Chapter IV :
Educational Harvest
It is true that we harvest fruits after ten years of caring for a fruit-bearing tree. With the modern technique of grafting, the duration is reduced to three or four years. But education requires generations and generations to be able to change the mentality, the manner of living of a man.
Vietnam has experienced a long period of war. The loss is unavoidable. But the greatest loss remains always the education of human qualities that officials have neglected or of which they have ignored. If you were Vietnamese, you feel a tearing of the heart in reading this article titled « Disease of Cheating »
[1] released in the « Youth Sunday » weekly newspaper a few years ago.Based on the news published in newspapers these days, we notice that the disease of cheating expands rapidly in numbers and at many levels, and not only in economic field but it is already widespread in educational field, cultural, social, even in scientific field that seems to be highly appreciated and venerated above all for its impartiality : cheat to plunder public goods ; also cheat to carve a quick success ; cheat to reach the planned objectives ; cheat to intensify his power ; cheat to obtain false glories. Therefore in spite of remarkable scientific developments, false scholars also exist! Several cheatings have been detected : the deficit national budget is not justified even that is reserved to efface hunger and diminish poverty ; "erasure" of the money invested for the development of distant regions. The most serious cheating is to steal the construction materials of streets, highways, houses, and private and public buildings, which enormously have an influence on the safety of users and the aging of construction.
These fraudulent schemes are nevertheless advanced, accompanied by false reports, invoices, and invented vouchers. The control procedure is rather severe. However, it has successfully passed all the doors because the controllers lead a bureaucratic style of living or are deficient in competences or presence of spirit. But do not eliminate anymore case where they are corrupted.
Several other different cheatings, lies have been and were recently published in newspapers in these latest years. If they were true, this would be a risk to the country’s future and the competent authorities should not neglect the sound of alarm bell.
Above all, we, educators, we must ask ourselves why today worsen trivialization of human qualities, accelerate the gradient of violence and easy transgression of the law in young people and even in children. It is true that we are face to face with a more and more youthful delinquency, and unconcern head-on blood flow, with more and more frequent violence. A phenomenon of rejuvenation of the gangs, not solely evolves in quantitative but also qualitative scheme. This phenomenon that was attributed to a certain district in the center of large cities, now has the tendency to be widespread in secluded provinces where people led a quiet and laborious life. The aggravation of delinquency actions is consistent with robberies, rapes, crimes, destruction of properties, drug…
1- Little things that nevertheless sound the alarm
a) Public Fraud
From childhood, parents and first teachers of primary constantly repeat to students the words, maxims, proverbs, or writings of our predecessors so that they can live in harmony with their contemporaries. To teach them to live honestly, to respect the properties of others, this proverb warns us : « In childhood, we steal an egg, later we will steal an ox » (photo, p. 225).
However, in circulating on the streets of Saigon or rather on the highways that accede to the entry of Saigon, a spectacle hits the eyes of passers-by : ambulant merchants of crabs invade the road (Photo, p. 222). A rather bizarre detail is uniformly occured among all these vendors in the different surroundings of Saigon. We do not know the reason, but perhaps, these crabs are delivered by the same supplier. It is because all these crabs are placed in wash basins and were carefully tied up with an enormous bundle of red plastic wire. Upon what does that serve ? It is easy to understand. A weight of so-called one kilogram weighs only about 900 grams of real quantity. Likewise for « nem », more than a dozen layers of banana leaves serve for packing to deceive people’s eyes !
Often, quality is not the one shouted by the vendors : very good quality, delicious,… I remember a little unforgettable story. At a brief motor coach’ stop on the way to return to Saigon, vendors of fruits, « nem », and all sorts of local products were eager to come and invite travelers to buy to give to their families as gift. In seeing good mangoes, very well arranged in a wide basket, ten by ten, I was attracted at the same time by their beauty and price. After having negotiated the price of ten, we have thence finally arrived at a common agreement. The salesperson was sitting on the ground to reset the mangoes already bargained into a black plastic bag. Because I always stayed on the motor coach, his « transfer work » was out of my range of vision. Exactly at departure of the motor coach, he « finished his work » and ran hastily after the vehicle to pass me the bag of mangoes and I in turn paid him the agreed amount. On the road, instinctively, I checked the bag and discovered that it was not the same bargained mangoes in the wide basket. They are all rotten. Shameful, I had to throw them out one after another, unbeknown to neighbors.
It is true that buyers are passengers who will probably not come back a second time to this place to buy these merchandises. But this action reveals dishonesty, public fraud judged inconsequential by conscience already hardened. How can these people educate their children about honesty while they continually live in deception ?
b) And they stole… a million ox : Dishonesty in the construction
[2]Police in Hanoi (North Vietnam) discovered for the first time, the night of March 2, 2005, an « extraction » of materials in the field of construction of a building A2 of 12 storeys (photo, p. 223,224).
After several days of continuous surveillance, at 21 hours on March 2, 2005, police caught the fact concerning Mr. Hoàng Thành Uyên, born in 1958, was in the act of directing a group of workers filling piles of concrete not corresponding to the requirement of technical project and at the request of the investor. Mr. Uyên is the chief of team 8 of the Construction Company No. 1, a member of the General Company of Importation and Exportation Construction VINACONEZ.
According to the technical project, the foundations of building A2 are established under the theory application of reinforced concrete with two categories of cages with diameters of one meter and 0.8 meter. The depth of each pit reaches up to 43 meters. The team of work execution must bring down a pile of four cages made with meshes in steel wire with diameter of 10 mm to 22 mm. The steel wire of the upper cage is thicker and denser than the lower one. Each cage should be filled up with steel pipes of 0.50 m in diameter to serve as control through ultrasonic afterward. On the morning of March 3, 2005, in the presence of Mr. Tran Dinh Loc, of Mr. Q. Thanh Xuan, Vice President of the project, representatives of the Construction Department, the team of the project Execution, and numerous journalists, police demanded that the team of project execution remove the cages in the two pits No. 64 and 86. Unexpected result : the workers could only bring up two cages of 11.75 m and 9.90 m, let us say 21.65 m instead of 43 meters as the technical project required. That is to say that more than 20 meters of concrete was not reinforced ! And this was the same detection for the pit No. 86 !
It is thus astonishing that a large company such as Vinacomex dared lay down foundations not very solid for such construction. Hoang Thanh Uyên, responsible for execution team, reveals some important details : The construction project A2 is composed of 132 apartments. His company took part in an auction of public works for a total price of 3 million American dollars. The foundations include 135 reinforced concrete piles. Hoang Thanh Uyên has ordered his workers to put only 2 cages instead of four in each pit. Each cage of steel weighs 500 kg on average. Hoang Thanh Uyên has reduced two cages, let us say one tonne of steel for each pit.
c) Observations on the streets
All foreigners coming to Vietnam that I know complain about the disorder in the streets. What strikes their eyes the most is that they only see motorbikes circulating in all directions (Photo, p. 226).
At the crossroads, when the police are not present, running red lights is considered as a heroic action, realizing what others « do not dare » to do. He must in that case understand that the manifestation of the individualistic courage takes place by the transgression of collective laws. It seizes how much the idea of common weal is fragile in a country where propaganda does not cease to criticize individualism.
Drive in inverse direction is a transgression of every minute.
On the highway, we play in the death while traveling in a motorbike on the track reserved for automobiles (photo, p. 227).
These means of transport impede traffic by parking anywhere.
Accelerate speed to overpass or to turn right and even left without making any signal is a normal thing (photo, p. 228).
The sense of discipline has not yet impregnated the minds of the Vietnamese. We do not observe the code of traffic only in the presence of the police.
[3]From the month of October 2004, the Department of Transport and communications appertaining to the Office of the Prefecture of Hochiminh city has officially implemented the registration in images of transgressions of the code of traffic. After 6 months of testing, from September 10, 2004 to March 8, 2005, the direction central of transport and communications has declared 61, 928 cases of transgressions ! The traffic police have provisionally confiscated 2 000 engines of circulation, punched holes in 50 permits to drive[4]. After all, there is nothing suppressed others than these infringements : circulate in the inverse direction, neglect traffic signs, transport people exceeding the prescribed number limit. But according to the report of the Committee responsible for traffic safety, accidents in the first 2 months of the year 2005 have the tendency to augment. In the city of Hochiminh alone, 268 cases have caused death to 190 people and wounded 269 victims. There is on average of 3 accidental deaths per day. According to the analysis of experts, the causes of these accidents always remain the same : no respect for the one-way streets or regulated track, sudden change of direction without making any indication… Most accidents involve drivers of motorbikes (186 cases, 131 deaths), heavy vehicles (41 cases, 41 deaths). It is a little strange that pedestrians may also be the perpetrators of the accidents (16 cases, 10 deaths).
On the one hand, it seems that life estimation of others from the Vietnamese does not worth anything at all. The racing of motorbikes at high speed, driven by very young people, continue through here and there unbeknown to the police. A necessary and sufficient condition to participate in these races is to loosen the brakes ! On the other hand, it only takes a few offended words to provoke a quarrel, a death. A tragedy, happened unexpectedly on the night of March 5, 2005 in the division of Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh city, has made neighbors stunned and grievously suffered because the murderer and the victim were still very young.
Mr. HUYNH TAN TAI, born in 1989, says : About 20 hours 30 of the night of March 5, HUYNH TAN TAI and NGUYEN VAN AI (born in 1988) accompanied by 6 other pals from the same district go to the fair and, on the road, encounter 2 young people that they do not know, confiding them this threatening message : « You go tell DIEN, friend of AI, to come tomorrow in the field to fight two by two with CHIEN ». In hearing this, the whole gang of AI went to the gambling shop of horse race where CHIEN, born in 1988, was present. At the entrance of the shop, seeing CHIEN stand inside, AI yelled aloud to exhibit his power : « If you dare repeat it once again !... ». Without waiting for a response from CHIEN, AI gather strength towards CHIEN in giving him knocks of fists in burst. All of a sudden, CHIEN took out a knife about 15 cm and stabbed AI directly to his left flank, that would eliminate the combat in a minute. Seeing that CHIEN was armed, TAI came to assist AI. But TAI had only then received a knife stab in the same left flank. It was then the turn of TAI’s friends to join in the combat. They thwarted the attack of CHIEN with a view to opening the way for TAI and AI to run away and for their turn,… they fled in like manner. Neighbors transported AI to the hospital, but seriously wounded, AI rendered his last breath at about 22 hours of the night of March 5. While CHIEN, after the murder, returned home, carefully took off his knife and went to bed as if nothing had happened !
In fact, the day preceding the murder, CHIEN saw AI and TAI beating his friend, DAT. CHIEN intervened and DIEN, friend of AI, gave him a blow of fist rather strong. It is for this reason that the rancor developped in CHIEN and he sought a propitious moment to revenge. This murder case does not only leave sorrows, losses to both families, but it is an occasion offered to educators and officials to re-examine their responsibilities in education in order to prevent bad consequences.
d) The bus, the vehicle of « roi »
[5]For a long time the people of Saigon forgot to choose the bus to ride, although the fare remains very low. The way of common transport here is the motorbike. Nothing comparable to that organization in France. What annoys passengers the most is that the bus does not respect the hour of departure and arrival. The Department of Transportation made the renovation several times and one must recognize that there has been a great deal of progress in this area. Today, the number of buses increases. But other problems occur. Accidents caused by buses also increase. Some drivers are ready to compete in speed with other vehicles on the highway, pull away the travellers, in spite of the exasperation of passengers on the bus. And yet, it happened that after having caused an accident, the driver and driver aids have brutalized the victims. Such things happened in broad downtown Ho Chi Minh city (photo, p. 229).
At about 15 hours in the afternoon of October 8, 2004, on Nguyen thi Minh Khai street of District 1, two buses circulated in the same direction of Dinh Tien Hoang street to Cach Mang Thang 8, the blue bus A carrying the No. 53N-3857 followed that of red B carrying the No. 53N 3385. On several occasions, the driver of the blue A stopped for the loading and unloading of passengers outside of the regulated stations and did not voluntarily cede the passing to the bus B. At the crossroads of Nguyen thi Minh Khai and Pasteur streets, the driver of the red B accelerated speed, invaded the inverse trail to overpass the bus blue A, without being concerned for the lives of drivers of motorbikes and bicycles. Several passersby, panic, had to rush onto the sidewalk to avoid a possible accident.
Millions of inhabitants in the city of Saigon were indignant at the contempt of life from these thousands of irresponsible bus drivers. On Quang Trung street in Go vap, Ho Chi Minh city, for example, buses of that line circulate with a speed habitually high, honking loudly and continually, by invading the opposite track with an unrestrained manner
in negligently flickering from one track to another, stopping anywhere for loading and unloading of passengers, in spite of the code of traffic and the lives of others.It is thereof the same with buses of line No. 1 (from Saigon market to Binh Tay-Cholon market) although they have very good reputation and are considered as models of all buses of other lines. On this line, a special track is reserved for bus traffic. On October 13, 2004, the journalist took the bus of this line to enrich his feature article. Then, he noticed that, on the whole line, the driver has at least 5 times transgressed the code of traffic by invading the track reserved for automobiles and motorbike
s, and sometimes the opposite track, rolling on the track reserved for the bus of the other side of the street. At several intersections, drivers easily ran the red light.The behavior of drivers in spite of the traffic rule have left painful consequences. The victims of the accident on Hai Ba Trung street, 1st district, is thereof one example. The driver of bus No. 53M-6662 is at the same time a player of the accident and brutality on the victim. It is also on this line that a bus hit the rear of a motorbike, which killed one student. On October 2, 2004, about 17 hours 20, an 18 year old young girl, pedaling in front of the bus No. 53N-3833 and in the same direction, was crushed to death.
In the past two years, at least ten mortal accidents were caused by buses while collisions are multiple according to the report of the Office of the Traffic Police. Transgressions that burst the eyes are nevertheless not seriously sanctioned by the police. At intersections, drivers invade the tracks reserved for vehicles and motorbikes as soon as the light turns green, and continue to roll, but the police always closes his eyes. A policeman seeing the audacity of the driver complains thus to his neighbors on the bus : "He (the driver) does not drive the vehicle in the reserved track but constantly invade the motorbikes’ track. It is truly dangerous. I wanted to call my colleagues several times to stop him ". The disorder of the traffic of motorbikes is one of the reasons that incites bus drivers to continue to frighten the inhabitants of the city of Saigon.
However, the accident maybe the most catastrophic and frightful is always the one of train happened unexpectedly on March 12, 2005 at 11 hours 40 in the territory of the province of Thua Thien, Hue (central Vietnam). The train jumped off the rail and felled back at the seaside. The accident caused eleven dead and more than a hundred wounded of whom 70 were admitted to the hospital in Da Nang
[6].The Train E1 belongs to the group of train head from north to south of Vietnam. At about 23 hours of March 11, 2005, the train E1 left the station of Ha Noi (North Vietnam) consisting of 13 coaches with 522 tons of weight included 500 passengers and 23 personnel staff (photo, p. 233).
The police investigations have been initiated. But according to Mr. NGUYEN TIEN HIEP, spokesman of the Command General of Railway, it takes nearly a month to be able to conclude them. However, pending results, some observations of railways specialists could enlighten us on the reasons of this regrettable accident. Doctor Nguyen Si Dung wrote in The Youth newspaper on Monday March 14, 2004 : "In the first place,…a very old and narrow system of railway does not assure the security for trains at fast speed"
[7]. However, north-south express trains have successively reduced the travel time from 40 hours to 36 hours, then to 34 hours, then to 32 hours, then to 30 hours or less…. even while the technical abilities of railways system remained limited. Secondly, the north-south railway is "monoline" (single track). All routes from north to south or inversely, must use this unique railroad. This means, that they must await at a certain anticipated railway station to cede the crossing to another train. Thirdly, the actual railway passes through several very much populated districts, which is very illogical and yet the reality.Find the causes of this accident is an important work to fulfil, but clarify the status of responsibility is not less. The reason of the accident could take its source from the wrong option, either the management, or execution process. We are busy to integrate ourselves into the world, standards of responsibility are therefore the most important that we have yet to attain.
2- Culture... of collision of transportation
[8]At 3 hours 30 in the afternoon of November 18, 2004, at the intersection of Hue and Tue Tinh streets (Hanoi, North Vietnam), all transportation drivers stopped at red lights. A young man rapidly driving a motorbike with make « DREAM II » on Hue street ran the red light without being able to control its speed and he struck the rear of another motorbike driven by an adult who plunges forward to the opposite street immediately after the green light. This collision is not sufficiently strong to throw these two heroes on the ground. Both strive to get up and move forward one towards another, without being concerned for the two motorbikes sprawling in the middle of the intersection that obstruct the traffic. Both stop at the same time and shake hands in offering a fraternal smile, then pick up their motorbikes and go away. Passersby could never imagine the matter ends in this manner and await a quarrel, a scuffle… as it is often the case. Staying astonished, witnesses of the drama finally breathe a sigh of relief. On the street of Hue, the green light lit up and nobody was conscious of it. The eyes of a student parking her bike nearby are in tears of surprise and joy. She await, her also, a scuffle that does not happen.
The nice actions and encouraging feelings always warm the hearts of witnesses and perhaps this event has suddenly made them remembering long expected similar behavior.
They also tell another story : A thin and sick old lady remained upright in swaying in the middle of a bus filled of passengers. Not one available seat to comfortably sit down. Having pity for the weakness of the lady, a young man ceded seat to her in politely telling her : « Take my seat, please ». Eyes wide open, surprise, the lady suddenly fell on the floor, fainting. Some passengers came to help him and asked him the reason. Finally, the lady having regained consciousness gently answered them : « Because I am very exited. I chose the bus as a priority means of transportation for thirty years and it is the first time that someone cedes the seat to me. Thank you, young man ». When the lady finished her explanation, the young man – his face turning from red to pale - fell to the floor, fainting in turn. As soon as he regained consciousness, he hastened to justify himself : «Because... I have often given up my place to many people, but this is the first time that I hear one says ... "thank you" to me ».
The event of collision of two motorbikes had invented this
little humorous story that makes people laugh to tears. But all these two take
their root in quotidian life and reflect a part of the aspiration of a more
human social life.
3- « From the matters that we have seen... »
a) Very common reactions
At about 11 hours 30 on November 13, 2004 on Quang Trung Street, Go vap District, Ho Chi Minh city, a collision happened unexpectedly between two motorbikes, a young girl of about twenty years old and a man not so young. The salt and pepper hair of the adult manifested an experienced person and more or less cultivated and his appearance showed that he had good health. We did not know exactly whose fault it was. Witnesses, in the meantime, thought that he used his intelligence to properly resolve the problem. Suddenly, « bup », we just had time to see : his fist set out very rapidly. The young girl fell backwards and a bump as big as an egg appeared on her cheek. The gentleman then showed scratches on his motorbike and asked the young girl to compensate. She accepted and, silently, she got her body in motion, calling her men so that they bring money to resolve the problem. But ignorance of the adult faced the terrifying silence of the young girl before the tempest pushed into a desperate pit : as soon as the men of the young girl appeared, she dashed directly and rapidly towards the man in yelling and in giving him the blows of fists and feet (photo, p. 230).
These « indigestible » and « giving giving » stories seemed to show that it is easier to resolve problems by dashing towards the other, eyes big, violent, and brutal like a tiger, without having the need of any intermediary to analyze whom the fault belongs. It is also difficult to understand whereas we could shake hands in reconciling or in patiently awaiting the arrival of the police. Revenge is still part of a code of honor and therefore forgiveness in such case of appearance would be considered as a resignation.
Every day, it occurs almost paradoxical matters. On the way back, a journalist of a certain newspaper for women is hit by a woman driving a motorbike of « brand @ », being rolled on the left, and who all of a sudden turned right into the prohibited one-way street to shorten her path by crossing the road of the journalist. An unexpected braking could have saved them from a serious accident. However, this clash has still succeeded to completely tear the fender in front of the brand Wave bike of the journalist. Witnesses affirmed that the fault 100% returns to the owner of @. But the one who howled with big shouting, demanding compensation, was the faulty owner of @, knowing that the price of the bike @ worth 10 times more than the one of Wave. Noticing that matters turned out bad and the owner of @ was in shape, the one of Wave mounted on his bike and disappeared leaving behind her furious howlings.
b) Strange story
Although this is just a chattering, the abstract of the article entitled "Strange Story" published in a weekly magazine can be considered as an almost complete reflection of people’s mentality of the present time.
"The whole family comes to sit in front of the television immediately after the commercials. The program « Strange Stories » in the city is a very esteemed television broadcasting program… But the program now seems even more interesting than the presentation of the M.C. (Master of Ceremonies) : "Ladies and gentlemen, today the strange story is going to be… very strange. No commentaries, No dialogues. Look carefully at our objective and the strange story will happen". My wife complains aloud : "He talks too much : Quick ! Quick !". My four children chime in : "It is true, this gentleman speaks too long, more than Mom". I reply : "Silence, look".
On the screen appears a young man busy having his breakfast while listening and watching the news on television. Then, he takes his little satchel, gets out of his small house along the small alley and stops at a bus station… My child appears intelligent in saying : "Definitely, the strange story will happen in the bus". But there is no strange matter that appears except his tranquillity in reading newspapers and his delicacy to give up his place to an elderly lady…
My wife and my children seem to lose patience. I encourage them : "Be patient, the M.C. announced that the strange matter will happen unexpectedly !"…. And the young man gets off the bus, continues to walk on the sidewalk. From time to time, he picks up an empty bottle or pieces of paper thrown everywhere across the street and gets rid of the rubbish along the street. The strange story does not always happen... My children yawn and one of them reaches out and takes his favorite cartoon.
The story continues in spite of everything. The young man stops in front of the front gate of a big house where he works without doubt. He looks at his watch. The zoom of the camera shows us the hands indicating 7 o’clock sharp. He cheerfully comes in, greets the doorman and the others that he meets in the courtyard of the house and goes directly towards the parking. He advances towards a very new car and looks at it for a good minute. At that moment, my wife screams with joy : "Ah ! He will raise the vehicle all alone with his two hands !" My child throws his book and howls : "No, he will start the vehicle by fascination". But the strange matter does not always happen. This time, the camera zoom shows us the contents of a piece of paper posted to the inside of the vehicle : "Only use it for the common service". My child takes his book again and my wife grumbles. Impatient, she gets up and goes to the kitchen.
On the screen, we see the young man who remains in front of the door of a room. He opens the door and enters. He sits in front of a large desk and takes a thick file out of his satchel. On the tablet of the desk placed in front of him is inscribed : "Director".
The film concludes and the M.C. appears in saying : "We continue to watch the second strange story".
c) Vengeance of a gang of juvenile hooligans
HOC MON is a division of the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh city. The city expands and is rapidly urbanized. We still recognize the traces of a peasant life in seeing the gardens, fruit-bearing trees, or rice fields here and there that shrink from year to year because people across the country come running to invest in property commerce. Major projects have transformed the facade of this quiet region, reasonable, into a noisy district, tumultuous. And at 22 hours 30 on October 23, 2004, people of TAM VONG hamlet, TAN XUAN district, division of HOC MON were taken by panic in being exposed to an attack with axes of about forty juvenile gangs. But, the forces of the civilian guard intervened in time. Mr. HA VAN QUI, the victim, told : « That night, I went to my father’s house to look for my son. In passing in front of the gate of PHUOC DUC villa, juvenile gangs swooped toward me with tumultuous footsteps. "Sabre it ! Sabre it!" yelled Mr. Ti, my neighbor who took the lead. They were numerous, about 40 young hooligans who encircled me and gave me blows of axes. I was only momentarily able to evade the blows of axes with bare arms and went back through the gates of the villa still partly open. They abandoned their fugitive thanks to the intervention of two people who were busy taking down the merchandises from a truck. And I fell into a coma… »
The cause of this vengeance is well clear. The previous night, Mr. HA VAN QUI took the initiative to reconcile the two youth gangs who fought during the funeral ceremonies of a family near his home. His child is a member of one of these gangs. The gang of TI went in silence. The next day at noon, when the funerals terminated, TI proclaimed in advance : « We will return at 22 hours ».
According to investigations by local police, that vengeance was directed by NGUYEN HUU DUC, known as TI, born in 1987. DUC assigned to TAM to hide fifteen axes and distribute them at hour J to his accomplices : DANG NGUYEN HOAI PHONG born in 1984, NGUYEN ANH DANH born in 1983, LY MINH THUAN born in 1987, NGUYEN CONG VU born in 1985. The others were rapidly vanished. The police continued to do investigations and sought those who were the compromise in the matter.
d) Image and crime of two young robbers
[10]Police have concluded investigations of vehicle theft to armed robbery October 28, 2004 in CU CHI, a suburb of Ho Chi Minh city. The performers of this crime are two young men from central Vietnam : DANG NGOC DUY AN born in 1988 in Quang Nam and NGUYEN VAN QUOC born in 1985 in Binh Dinh.
DUY AN, the youngest child of a family of 8 brothers and sisters, gave up his studies along the way, a year before finishing the primary school year. He left his natal village to rejoin his brothers and sisters in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh city, temporarily lodging in the division of Go Vap. Every day, he went to Thu Duc to help his brothers in the service of a cafeteria.
VAN QUOC perceived the profession of repairing motorbikes. However, he despised the squat both hard and dirty and, at the invitation of DUY AN ’s brother, he accepted the new work without hesitation.
DUY AN and VAN QUOC spent the night together in the cafeteria and habitually conversed quietly until midnight. His brothers and sisters were thereof pleased in thinking that they were of same opinion.
On the morning of July 19, 2004, DUY AN borrowed the motorbike of his brother to go out without precise reason. The brother of DUY AN called for VAN QUOC to fetch VCD tapes in the afternoon of the same day. But VAN QUOC rather rejoined his pal and together, they proceeded towards the direction of TAY NINH. They stopped at TRANG BANG, 60 km from Saigon, and rented a room there to pass the night. The next morning, July 20, 2004, both made use of this motorbike to cross the frontier of Cambodia, the port of Go Chai, division of Ben Cau and sold the motorbike at a price of 600 USD. They then sought a person of acquaintance in Xa Bu market (Cambodia) with a view to placing the order for an AK rifle and 43 bullets at a price of 400 USD and went to his hotel. Two days later, they returned to Cambodia to receive the rifle. They then dismantled to facilitate the transport and went to their lodging in Trang Bang.
To realize their dream of possessing a vehicle with 4 seats with a view to ravishing goods from a sale store and purchase of valuable objects, they did a number on an owner of a rental car to bring them to Saigon. The vehicle arrived to the region of Hoc Mon. The circulation became increasingly dense. The houses were swarming on both sides of the road. Our two robbers were becoming aware that the opportunity to go into action had escaped from them. They invented the pretext of having forgotten something at the hotel and asked the driver to return. One of the two pointed the rifle at the driver’s head in forcing him to stop the vehicle. This one took control of the steering wheel, and Hiep (the vehicle’s owner) on the side, in driving the vehicle with one hand and intimidating the victim with the other. The second robber sat behind Hiep. Arriving at an uninhabited place, the new driver stopped the vehicle and ordered Hiep to descend. All of a sudden, Hiep resisted the agression. Immediately, the one who sat behind him, strangled him. While the two fought, the other pressed on the trigger. Hiep died. They leaned the body against the front seat and abruptly turned the vehicle in the direction of Saigon. But as he was suddenly turned about a half turn, the corpse fell against the steering wheel in making the new driver lose control and the vehicle went up on the right sidewalk. Passersby hastened to come help the « damaged » vehicle. The two thieves rushed into the street and ran away in throwing the rifle and their bag through the hedge of an individual. Yet, they could not escape.
In the days that followed, the two cold-blooded criminals were severely judged for triple transgressions : homicide, theft of property of others, and illegal use of weapon. Although the criminal case is completed, the phenomenon reveals the augmentation of juvenile criminals whose most important reason revolves around the lack of a proper goal in life, the desire for consumption without working, and obtaining a result immediately. And it is also a sound of alarm bell for those caring for the future of the people.
e) Children learning to become ringleaders
[11]At 22 hours 30 on October 27, 2004, while the people of the lane No. 578 of Hung Vuong street, district 13 of division 6, Ho Chi Minh city, were preparing to sleep, began tumultuously at first with aloud discussions which were then transformed into quarrels and continued by splinters of bottles and glass. People in the hamlet precipitated into the alley and saw a gang of young people, bottles in hands, howling, threatening everybody, and throwing empty bottles through the doors and windows of the house of Mr. Duong Hai Nam.
According to witnesses of district, 15 minutes before the tragedy, Quoc Anh, born in 1989 and his gangs of juvenile mustered with hubbub in front of the house of Duong Mong Long, son of Mr. Nam. The dogs barked evidently. Disputes broke out between the young hooligans and Long at first and then dragged into riots. All alone, in the impossibility to wrestle against a gang both excited and ferocious, Long shouted for help in returning home and got hold of a stick to defend himself. At the cry of his son, Mr. Nam came to his aid and the two sides continued to fight. The gang of Quoc Anh seized bottles of an inn next door to use them as weapons of war. In seeing splinters spreading everywhere on the ground, Mr. Nam disappeared into his house and shut the door while the neighbors helped Long to escape. Remained outside, the marauders continued to throw bottles, pots of flowers by redoubled squalls towards the house of Mr. Nam and threatened to kill Long, his son, and burn down the house if Long did not appear. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the neighbors called the district police. And the district finally recovered his tranquility. Mr. Nam together with Quoc Anh, head of the gang, were both wounded and they were transported to the hospital for their first aid.
But, the drama did not stop there. After the gang had dispersed, a person stating himself father of Quoc Anh, head of the gang, entered into the house of Mr. Nam to inveigh noisily and threaten to shoot those who had struck Quoc Anh, his son.
The police arrested all disturbers for them to undergo an interrogation.
f) Inadvertently
- At rush hour in a library, there are numerous people who work hard in reading or search for records. The atmosphere is perfectly calm and very favorable for a such intellectual work. Suddenly, the sound of sandals that drags noisily reverberates at the same time as the voice of a young girl who answers the telephone. Her dialogue through the portable telephone attracts the attention of the present by her use of slang words, including unmannerly words, the language of the street. Those who are present there rise their eyes to contemplate our friend who appears at the entrance door, dressed very much in fashion. A student frowns in saying : « How impolite ! ». Another person, more tolerant, replied : « It is only an inadvertence ! ».
- Three sick people in a room of a hospital : an elderly patient surrounded by members of his family who, faces very tense, worried about his health ; a second patient is hardly asleep ; The third patient, still very young cheerfully converse with her two visiting friends. One of these two young girls complained about her grandfather : « …very old and he still does not want to die…, which oblige us to laboriously serve him ». And she concludes in a truly ungrateful tone : « When I get a little older, not to torment my children, I will choose death by taking a medicine…. ». One of the ladies of the family members of the elderly patient made the remark : « What a girl who, inadvertently, does not know to watch her words ! ». We understand from this example that we must also educate children the ability to be silent in certain circumstances beyond the interest to favor posture of silence.
- Two young girls come out of a supermarket carrying parcels of merchandises in cheerfully prattling about things that they have seen and purchased. Being absorbed by the conversation, they struck against a lottery vendor who desires to cross the street, which scatter their merchandises in the street. Our two friends pick up fallen objects in muttering : « This man has eyes that do not see ». Irritated, a passerby replied : « It is you who have eyes that do not see. How can a blind person see ? ». Looking at the lottery vendor, our two friends recognize this man who uses a cane in groping to cross the street. One of them finally said : « We are really in inadvertence ».
[12]g) The necessity to be honest
"The necessity to be honest", this is the title of an article published in the Tuoi Tre Chua Nhat review (Sunday Youth)
[13], manifesting this "disease of dishonesty" very widespread in the current life in Vietnam and even considered as "normal". Habitually, all the provinces at all levels prepare the balance sheet at year end in order to then present it to the central office. This year, cities and provinces have published their vertiginous number of growth of the local product : GDP (Gross Domestic Product) increase by 10-15%. For the most weak provinces: 9-9.9%. This signifies that the 64 cities and provinces across the country have a fantastic growth acceleration. Some specialists in economy anxiously wonder : the GDP of cities and provinces is very high, why the GDP of the whole country only attains 8.4% ? For 15 years, the GDP of the country never exceeds the limit of 8.5%. During the period 1991-1997, the GDP attained a peak number 8.5%. But from 1998 to year 2000, because of local economic crisis, the GDP has only attained 5.8-6.5%, and from 2001 to 2004, it increased by an average of 7.2 to 7.5%. In the year 2005, the GDP of the whole country has attained 8.4%, which has beaten the world record. However, this figure is only equal to half or 2/3 of the increase of GDP of several provinces. What a paradox ! Because a brief calculation shows that the total GDP of the whole country, in depending on the GDP of 64 cities and provinces, should attain a growth of 12% to 15%. But in reality, on the one hand, attain 8.4% has required of interminable struggles and the government has endorsed the mark of an increase of GDP at only 8.6% for the year 2006. On the other hand, tens of companies have suffered a loss and debts of billions of Vietnamese « dong ». Whence consequently comes that GDP ?General reports, not concrete thus is obvious and realized at several points and we are satisfied with this not very honest result. In other words, « the ideal of socialist education is impeccable »
[14]. However, pressure comes from everywhere, « several social and economic factors have been perverted: the socialist education only endorse the goal to train a lame socialist man to serve the Party in the same way as the inexperienced ranks who govern ». Do not endorse only a single goal, have blinkers on, give a fanatical passion but sometimes slow down development : « Out of the socialist ideal, there is nothing else : the revolutionary morality, is to love the Party. Students are educated in an odd sense : imitate the Uncle HO ; struggle to become member of the Party; run over the opposite partners, traditional customs ; a good student signifies a damned socialist student ; inculcate in the mind of young people the distinction of friends of the enemy... »The answer to the question on the aspirations of young people manifests a part of the mentality of today’s young people that is developed in the next chapter.
What are the tastes of young people, what do they do during free moments ?
(they can give several choices at the same time=364 responses)-
participate in musical show : 29It is interesting to state that, for young people, laziness is a value that infinitely counts more than to devote to reading. This proves that the school culture does not always have the impact that we claim… With regard to the computer culture, it also develops as easily as in Western countries.
Public fraud of ambulant merchants of crabs and mangoes, withdrawal of materials in the construction field, transgressions of the code of road, races of motorbikes at high speed without brakes, very common reactions to a collision of two motorbikes, vengeance of juvenile hooligans, image and crime of two young robbers, children learning to become ringleaders, indifferent or inadvertently demeanor, games with numbers...All this has in large numbers in quotidian life of manner that becomes normal and implicitly accepted by the public. The gravity of the problem is there.
[1] VU QUOC TUAN, Disease of Cheating, Youth Sunday Weekly Newspaper, No. 32, August 2001.