vietnam seems to be repeating the pattern of China. Recently, it has been alerted that the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam is becoming more unbalanced. The ratio has increased from 110 in 2006 to 112 in 2007 (UNFPA, 2008).

I would like to make a comparison in the causes and consequences of this situation in the two countries. Do similarities in culture play any part in causing the phenomenon? Will its social impacts be the same for Vietnam in the future as for China at present?

In my opinion, the root cause for the imbalance of sex ratio at birth in both countries is patriarchy. Both cultures are strongly influenced by Confucianism, in which the dominant role of the man in the family is emphasized. The man is supposed to be the breadwinner of his family. Also, in tradition way of thinking in both countries, parents can only rely on economic support from sons when they reach old age. As daughters get married, they have belonged to another family. These perspectives lead to a common tendency to prefer sons in both Chinese and Vietnamese society. Son preference, combined with the easy availability of means to determine the sex of fetuses such as ultrasound screening, causes many families to abort female fetus and only keep male ones.

Besides patriarchy, family planning policy is another factor that has contributed to the situation in China and Vietnam. To combat rapid population growth, both countries have adopted family planning policies for decades. Since the 1970s, the Chinese government has advocated couples to have only one child. Those in rural areas can have two in necessary cases. Couples are to be fined if they have more than one. Similarly, the Vietnamese government has encouraged couples to have only one or two children since the 1980s. The policy is strictly enforced to all citizens. For example, if a Communist Party member has more than two children, he will be formally criticized by the political organisation. As well, if a member of the state security force violates the policy, he will be demoted. It is clear that the family planning policies of both governments have been strictly adopted as they have involved economic and political rights of citizens. Forced to have only one or two child at most, son preferring parents easily choose to have a baby of the preferred sex.

Unbalanced sex ratio at birth is certain to have social impacts on both societies. While the Chinese have experienced the miserable consequences of the problem, it will take about fifteen to twenty years for the implications to manifest in Vietnam society. However, looking at the situations in China, one can make some predictions about what will happen in Vietnam. There may be repeated consequences but I still doubt if the drama will be exactly the same.

First, in China, there are now a large number of male bachelors. Not only men of lower social and income status can hardly find their partners but successful men even face this problem. Similarly, in the future, many Vietnamese men are likely to have difficulties in finding someone to get married. Those who never get married will certainly have no son or daughter to rely on when they get old. This will also put a pressure on the governments to provide welfare services for single old people.

Second, there is a wave of migrating or trafficked brides into China. The brides are from poorer neighbour countries such as Vietnam and Burma. On one hand, this is considered a replacement of the domesticated missing girls. On the other hand, when women are trafficked to become wives, it is a crime against them. However, I doubt if the same will happen in Vietnam. Most Vietnamese families find it hard to accept a foreign bride or bridegroom, especially rural families. To them, a woman who cannot speak Vietnamese fluently and has been brought up in a different society will have difficulties in joining Vietnamese social patterns and taking care of families in traditionally expected ways.  Moreover, many rural families are too poor to afford a foreign bride. Also, to men of higher social status, will they want to marry a woman of lower status from a foreign country?

Besides these two consequences, some warnings can be true for both societies. It is predicted that there will be an increase in sexual crimes such as rape. This is a possible prediction as it is based on biological nature of human. Further, when many couples get married without true affection but merely because they have few choices of partners or because it is an arrangement of their parents, there is a risk of domestic conflict. Therefore, spouse violence and divorces are likely to happen. However, these are only predictions. It needs to be tested by research if there is any causal relation between imbalanced sex ratio in society and the rise of these social problems.

In conclusion, the situation of imbalanced sex ratio at birth in Vietnam resembles what happened in China ten years ago. The situation has taken place in both countries for similarities in traditional culture and governments’ family planning policies. It may also have some similar social impacts but differences in socio-economic conditions and traditional ways of thinking may lead to different impacts of the same phenomenon in each country.

Reference List

Hu, H. (2002, October 18). Family Planning Law and China’s Birth Control Situation . Retrieved October 17, 2008, from www.china.org.cn: http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Oct/46138.htm

Li, S. (2007). Imbalanced Sex Ratio at Birth and Comprehensive Intervention in China. 4th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights. Hyderabad: UNFPA.

UNFPA. (2008). Viet Nam Population 2007. Hanoi: UNFPA.

Urbanisation: What are the Social Impacts of the Plan to Expand the Capital Hanoi on Lives of People living in the Merged Provinces?

The Vietnamese government has passed a project to expand the capital Hanoi in the next 40 years. In fact, this project has been put into practice. As part of the plan, some districts of two neighbour provinces and the whole area of another neighbour province have been merged to the current area of Hanoi since the 1^st August, 2008. This historical change in territory is likely to exert enormous impacts on lives of people living in the merged provinces.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the main purposes of this plan are to provide conditions to exploit the capital’s potentials so that it will become one of the urban centers in the South East Asia and to solve key problems of the capital such as overpopulation, environmental pollution and disorderly accommodation. To achieve these purposes, the area of the capital has been planned to expand 3.6 times from the current area of 912 km² to about 3,300 km² in 2008 and will be expanded 14 times in the next 40 years. At the 2008 stage, the plan will focus on developing economic and industrial centers, traffic and transportation systems and apartment complexes in various parts of the “new” capital. Before implementation, this plan was subject of great controversy among citizens as well as those in authorities over its practicability and the dramatic changes it might bring about in the spheres such as administration, culture and town planning. One of the central matters in this controversy was the social impacts of the plan on lives of people currently living in rural areas which have been planned to develop into towns.

In my opinion, there will be three significant impacts on the lives of these people.

In the first place, they will have more access to public services such as formal education, health care and telecommunication. Planning to develop these places into urban areas, the government must build more hospitals, schools and telecommunication infrastructure. In terms of public services, the standard of living in these places will be improved.

In the second place, their economic life is certain to be influenced. Most people in these rural areas are working in agricultural sector, in which soil is a basic means of production. However, with the development of new towns, the area of agricultural land is to be decreased considerably. The government needs large areas to construct industrial centers, apartment complexes and transportation systems. Another reason is that many people in these areas are tempted by huge profits of selling land because once becoming parts of the capital, the price of land here will certainly increase higher and higher. In the case of the people who must give their land to the government for future construction, though they are given compensation, it cannot replace the land to generate income for in the long term. What will happen next after they have spent all of the compensation? Furthermore, most of these people are not professional or trained laborers. Therefore, they will have little employment chances or will have to work in positions with low wages in new industries in their areas. In this way, they are put under risk of poverty in the future.

In the third place, their cultural life will be affected. Having a rustic lifestyle since childhood, these rural people are to be influenced by the streams of popular culture of cities? Will they be flooded? Or will they be dislocated? Besides, as part of town planning, people in some areas will be relocated to new habitations. This will damage the traditional relationship among people in villages and related community activities such as cultural rituals and festivals and traditional handicraft industries.

In conclusion, with the expansion of the capital Hanoi, one the one hand, people in the rural districts of merged provinces will benefit from better public services. On the other hand, they may be put under risk of poverty and affected by revolutionary culture changes.

Reference:

-         Trang An Nguyen. 2008. “Vung Thu do Ha Noi se rong 13.436 km², gom 8 tinh, TP” (“Hanoi capital region will be 13.436km², including 8 provinces and cities”). Vietnamnet, March 3^rd, 09:19.

http://www.vnn.vn/xahoi/2008/03/772387/

Globalized Identity: What are the Implications of the Precepts of the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh for Dealing with Global Conflicts?

There is an undeniable fact that religious identity has proved to be the motivation or justification for many conflicts in human history. However, this is only one side of the matter. On the other hand, it can bring the power to deal with or suggest peaceful solutions to conflicts. The Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the religious leaders in the world who has proved this truth. His Buddhism-based nonviolence principles are clearly shown in his 14 precepts, which bear significant implications for handling conflicts in the world.

Before analyzing those implications, I would like to highlight some important points in his biography. Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most influential Zen masters in the world, whose life has been devoted to the welfare of people. During the Vietnam War, he established an organisation called the School of Youth Social Service to help war victims. He also proposed peaceful reconciliation between governments of the North and the South of Vietnam so that the country’s people would no longer suffer. However, he was exiled by both governments during the war and later when the country was united. Thich Nhat Hanh then continued to dedicate his life to peace and human rights. He established a meditation community in France called the Plum Village, where monks from different countries now stay, study Buddhism and help people in need. He has also written many books and traveled to several countries to deliver talks and courses on peace and mindfulness. These activities have been based on his principles of nonviolence, which are reflected in the 14 precepts.

Although the precepts are seemingly aimed at individuals, in my opinion, many of them hold some major implications for the matter of preventing and solving global conflicts.

Firstly, the precepts encourage an open mind attitude.

Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.

Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout our entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.

The two precepts imply that people should not stick to their current beliefs but be willing to learn new lessons and that truth lies in reality.

Do not maintain anger or hatred. As soon as anger and hatred arise, practice the meditation on compassion in order to deeply understand the persons who have caused anger and hatred. Learn to look at other beings with the eyes of compassion.

This is an advice on sympathy and tolerance. People should be willing to get to understand others’ perspectives. This drives people away from extreme viewpoints of identity such as extremist nationalism and ethnocentrism.

A distinctive aspect of the Zen master’s approach to interpersonal peace should be emphasized at this point. Thich Nhat Hanh believes that mutual sympathy and tolerance can be achieved on the basis of inner peace. For example, considering the Palestine – Israel conflict, besides political strategies and intellect, he thinks that the practice of mindful breathing and walking can calm the bodies and feelings of the leaders before peace conferences. In this way, inner peace can lead to interpersonal peace as leaders are likely to listen to each other with compassion. This is typical of Buddhist psychological principles. Though it is idealistic when applied to national communities as a whole instead of the leaders as individuals, the approach indicates the Zen master’s efforts to seek nonviolence alternatives aimed at individuals to solve international conflicts.

Secondly, some of the precepts promote peaceful reconciliation and democracy.

Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

This precept can be an implication for governing authorities. The freedom the develop personal views is a human right that should always be respected. At the same time, Thich Nhat Hanh suggests a method to communicate one’s own viewpoint and to retreat people – compassionate dialogue. Indeed, this is also an effective way to seek sympathy and acknowledgement from those who hold different viewpoints. It is totally contrary to violent imposition of ideas or terrorist expression of desires. Besides, to Thich Nhat Hanh, peaceful reconciliation does not necessarily mean retreat from frank speech of truth and justice in any cases.

…Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

This was exactly what he did during the Vietnam War. He put every efforts to speak in favour of peace though exiled by both governments in Vietnam.

Thirdly, in his precepts, Thich Nhat Hanh, religion should not be a tool to gain political or economic power. In this way, he influences Buddhist follwers to avoid violence caused or justified by religious identity.

Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community should, however, take a clear stand against oppression and injustice, and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.

Right from the first days of working as a peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh followed this principle. During Vietnam War, his nonviolence campaign was implemented without adopting either ideologies.

In conclusion, with 14 precepts among many other works of literature, morals and religion, Thich Nhat Hanh has proved that religion can bring power to solve global conflicts instead of generating or justifying them.

References:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>“Plum Village Practice Center: Our Teacher.” The Plum Village Practice Center.

http://www.plumvillage.org/HTML/ourteacher.html

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>“Plum Village Practice Center: The Four of Mindfulness – Transcription of Thầy’s second Dharma talk on July 26th 2001 welcoming the Palestinian -Israeli group.” The Plum Village Practice Center.

http://www.plumvillage.org/HTML/dharmatalks/html/fourfoundationofmindfulness.html

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>“Thich Nhat Hanh”. http://www.seaox.com. Retrieved July 17, 2002.

http://www.seaox.com/thich.html

Democracy and Human Rights: The Danish Cartoons Controversy: Should there be Absolute Freedom of Speech?

On 30^th September 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published a series of caricatures including those of Prophet Muhammad, a holy figure of Islam. Some of the caricatures depicted the Prophet in association with terrorism. A few months later, some other newspapers in France, Italy, Germany and Spain reprinted the cartoons to show their refusal to make allowance for the anger of Muslim people. This action caused further hostile reaction from Muslim people and government of Muslim predominant countries. Some countries such as Jordan or Yemen called back their ambassadors. Violence aimed at some Western countries’ embassies and people took place. While the Danish government stated that they would protect freedom of speech to the end as well as some European countries refused to punish the editors of those domestic newspapers, some Muslim predominant countries charged domestic editors who reprinted the cartoons in their newspapers. There has been a controversy over whether those editors should be accused or not.

In a broader view, from the perspective of democracy, this is the controversy over whether there should be absolute free speech and expression or not. Should governments and laws set some limits to individuals and organisations’ freedom of speech?

Defenders of the publication of the cartoons strongly believe that free speech must be safeguarded in this case. Some Western countries’ governments stated that they would protect freedom of speech and expression even when it is found insulting by some religious groups. As a staunch advocate of free speech, Human Rights Watch holds a viewpoint that religious beliefs should not be excluded from public debate as the speech is about ideas, not incitement or even advocacy of violence.

I do think that the matter should be analyzed in relation to public welfare, one of the key factors of which is peace. Respect for others’ cultural and religious beliefs is of great significance in maintaining peace in the world. However, world peace and harmony have always been an Utopian dream of humankind. In fact, in human society, conflict is naturally inevitable. The conflict between the Muslim world and Western world is one of the key conflicts in world politics.

In my opinion, part of the matter of maintaining peace and handling conflicts lies in how people express their views. In choosing an expression, they should carefully weigh the possible consequences. Is it sensible when personal thoughts and attitudes are expressed in a way that eventually leads to pointless suffering of the community? In fact, the publication of the cartoons by Jyllands-Posten has raised waves of violent protests against Western countries, causing tens of mortalities. Also, it has damaged diplomatic relations between Denmark and some Muslim predominant countries. Another possible but controversial consequence of the publication and reprinting of the cartoons is further implantation of the association of Islam with terrorism, which shows discrimination against the Muslim. Anyway, this has remarkably exacerbated the tension between the Muslim world and Western world.

While I agree that free speech should be protected to a large extent, I still hold a view that individuals and organisations should not be allowed to make use of the freedom in an irresponsible way. Indeed, governments and laws should play a role in setting some limitations on free speech in case the expression indicates discrimination or is likely to exert negative effects on community welfare. However, in many cases, it is hard to anticipate the consequences or prove a clear causal relationship. This leads to a dilemma: the one who has made the speech may cite these reasons to defend their action against government’s accusation. The case of the Danish cartoons is typical of the dilemma.

Reference:

-          BBC News. 2006. “Muslim cartoon row timeline”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4688602.stm

-          Human Rights Watch. 2006. “Questions and Answers on the Danish Cartoons and Freedom of Expression: When Speech Offends”.

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/15/denmar12676.htm

War and Terrorism: The Social Impact of the use of the Agent Orange by the US Army in Vietnam War

From 1962 to 1971, the US army had sprayed 72 million litres of a kind of herbicide named the Agent Orange over 3.6 million hectares of forests and villages in the Central and South of Vietnam from aircrafts, trucks or by hand. It was estimated that 17 million people in the South and 1 million from the North were directly exposed to the Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. However, the exact number of the Agent Orange victims in Vietnam from generation to generation has not been calculated. ( Le and Johansson 2001).

It is over 30 years since the Vietnam War ended; yet the Agent Orange’s consequences still continue to make Vietnamese people suffer. A positive association has been proved between the Agent Orange and some illnesses such as soft tissue sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease (Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides, Institute of Medicine 2004). The dioxin, a component of the Agent Orange, has been discovered to cause birth defects in animals and human. As well, this poison has destroyed tropical forests and animal habitats, eroded coastlines and contaminated the soil in the areas. It is undeniable that this weapon of mass destruction has exerted tremendous effects on the ecology and health of many generations of the Vietnamese. Indeed, there have been many scientific research studies on the ecological and health impacts of the Agent Orange used by the US army in Vietnam. However, from sociological perspectives, I do think that the social impacts of the use of the Agent Orange in Vietnam War on individuals, families and society should be further examined.

In the first place, both individuals who were directly poisoned by the herbicide and their descendants are miserable victims. Many veterans and people who were fighting and living in the contaminated areas are now in poor health conditions, threatened by serious illnesses such as cancer of various forms. Their working capacity has been lost or considerably limited. Furthermore, as the dioxin is highly likely to cause birth defect in animals and human, most of these people’s descendants are born with malformations of different kinds and levels of severity, for example: conjoined twins, cleft lip and palate ( Le and Johansson 2001). Many are born to be mentally disabled, too. The tragedy of these children is that despite their existence, they have been stolen a meaningful life since their birth. For many, their physical body or mental capability or both do not develop with age. Some even make little sense of their existence in this world. This means that they have also been stolen with innumerable opportunities in their lifetime: education, working or getting married.

In the second place, in Vietnam, the victims’ families suffer from the consequences of the chemical as well. As mentioned above, the direct exposed victims and their descendants are in poor health conditions and so their working capacity is lost or limited. In this way, their families are under high risk of poverty as they must carry the burden of taking care of the victims who would else be capable earners. Another misery of these families is that day by day, they witness the stolen lives of their children at the same time the end of family continuation. In Vietnam society’s traditional perspective, children are considered the continuation of the family as they will get married and reproduce and take the responsibility of earning as they grow up. In another words, they take over the continuation of life and wealth of the family from generation to generation. Therefore, to Vietnamese families in which every child is invariably born to be physically and mentally handicapped, they are reaching a tragic endpoint.

In the third place, the society are also to pay significant costs. Poor health prevents victims from joining labour force or reduces their labour productivity. Another cost is paid to provide welfare services for victims such as treatment, nursery and special education.

In conclusion, besides observable ecological and health consequences, I am convinced that the use of the Agent Orange during an over ten year period by the US army in the Vietnam War has exerted long-lasting social impacts on individuals, families and society in our country. These damages still cannot be calculated exactly as the tragedy has not yet come to an end.

References:

-         Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides, Institute of Medicine. 1994. Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam – Executive Summary.

http://books.nap.edu/catalog/2141.html

-         Le Thi Nham Tuyet, Annika Johansson. 2001. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study. Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 9, No. 18, Images of Sexuality and Reproduction: Services: Meeting Women’s Needs.

-         http://vietbao.vn. 2007. Phu luc 2: Noi dau xuyen the ky ( 2^nd Index: The Transcentury Misery).

http://vietbao.vn/Van-hoa/Phu-luc-2-Noi-dau-xuyen-the-ky/40218020/184/

-         www.scienceclarified.com. Agent Orange.

http://www.scienceclarified.com/A-Al/Agent-Orange.html

Crime and Globalisation: Are poverty amid wealth and dislocation the main causes of increasing trend in youth crime in Vietnam?

In the book Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability, Scott Sernau states that poverty in the midst of wealth, dislocation and unemployment in the urbanization process are the main factors that cause a considerable increase in street crime and youth violence. A wave of juvenile delinquency is in fact happening in Vietnam. However, I wonder if this situation can be explained as a consequence of urbanisation or there are other significant reasons for it.

Actually, some Vietnamese children are becoming ever dangerous. According to the statistics of the Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam, in 1986, the number of juvenile delinquents was 3,607. By 1995, it tripled to 11,726 cases and even increased eight times to 28,470 in 2005. In these cases, youth criminals have involved in various kinds of crime: robbery, assault, rape and even homicide. For example, last May, two secondary school children kidnapped and killed a five year old boy who was a culprit’s cousin. In 2007 and 2008, several cases of secondary school children stabbing their schoolmates to death for reasons of personal conflict have been recorded.

In my viewpoint, some facts should be noted about these cases. First, most of the youth criminals belong to self-established gangs of youth. Second, while many criminals are children who live in rural areas or were born into low-income families, a remarkable number of others are those who live in suburban areas and whose families are well-off. Thus, to those of the latter group, factors such as poverty amid wealth and dislocation do not seem to be good explanations but there should be another cause.

From my point of view, the matter can be looked at from the angle of socialization and social interactions. In the second chapter of the book Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective, Joe M. Charon defines socialisation as the process by which representatives of society teach people the ways of society and thus form their basic qualities. He also states that socialisation is lifelong and ongoing. Born into a particular society, an individual invariably interacts with other members of society right from his childhood. It is during these continual interactions that the individual develops his personal qualities and patterns of behaviour.

The theory of socialisation and social interactions can be applied in many cases of Vietnamese youth criminals. Instead of poverty amid wealth and dislocation, I recognise the effects of the family and the media as two of the main causes of the increase of youth crime in Vietnam.

In the first place, I do believe that behind a guilty child is a family problem. The problem may be domestic violence. According to the result of the First Investigation into Vietnamese Families issued in 2008, violent actions have happened in 21.2% of Vietnamese families. A possible impact of domestic violence on children is that they are likely to develop violent behaviours in their current and future lives. Also, the problem may be parents’ involvement in activities of social evils such as drug abuse or gambling. Those parents not only take little care of their children but may also be unwanted bad models for them to imitate. Another problem that is less remarkable but equally disastrous is the fact that parents are so involved in earning or working that they nearly ignore their children. According to the above investigation, 21.5% of fathers and 6.8% of mothers spend no time at all taking care of their children mainly because they are too busy with their work. Modernisation, industrialisation and globalisation generally bring Vietnamese people a wider range of profession, more job chances and higher levels of income; yet, the workload and pressure of money earning are becoming heavier. More hours in the offices, factories or businesses often mean fewer hours at home. This explains why many children commit crimes though their parents’ incomes are relatively high.

In the second place, the media is partly to bear responsibility for the growth of youth crime in Vietnam. Fifteen years ago, the Vietnamese had little idea of the Internet and cable television. That was also the time when the rate of youth crime in Vietnam was very low. However, in the last ten years of booming development in Vietnam, along with bringing great convenience in communication and information, the Internet has made it ever easy to access pornography, violent games and clips. As well, illegal massive production and reproduction of VCDs and DVDs are nearly out of governmental control; thus, pornographic and violent movies are easily accessible. Without parents’ control, curious children are likely to approach those and be negatively affected by those evil sources. I strongly doubt if secondary school children themselves can think of the idea to establish gangs of youth to dominate the schoolmate community, readily using violence to “get rid of the enemies” or a detailed plan to kidnap and kill the victim without seeing movies on gangsters or “courageous heroes”. In a broader view, it can be seen that the impact of the media to form children’s criminal behaviours is indeed the impact of the process of cultural, informative and technological globalisation.

In conclusion, in my opinion, the growing trend in juvenile delinquency in Vietnam is mainly caused by family problems and evils of the media. However, while I am unconvinced that dislocation and poverty amid richness as the consequences of urbanisation and modernisation are main reasons for this phenomenon, I still think that globalisation and modernisation cause the trend by taking parents away from their children and making unhealthy media accessible to children.

References:

-         H. Nga. “Cảnh báo xuống cấp đạo đức học đường” (“Alert of moral degradation at school”). CAND online – Cơ quan ngôn luận của Bộ Công An (The Official Mouthpiece of the Vietnam Ministry of Police).

http://www.cand.com.vn/vi-VN/xahoi/2008/7/95802.cand?SearchTerm=đạo%20đức%20học%20đường

-         Joe M. Charon. Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective. 6^th edition. Wadsworth. 2007.

-         Minh Tien. “Đằng sau những vụ án động trời” (“Behind awful cases”). CAND online – Cơ quan ngôn luận của Bộ Công An (The Official Mouthpiece of the Vietnam Ministry of Police).

http://antg.cand.com.vn/vi-VN/phongsu/2008/6/66480.cand?SearchTerm=vị%20thành%20niên

-         Scott Sernau. “Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability”. Pearson. 2006.

-         Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam. “Statistics of Juvenile Delinquency”. 2007.

-         Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and  Tourism, Vietnam General Statistics Office, UNICEF Vietnam, Vietnam Academy of Family and Gender. “Ket qua dieu tra gia dinh Viet Nam” (“Result of Investigation into Vietnamese Families”). 2008.

Gender and Family: What are the Causes for the Prevalence of  Domestic Violence against Women in rural areas of Vietnam?

My father’s native land is a rural village in the Middle region of Vietnam. In the village, most of my close paternal relatives, including my father’s siblings, have settled their lives since their childhood. Of the five brothers and sisters of my father’s, the two aunts have experienced most miserable lives.

The elder aunt is a secondary school teacher. Among villagers, she is considered one of the best educated women. However, at home, she is frequently cursed and sometimes beaten by her husband. As well, she hardly dares to argue with him or go against his words even when it is not her fault.

The younger aunt is a peasant. Though she is only over fourty, she looks as if she were nearly sixty with a skinny body, pale skin and many ceases on the face. Her husband is a tough man, at the same time an alcoholic and a gambler. Since they got married, my aunt has constantly suffered from violent blows of her husband, some of which were so cruel that she had to go to hospital for treatment. However, she has hardly attempted to get divorced but endured the situation for nearly twenty years.

My two aunts are not the only victims of domestic violence against women in Vietnam rural regions. In fact, domestic violence against women has been taking place in all rural regions of the country. According to a research article by Nguyen Dang Vung et. al (2008), Intimate partner violence against women in rural Vietnam -

different socio-demographic factors are associated with different forms of violence: Need for new intervention guidelines, 31% of women in rural areas of Vietnam have been victims of physical domestic violence; while 33% have been both physically and sexually abused. Though I cannot find the statistics for domestic violence in urban areas, I do think that these rates for rural areas are significant. They equal to the rate of domestic violence against women worldwide, which is 33% (UN, 2006).

In my viewpoint, domestic violent against women in rural regions of Vietnam has specific reasons which are in close relation with local contexts.

The root cause for the situation, in my opinion, is patriarchy. Patriarchy is a system in which men have dominant power over women. Patriarchy is supposed to date back to the era when human entered the New Stone Age with an improvement in labour productivity. Physical strength of men was essential to production in agrarian economy and protection of the community. Through history, the institution has evolved in different trends in different cultures and civilizations.

In Vietnam, the influence of patriarchy in society is remarkably strong, especially in rural communities. During a thousand years of dynastic history, Chinese culture had exerted powerful impacts on Vietnamese culture and this influence is still in existence in modern days. The Confucian ideology, which is one of the key elements of Chinese culture, bears some strict principles of women’s responsibilities in society. For example, women are supposed to follow The three subjections: daughter to her parents, wife to her husband and widow to her children. Families in rural areas of Vietnam all have strong faith in these principles. In this case, it is understandable why patriarchy is so deeply entrenched in rural communities in Vietnam.

There are various manifestations of patriarchy in Vietnamese rural communities that are closely related to domestic violence against women. Firstly, the man has dominant role over the woman and children in a family. Though many rural women now can earn money as well as her husband, rural men still maintain their role as breadwinners. With physical strength, men can also provide some basic domestic materials such as shelter construction and carpentry for his family. This economic dominance means that the man is the one whose voice bear utmost weight in family matters such as financial control or decision making. Secondly, discrimination against women is prevalent in rural communities. Going back to the case of my younger aunt, there has been no intervention of her husband’s family or neighbours though they live in very close proximity. In fact, to many people in rural areas, violence is legitimatised as a way for the man to discipline his wife. Another factor is the resigned nature of many Vietnamese women in their relationships with men. Their resignation, combined with the strong influence of traditional principles in which women are supposed to maintain a harmonious atmosphere in the family, makes them endure violence with little strong resistance. This is totally true in the cases of my two aunts.

Besides patriarchy, there are some other reasons for domestic violence against rural women in Vietnam.

Economic hardship, in many cases, leads to violent actions of men. A considerable number of families in rural areas of Vietnam are currently in poverty or even extreme poverty. The matter becomes worse in families in which men are involved in alcohol abusing or gambling. The heavy pressure of poverty added by negative mental and psychological conditions of drunkards or desperate gamblers results in the sufferings of women in those families.

Low level of education among people of both genders should also be included. Rural people in Vietnam in general have by far less access to decent formal education than those in urban areas. Poor education is likely to lead to a misconception of gender roles among many rural men and women. To many people, masculinity is identified with violence and femininity with resignation and obedience. However, this misconception is also found among urban people. As well, self protection skill against violence is unfamiliar to most rural women.

In conclusion, patriarchy is the root cause of the prevalence of domestic violence against women in Vietnam rural areas. Other factors such as economic hardship and poor education exacerbate the situation. Searching for the solutions to this problem, organisations and concerned individuals should have a thorough understanding of the causes typical of the social context in rural regions of Vietnam.

References:

-        Nguyen Dang Vung, Per-Olof Ostergren and Gunilla Krantz (2008). Intimate partner violence against women in rural Vietnam – different socio-demographic factors are associated with different forms of violence: Need for new intervention guidelines?. BMC Public Health.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/55

-         United Nations (2006). In-depth study on all forms of violence against women: Report of the Secretary-General

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/61/122/Add.1&Lang=E

-          WHO (2006). World report on violence and health

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/en/index.html

Work and Trade: A look on Fact and Reason of Child Labour in Vietnam

Last summer, while working as a volunteer for an NGO in Vietnam, I had a chance to talk to three girls all aged 14 who lived in a fishing village in my home town. In their village, 17 households settled their daily lives on small fishing boats along the river, terribly in lack of electricity and fresh water. The girls told me that the children in the village, like themselves, day by day helped their parents with fishing or searched for waste-metal pieces deep in the river to sell for money.

A fifteen boy working at the gold mine from which the four boys escaped (Source: Vietnamnet)

In Vietnam, child labour has been a matter of great concern to authorities, local and international organisations as well as concerned individuals. According to The State of the World’s Children 2008, a report published in December 2007 by the UNICEF, the child labour rate among Vietnamese children aged 5 to 14 was 15.8% during the period of 1999 – 2006. This rate was higher than that of the world and nearly reached the level of the region, which was 16%.

The State of the World’s Children 2008, UNICEF (2007).

In Vietnam, child workers are now involved in various form of labour. According to a research by Eric Edmonds and Carrie Turk (2002), the decrease in the number of children working in agriculture has contributed considerably to the decline in child labour rate in Vietnam during the 1990s by 45% as a result of rice price increases. However, agriculture is still one of the greatest economic sector involving child labour, especially unpaid work as rural children often work domestically.

Economic changes and urbanization have lead to an increase in the number of children working in industry and services. Unfortunately, at present I cannot find any detailed statistics on the rates of children labour in different forms. Yet, in my observations, in the street, it is now very easy to find children working as shoe-shiners or street vendors. Young girls in rural areas are rushing to cities to work as maids in urban families to do housework and childcare. Young boys in rural areas are often involved in construction and mining.

Many children in Vietnam fall victim to most exploitative forms of labour. The boys in the story at the beginning of this essay are representatives of children working under poor conditions and being maltreated. Many young girls in rural areas have been deceived and trafficked to work in prostitution domestically or in neighbouring countries such as China or Cambodia.

There are some significant causes of child labour in Vietnam. The first cause is the process of industrialization and urbanization. Growth in the number of industrial factories and declines in the area of agrarian land to give way to industrial zones lure children in rural regions to seek for jobs in suburban areas. The second cause is family poverty. Soon in their lives, children born in poor families are to share financial burdens with their parents. Also, as having little access to education, these children, especially those in rural areas, are extremely vulnerable to adult deceivers. Another reason to be taken into consideration is traditional ways of thinking, as Birgitta Rubenson et al. (2004) stated:

“The lack of family resources combined with the need to pay for health care has contributed to adolescents leaving school to look for work. Although first communism and later open market politics have meant great changes in the society, traditional values around childhood and child-rearing have prevailed, such as the obligations of children towards family, elders, and society, and the special duties of sons.” (Birgitta Rubenson, Dinh Phuong Hoa, Nguyen Van Chinh, Bengt Hojer, Eva Johansson. To Be a Shoeshine Boy in Hanoi: A Different Childhood Narrative,  Health and Human Rights, Vol. 8, No.1 (2004), pp. 143)

This perspective is remarkedly common among rural communities. This explanation, combined with family poverty, might be a good answer to the question why rural children are so much involved in child labour. However, though the authors mentioned a traditional emphasis on the special duties of sons, the fact is that the rate of child labour among Vietnamese girls is higher than boys, according to the above table in The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF (2007). Indeed, many Vietnamese people, still strongly affected by traditional preference for males, give more privileges in education and care to their sons than daughters.

In conclusion, a great number of children in Vietnam are involved in different forms of child labour, many of which are exploitative. To my viewpoint, the main causes for this social problem are the process of industrialization and urbanization, family poverty and some traditional perspectives on the roles of children to their families. As I take a special interest in sociology of children, I wish to do further research in the future on child labour in Vietnam.