CHAPTER III

 

Possible fields of work

 

As I showed that my research  is connected by joints between an ethnographic proceeding and a searching action . I would like then to indicate here the new tracts to have an integration into the social bond in Viet Nam in order to answer concretely to the Call of the 44th General Chapter.

 

1.     A very young  population

 

In 1989, according to the general census  of population,Viet Nam counted 64,4 million inhabitants .

In 2001, this number  raised to 78 685 800, be a growth of 2,5% a year. The population is very young . With

33 494 246 young under 19. The percentage is higher  when we etablish  the age limit  at 30, be 55% whereas the persons over 65 get only a percentage at 3,8% of the population.

 

                More concretely,in function of the age among the young:

 

                                1 year                                                                    1 263 599

                                1-4  years                                                             5 908 643

                                5-9  years                                                             9 033 162

                                10-14  years                                                        9 066 562

                                15-17     years                                                     5 204 065

                                18-19  years                                                        3 018 215

                                20-24  years                                                        6 925 387

                                25-29  years                                                        6 925 387             

The population is rural at 81% . Its density is important : 190  inhabitants per km2. In the Delta of the Red River  in North Viet Nam, it hits 1 000 to 1 500 inhabitants per km2 . Their  main resources  are essentially based on rice-plantation constituting the wealth of the country. In the Delta of Mekong ,thanks to the favorable weather and climate ,the peasants can cultivate the rice in the 3-harvest rice-field a year. In 1989, thanks to good harvestings , Viet Nam could export  a million tons bringing back  250 million Us dollars, this made VN the 3rd  rank of the world as  rice-exporters behind the USA and Thailand. The other food- resources are corns, soya,  maniocs , sweet-potatoes, and  potatoes. As of  market –gardening culture one reaps  cabbages, tomatoes, and multiple varieties of vegetable . The industrial cultures compound of  heaves, tea and coffee trees , ground-nuts, coco-nuts, sugar canes, mulberry-trees , tobacco plants, jute-trees and cotton –trees. Pig –raising is important ,too. The growth during the last quinquennium is meaningful : 1,8 million of pork  and 1,8 million of buffaloes  and ox's . Thanks to these, Viet Nam reaches the 11th     rank . The sea fishing and the piscine culture are also important .

 

                The main ethnics of the country is the Viets, representing 84% of the population; they speak the same language : the Vietnamese . There are other ethnic groups : the montagnards (highland people ) and the Chinese  speak their own dialects . Nevertheless, they have to learn the Vietnamese language at school, this is a big problems for the majority of them. In fact, the plain regions are exclusively the domain of the Viets, the major ethnics Viet, in the flatland of the Center and the mountains of the Nord are dwelled 53 minorities representing 15% of the population , be  over 10 million individus .Since a long time , the montagnards  skilled in managing of rice fields in terraces denoting an advanced technology and got the possibility of a double harvest yearly , an important output . The habitation is most generally built on pilotis.

Although these societies  are so called traditional ,they are not curded and their costumes change with the time . These mountains which sheltered them  have to open widely to the tourism or to the exploitation and in spite of them to the globalization . 

 

2- A very dynamic youth                           

 

a)      ” green summer “

Since the years 90, the government launched movement named “ green summer “. Thousands of young and  volunteer students responding to this appeal ,engaging themselves into different activities in the provinces and remote villages : Summer courses of general instruction for the learners of all levels , language courses, epischolar activities, building houses called “ house of affection “ for the poor families…Moreover, well-disposed psychologies share the countryside people life  by initiating them to educate their children . Physicians examine and distribute medicines gratuitously ,teaching them the medical health. Normally, the program  is assumed during 2 months of summer vacation . So, in turn , several groups of students assured the continuation conforming to their disponibility.( pho to,p.457-458 )

 

         A short interview with  some of these well-disposed guys reveals  advantages and  necessities of this “green Summer “. Mr Tran van Thuan, a 2nd  year  university student  , engages himself to the vacation courses  for the junior students  in Nha Trang ,450 km  in the northern far from Saigon .According to him, his experiences are enriching and help him know his lacks  so he can remedy them.

- which region  do you go to during this vacation ? – To Nha Trang, in a small village not far from the city.

 

-What are your impressions  and experiments  after a month of stage ? – It is the 2nd  time I join this movement  “green Summer” .This year I am in charge the 6 in the morning and in the afternoon, the 7, I do the revion of Maths and Vietnamese . The children gather  also on Saturday for other perischolar activities:

Games in groups, pique-nique…Comparing to last year ,I am really accustomed to seize disciplines in class.

However, I need more creativity to find out endlessly the new method of apprentice to help the children understand the lessons and to memorize them. After a few months of living together with these children, I realise about the necessary of objectivity , the dynamism , and  the perseverance  as well as the life in groups. It is their positive quality that gives me the force to continue my stage till the end in spite of the difficulties.

 

·         Mr. Dinh van Phung, another  3rd year  university student , went  to Camau, in the delta of  Mekong, South Viet Nam. Resembling to almost flat lands in the South, the Camau province is well-known by its mosquitoes and boats. The rivers get entangled like a spider-net. To move from a village to another, people use a boat, with motor or none. The principal means of circulation is the boat . PHUNG arrived in a village of 22 000 inhabitants among them there are 800 Catholics . There are almost 350 handicaps .Phung’s major mission and his 3 classmate- university students  is to give the revision courses and to visit some families  during their free time…

 

o   Some of your reflections after the stage ? – First of all, I met so many poor people .

The economical poverty often brings with it the intellectual one. Without money and the means of circulation ,extreme poverty , a great quantity of children gave up schools .For instance , I visited a family of 4 children whose 2 first ones  had to go at work to contribute to the family budget . The 2 last little girls, thanks to the help of a parish priest  could continue their study ,the one was in class 6, the other was in a primary class. While in another family of 6 children , only one of them could read and write .Their house was demolished without capacity to re-build it, for lack of money.

In spite of not having effected means , I have a dream with me : How can I do to support these people getting out off this situation ? It is to say : a more comfortable habitation, means of moving , such are the conditions to be able to attend school , to divert oneself ….I mean  all these things take part to the  human promotion : constructing  houses, sinking wells, replacing  bamboo bridges by  concreted ones , creating almshouses  for the old and the handicaps …I hope there will be benefactors who know such a misery of these persons living far away from our  present civilization .

 

·         Y-Brơn , an ethnic student just finishing his senior degree  ( secondary study level  high school)

also joined this “ Green Summer “ in the same group at that mosquitoes flatland in the village of Cay Bon. This young man is able to get on his studies till  Baccalaureate ( Final exams of 12 years  at school) , he does not want to stop there…It is the first time Y-Bron comes in this kind of remote village , he never thinks such a misery existing and the  analphabetism reigns quasi totally there.  People lack everything there .

 

-          With experiences approaching the poverty of people, retired villages do you have any propositions ?

 

* I  really feel happy to have occasion to live a month  among these poor in this province of

Camau because I am myself poor  and belonging to a poor family . However, the poverty of this village is quite different  from that of my neighbors on the High-lands : difficult means of circulation ; joblessness of almost aged persons,  even of young ones ; general analphabetism because of the poverty and of the difficult access to school resulting the out of work ; Regarding the urgent cases of ill-persons , looking for a physician is almost impossible ,especially at night ; even no money to buy medicines . Regarding the Spiritual life , going to church so hard …Facing these difficulties , there is no qualified and competent person to support them spiritually.

 

                And here are some propositions to the good hearts and benefactors :

-          periodical visits to aged persons  on big feasts of the year for instance : Christmas ,Easter, New year,… with practical gifts conforming with the needs of everyday life such as :  clothings ,food,

rice…

-          organize the professional formation classes for the young  : mechanics,electricity,swewing,hair cut.

-          Session of catechism preparation for the baptism ,the Confirmation,the first Communion…

-     Medical Cosultation  and free distribution of medecines. And if possible create a dispensary .

-          Review the lessons at schools for the Junior and Senior school-boys and school-girls ( high school Degree 1 and Degree 2 ) : Maths,  Physics,  Chemistry …

 

·         Tran van Tuan , a first year university student , also went to Camau . However,he reached another village named Tan Loc . As it located inside a province, the villagers encountered  almost the same problems  .

It is always the bad circulation that keeps the people in the poverty without any hope to be promoted in social life, especially relating to the poor. Tuan  shared his observations

                                -Your impressions and propositions after the “ Green Summer “ ?

                               

                                *  A large quantity of  young gave up their schools  after the Primary school, for they had to go to Camau 16 km far from Tan Loc, to continue their learning of  Degree 1 and  so, the expenditure exceeded enormously the level of the family budget.The difficulties encountered in Tan Loc are the same in other villages  of this province in Camau . Generally speaking, these villagers’ level of Culture is too low

And  they had no means to cultivate and to promote themselves in the social life . Apprenticing classes for a work  are necessary for them: mecanics, soldering, sewing… Thanks to observations, and my own personal experiences  after a sharing month  with the villagers at the end of our country, I see a large opened route to a big working  field  for  whom  they desire to sacrify their  competence for the service of the poor. Personally , I think I have to make a big effort to teach myself in order to respond more effectively to the needs of these  young, suffering disadvantages since generations before . Some male and female religious are implanted there. However, they just have capacities to fill up only one part  fo their urgent needs and unfortunately, they cannot think of other projects for a long time as  the professional formation.

 

                b) benevolence

 

                                The village Ealù  is situated at 16 km from the province of Pleiku, on the side of a mountain.

An elementary school is founded in favor of the ethnics minorities. It is not very big  but pretty comfortable comparing to the cottages on pilotis of the montagnards .The children are very poor. Sometimes, they have almost nothing to dress themselves. A schoolmistress of a level-1 class , Miss MAI THI HUONG  pours out her feelings : “ When I was appointed to this school, it lacks everything. Completely discouraged, I wanted to give up my career .But, little by little , after interviewing my children and their parents , I am conscious  it is my duty to stay there .”

           

            In fact, the difficulties  not only took roots from the material destitution but also from the problem of different languages and of the discordant reflections  between the instructors and the children , between  the instructors and the children ‘s  parents. It seems to be the most difficult thing on the Mission among the montagnards .It is not all. There are always  new comers in class. Some parents think there is no difference

between  Going to school or staying at home . Miss LIEN ,a schoolmistress , reveals us : “ every day there is surely at least a new arriver  in class . Today, he/she comes in class and no longer I have not enough time  to memorize his/her face that he/she disappears !.. And after a few days or months  being absent ,he/she returns. Growling them? I do not apply this way yet . On the contrary , We have to treat them with love by inviting them to return to class “.

 

3- Culture level of the youth

 

According to the General Census of the central office in 2001 , the Population under 10 years old is 60 117 769 individus and  among them, 54 746 873 can read and write ; and 5 351 918 are an alphabetical. However, the disadvantages always pursue the people in provinces . Among the number of  illiterates, 4  644 138 live in the countryside , there are only 707 780  citizens .

 

                The age of the young analphabets from 10 to 30  reaches the number of  1 718 683  from which there are 188 932  who live in a city and 1 529 751 living in the country. The number of people who need to be alphabetized  is not very small .

 

The statistics of different ages below can make easy to  understand :

 

Age

       (1)

Total

     (2)

Can read and write  (3)

Analphabetism

        ( 4)

Indefite

      (5)

 

10 -14 years old

9066550

8673320

390440

2790

15 – 17 years old

5204060

4955200

248030

830

18 – 19 years old

3018210

2826860

190610

740

20 – 29 years old

13493550

12601200

889590

2760

Grand total

30782370

29056580

1718670

7120

 

N.B. Total (2)= (3)+(4)+(5).  Grand Total = Addition of the colunm ( 2)

According to the official Census in 2001, the chart below shows us the situation of the young  at the  scholar age  getting on school or not going to school any more .

 

Age

 

 

 

 

 

 

    ( 1 )

Total of the

 

Population

 

Situation

 

 

    ( 2 )

Still

 

Going  to

 

School

 

 

    ( 3 )

Not going

 

To school

 

Any more

 

 

   ( 4 )

 

Never going

 

To school

 

 

 

 

    ( 5 )

Indefinite

 

 

 

 

 

 

    (6 )

 

69150931

18840764

43415437

6891873

2857

 5 years old

1682306

339654

3758

1338896

0

6 – 9 years old

7350836

6428883

80499

839825

1649

10 years old

1776096

1656873

51653

67210

360

11 – 14 years old

7290466

6068539

956455

264809

663

15 – 17 years old

5204065

2797122

2192249

214688

8

18 – 19 years old

3018215

800088

2052286

165775

66

20 – 29 years old

13493561

652960

12067432

773065

104

 

N.B.  Total of the column  ( 2 ) =  ( 3 ) + ( 4 ) + ( 5 )  + ( 6 )

 

Observation : Almost  of those who are going to school belong to the category of the young. There are only 96 645 under 30  years old students.

 

                Normally, at the age of  5 , the children begin to attend the maternal classes. However, there are only 20.18 % who profit of this advantage . The reasons by which they are kept staying at home are so numerous:

Be of the fact there are not enough classrooms, and, being poor the scholar fees overpass the parents’ capacity .

 

                The children from 6 to 10  have to be in  primary classes .This is  the requests from the authorities . But basing on this Statistics , over a million of children do not go to school or give it up , be 88.59 % of

children who are able to attend schools .Th majority of these live far from the city, in the remote and retired villages , on the highlands and obviously  they belong to the families  in financial difficulties .

 

                The children at the age of 11 to 14 go to the First degree High school  with the percentage only of 83.23 % . From 15 to 17 , in the Second degree High school , 57.74 %. From  18 to 19, they are fresh students and the 2nd year of university students , 29.5 % . And 4.83 % is the percentage of  under 20 years old students .

 

                Why didn’t  the children at the school age attend class  or give it up  haft way time ?  It is easy to understand the main reason : it is the Poverty . These children have to leave schools  and get soon in life to support their family .The far  away villages have no school. Moreover, some  people  do not think reading and writing are a necessity ,and even think that  women  do not need to promote themselves  in their studies

Because in this case, they can hardly get married. As the result, the number of girls not attending classes prettily double of that the boys : 4 334 296 girls / 2 557 557  boys.

 

                 Without including the children  who get the age of going to the primary classes, the studying level of Vietnamese is so low : almost the haft of the Population has finished their primary studies, another haft ,

After the Second degree school ,there are only 2.06 % of those who finished their  university studies.

 

Citizens below 5 years

69150931

Percentage

              Not going to school

6891873

9.96%

              Primary

25538581

36.93%

              First Degree school

20255574

29.29%

              Second degree school

14428591

20.8%

              Superior School  ( Bac +2 )

555058

0.80%

              College  ( Bac + 5 )

1424910

9.06%

              University  ( Bac +7 )

44068

0.06%

              Indefinite

7995

 

 

In fact, in examining the  level of studies  after the age of those who go to school and of those who give it up, we have this chart :

 

Level of class

Being to go to school

No more going to school

        1         class     1

2450091

512589

        2         class     2

2180471

2075620

        3         class     3

2090205

3324700

        4         class     4

1928792

3520634

        5         class     5

1813894

5631227

        6         class     6

1677391

3021127

        7         class     7

1383716

4174819

        8         class     8

1305556

8692965

        9         class     9

1205106

3626709

       10        class    10

780178

1298952

       11        class    11

626041

933769

       12        class    12

809628

5148208

        Indefinite

2209

2011

 

Observations :

 

The majority  of those who come to school  belongs to the category of  the age for school . However, the

Number of the children  giving up school on haft time is pretty high : 2 450 091 of class 1. There are only 809 628 ones of class 12, be 33%.

 

The young  of the entire country , those who finished their  secondary degree school , have the modest percentage : 5 957 836  be 7,8 % of the population . This percentage is not  encouraging at all ,compared to other countries.

4- My environment

 

                Despite the starting in motion  of the Program “ Eliminating the starvation , limiting the poverty in the Country” of the Government , the richness in Ho Chi Minh city is  just in appearance . Over  a haft  of the Saigon's population still lives in the poverty . The hole between rich and poor  digs  itself  deeper and deeper . Behind the luxurious face exists  the misery of the fourth world’s population.

 

A-     Quarter of TAN KIENG

 

1- Tan Kieng panorama[1]

The Quarter of Tan Kieng is one of the 10 quarters of the 7th  District in HCMC which, in the urbanization program, was separated from  NHA BE district in 1997, p.450 .

 

                TAN KIENG is a quarter where hides a great number of  social  calamities . One of the reasons to classify TAN KIENG in this category, is from that  during the stabilization of a new District, it  admits easily

all kind of social classes who come to install there as new inhabitants . Not  being able to look for sufficiently what to survive in these provinces , more and more Vietnamese  are attracted by Saigon . The  disillusion is cruel .The majority of them has no special career nor particular job and  usually little instructed. In fact, they accept to do anything provided they get money : street vendors, bricklayers, porters, tailors, three-cycle drivers, shoes waxes , beggars , even  occasional thieves … Their children obviously cannot go to school .From the facts of  this social complex context , the quarter of TAN KIENG becomes a crucial point of the town from which several social organizations are attracted …

 

                2- Some particularities

                               

a)      Geographic situation and Population

 

With a surface of 99.96 acres , along  the  canal of Kinh Te , a branch of Saigon River ,the quarter TAN KIENG is divided in 4 sectors composing 76 groups of a population of 16 822 inhabitants . from whom there are 4 989 individus from  the provinces  ( immigrants ), be 40 %, a pretty high percentage  : 3 452  children under 16 years old  and among them are 1 706 girls.

 

b)      economic life

 

Tan Kieng is considered as a poor quarter of the District 7. As mentioned above , 40 % of the population of Tan Kieng  moved from other places. Little instructed and having no special professions ,the work of this category focused on who did not need specialties : street vendors, masons , porters, tailors, three-cycle drivers, shoe-waxes…bringing them a low and instable benefit . The rate of joblessness  of  adolescents in the quarter  is pretty high : 20% . However , when someone wants to work , he can find the needing to live

from hand to mouth . (photo,p.455 )

 

                On the expanse of the quarter, we can count  66 Desks of different companies , a river wharf, and a market .Thirty families work in one of these Services . 39 others  in enterprises . The objective of the local

 Authorities for 2004-2010 is to eliminate the poverty out off all families  with a gain below 40 USD per  person/a month.

 

 

c)       infrastructure

The main streets are  tarred, water and electricity are installed. The quarter TAN KIENG owns a 3rd

Degree high school , two  2nd  degree  and two  primary schools . In addition, 5 elementary schools, three affected classes  and a center  reserved to sexual abused victimes’ girls .All these  respond to the  cultural needs of the young.

               

d)      religion

Almost inhabitants come from other places, so their religions are multiple and then they bring

different practices with them.Nevertheless, like in the whole Viet nam , the Boudhists are major. There are two Catholic Churches , a Protestant Chapel, three pagodas and  four Temples .

 

e)      Points of “culture “

As in all the other quarters of the town , several points of Karaoke , and of access to internet in Tan

Kieng attracted so many young, this is considered by the inhabitants as  its  “ multiform and characteristical Culture “ .

 

                f )  education

 

According to the official statistics of the authories of the quarter , with 2 primary schools , 2 of

degree 1 , and one of degree 2, the quarter  TAN KIENG sufficiently responds to the needs of the young

at the age of schooling . However, there are only 81,7%  who finished the Degree 1 , it is to say that 18,3 % of these young abandon on haft way their schooling . Besides, there are always the children who do not go to any schools. Usually, they are the children of poor family , the ones coming from the provinces . To resolve this problem, the affected classes receiving  practically 200 pupils  may be the solution. Knowing that the official statistics  counted only the official dwellers  in the quarter , it means just the names registered in the booklet of family. The ones  coming from provinces live temporarily there are not considered as inhabitants of the quarter . Their children do not benefit  any of rights like others at all . Their   real presence are sometimes ignored by others in the quarter . Without any Birthday certificates , they cannot  evidently go to school . Then, the social Agents have to  search them in the remote hamlets among the cottages temporarily built  to be protected from the sun and the rain  to pray their parents so that they could  attend their affected classes . In a certain point of view , the official statistics  providing a perfect percentage of 100% of the quarter’s children  going to school, do not represent the  concrete situation of the young at the age of schooling in this quarter. Moreover, the obligatory participation to the emulation movement  keeps the responsibles not to publish this  “abscess” of their territory !..

 

                3- Social life

                               

                                The District 7 in general and the quarter TAN KIENG  in particular is a social environment

quite complex .The problem of rural exodus is a cause of it. Besides, the port of the river communication

with stations, multiple deposits , attracted  lots of people , workers of all kinds , porters, three-cycles, heavy-tractors, …at any time of the day, even at night . Beside these “honest” workers ,this harbor is also an illegal refuge for the illegal immigrants , the toxicoses, the prostitutes  the card players …sources of several social  flails  that the local authorities  are incapable to resolve .

 

                In fact in 2005, in order to reduce these consequences, the authorities forced 75 toxicoses into the “concentration”  camps . In the near future , 114 others are aimed to follow them . These  toxicoses are those the authorities  marked or  those who are declared by their own family . Certainly, there are still others who themselves hide or  only appeared at the” timely moment” to disturb the others . A situation to emphasize  and to alert  is that among the toxicoses , we can meet 38 children and 3 adolescents ! There are also 70 suspected children. This number is so high  related to the adolescents while the prostitution becomes  more and more diversified , more complex, and very difficult to control . Stealers, pickpockets , swindlers…are the phenomenons  of everyday . Bands of litle thieves  use with rigour in the district 7.

 

                4- what we can do in the domain of Education

 

                - creating a stable job by founding centers  of professional formation : computing science ,sewing embroidery,…

                - instructing hygien (public health ) to live and  keep a healthy environment by not throwing rubbishes

Anywhere :on the streets,in the river … creating medical centers to consult and distrbute freely the medicines to the poor and explaining them why we have to keep hygien …

 

                - educating to courtesy, human values to struggle against robberies ,the prostitution ,the drug-trade

and sexual abuses...

 

Here it is one of the deprived quarters in HCMC where one imagines  a sky-scrapes horizon which can provide and will make it be the center  of this metropolis since the so attempted “Renewal “ in 1986, especially during the last years where the entire VIET NAM hurried to take part to WTO . However, behind  its luxurious face, there are hidden miseries of the living slum  poor.

 

B-      Hamlet of patients of nephropathy[2] 

 

Ranks of low slums , wet and miserable , retired in the small street named Cot Co, in front of Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi ) are the habitation of several  last state patients of nephropathy,those who submitted to a periodical epuration in order to lengthen their life. Each one comes from a different  milieu with a situation of different life, but they all have a common point : they hurried to look for money so that they could detach their life out of the death.

            Nguyen Hong Cong , a very clever student , hope a brilliant future . But all seem upset at the moment when the Physician made her know this disease of nephropathy at the last stage. Since this day does begin a permanent fight to maintain alive this young girl. Being  born in Bac Giang ( Nord Viet Nam ) without knowing the death of her father  in 1979  during the War in North VN when she was just 3 months. The disease “ registered Miss Cong to ”the family “ of the
”hamlet of the nephropathy patients” 7 years ago. People named her disease and that of her neighbors ,the” disease of the rich “  for the treatement of it is extremely high. Each  patient  has to reach the hospital three times a week for a kidney cleaning and this operation lasts 3 hours  to lengthen one’s life . The cost of each epuration is 300 000VND,be 20 USD. There is no serious problem for the patient who have the Medical security. But for those who cannot afford it, there is a big problem .

Miss Cong has a Medical security card . A part of the problem is resolved. But It must have money to buy other medicines  necessary for the epuration, about 30 000VND (2 USD). Other  expenditures: 20 USD for the hire and food and for multiple small ones …Since the day of his sickness , her parents sold their own house to cure her . All her family refuge at their  grand mother ‘s  while Miss Cong accepts to take care of the patients in her “hamlet “  and earns 12 000VND (0,8 USD ) a day to discharge the daily expenditure.

In these slams of this “ Hamlet of the nephropathy patients “  live about 100 families of patients of Bach Mai Hospital . One of the spectacles is to remark : The case of Mr. Hieu‘s Family . In fact, this family has only the father and the son named  Hung attacked by this disease  when he is at class 7 in a school of his village  CAM THUY, province of Thanh Hoa ( North VN ) . Since early 10 years, this family had chosen this hamlet as a native milieu .The expendicture to take care of  the boy is very high .The whole furniture of the house disappear one after another .The father and his son have to do any job  to survive : Vendor of Cards. Fixing bikes. House –working . Care-taking of patients… The father at last found a job which seems  stable: to boil Water and to sell it to the patients in Hospital !  Mr. Hieu says confidentially : “ I’ve lived here for 10 years . Even the rich  if  attacked by this disease , become poor  finally “.

In this “ Hamlet of  loins  epuration “, occasionally a patient says “ farewell” to his neighbors Mrs Ganh for instance, staying there during 2 years, came back to her village in Thai Binh to wait for  the Death arrival because her budget is empty .

 

C-    The shadow of Public Park [3]

The authorities of Hanoi would use thousands million VND to drag canals, to embellish public parcs, to create terraces…However, just at these same spaces, social flails  such as  thefts , drugs, prostitutions…are not extirpated yet. (photo,p.451). the theories on the deviation issued from the Chicago School  informed that all deviation has a double character of social trouble but also of  personal identical quest . here I insist on the deviation as derangement  not as  a particular social order but as a destroying fact of the social link.

On the stone benches of the Bay Mau Lake gate belonging to Thong Nhat  Parc, in Le Duan street, Ha Noi, pickpockets are lying on curling up position for waiting the falling night. During the day,they sleep like  a died person , vitreous eyes  because of ending drugs  but  getting sharp like the eagle ones at the falling night. The aimed objectives are couples . The scene begins  at nearly 19:30 . Lots of couples come to the parc and sat on these stoned benches .The pickpockets come cunningly and untrussed skillfully the billfolds or purses. They are about  10 wanders deviding into 2 categories : toxicoses those who need money to quiet access and real thieves those who live from hands to mouth. They arrive and go away disappear, and reappear, with a suspected and perfidious manners  that frighten the people there. Below are the victims’ sayings : they  “ never  work alone”. Once, a guy succeeded to steal a billfold but he was revealed by the owner  who ran immediately after him . However. A group his 5 comrads ,as fast as him and one never know from where they arrived , and made the barricade in front of him .

Like this, the zoo of Ho Thu Le, in Hanoi became  a few years ago  the point  of social flails. It is peaceful at day but at the falling night , the dakness is favorable to the couples but  it is also the “ sacred ground “ of robbers, untrussers, injections  and prostitution…

It seems that  robbers,toxicoses, prostitutes…focuse to the parcs and  along the rivers  more and more numerous . The Lake NGOC KHANH  is one of the most beautiful lake . In the morning there is nobody there but, from 11 to 12  appears suddenly a “ market” of drugs . And the toxicoses  exchange mutually and publically their  drug injections . This “market” has just  been born recently. Without the authorities’ intervention , it will develop itself like that of THIEN QUANG Lake .

There are three points of intertainment that people called for a long time “ dependent Cemetery”. These are  Thien Quang Lake, Bay Mau Lake ,and Thanh Nhan Lake. Every day there are at least  a dozen of girls  sitting on the benches doing their making-up, but, inside their pockets are accumulaed some thirty full-syringes . each syringe costs  2 – 4 US dollars.

Hanoi has several places of amusements however, they are replaced litle by litle  by social flails

D-Towards the countryside

          1) PHUOC HA, a miserable village

Situated at a distance of a dozen kilometers from Phan Rang, southern Center of Viet Nam, the route leading there is well tarred, but Phuoc Ha is a very poor village (photo,p.452 ).Phuoc Ha used to be a resistant base and wore a crown of “ Hero “ of the year 1988  thanks to its enorme contribution to the “liberation” of the people. However, after a some thirty years of revolution , Phuoc Hai  always stays a specially in difficulty of the District Ninh Phuoc, Ninh Thuan Province. The whole village has 2 800 inhabitants living in 6 hamlets. 95% of the population belongs to the ethnics minorities Raglei. The annual income is 10 dollars /person . The chief of the village  told a secret : “ When it rains ,the villagers can plant the corn and we are not hungry.When it does not rain , we stand in need of food during 2 0r 3 months . There are 256 cottages in which 66 are buit in bricks. However ,after the construction ,they have nothing left for they hve to sell  their ground  or their oxen  to buit the cottage ( photo,p.453 ).

            2) Village of Cay Bon, Ca Mau province

a) General view

The village of Cay Bon is situated  in the South of VN belonging to Ca Mau province .The rivers are  confused .And so,the means of moving in this area is on boat . From Ca Mau to Cay Bon , It takes one hour and a haft by fluvial way .

            Cay Bon  has 22 000 inhabitants  with 800 catholics .The rest keeps the “ the ancesters culte “

b)Economical and cultural life

The agriculture always takes the main place . During these last years , the rice culture was replaced by the shrimps  elevage .However, about 20% of the population of this region owns no ground to inhabit .They go to work daily to live from hand to mouth . The jobless workers are also numerous . A part of young boys and girls work in the interprises as  shrimp test-lifters on place or left their village for the big towns.

      The majority of the villagers  live in the cottages  sometimes full of holes . The economic poverty involves the intellectual poverty . Several families were not able to provide themselves the essential needs for food. Where can they find money to send their children toschool ? For exemple , a 4 children family whose 2 first boys  have to give up the school haft –way, because of lacking money ,the 2 little  next girls can continue their learning  thanks of the help of the parish . Another  6 children family whose only member knows how to read and write .The 5 others accept their analphabetism ,their house collapsed without being repaired for having no money. Going to school is considered as  a luxury by this family completely impoverished .The children of the Degree-1 Schools are not enough numerous  either for the Degree-2 Schools are too far or for the means of circulation is difficult , only by boats . All families do not own their boat. It seems that is so rare a young finishes his Degree-2 learning . Moreover, school-girls  have no good motivation to get on their  studies  thinking that  well-educated girls can hadly find husbands in this village. A few girls  at the age of ten go around with classes at the level 1. Some others are 15 in the classes at level 3.

c)      Health

In this region, all is thrown into the river. The places of ease  are at the river banks. The families who do not

own wells use the dirty and muddy water of this river for their daily needs. And so, dangerous diseases follow. Aimost the families there get the jars to fill in the rainy water .But if it does not rain or when they do not have enough jars to contain water ,and this is the common case, where to find water ? In the river  evidently !

d)      What we could do

First     :   Visit the poor families to share needs with them

Second:   Professional formation of the young

Third   :   Consultation and medicine distribution

Fourth :   Remedial classses courses

3) Village of Chau Ro.

Chau Ro is a tribe of ethnic miorities  in South VN.This  village divided in 10 hamlets. Here are a few details of some poorest ones:

            Hamlet 7 and hamlet 8 are the most two retired quarters of the district of Xuan Loc, Dong  Nai province, 100km far from Saigon. ( photo,p.454 ).

a)      Superficies and infrastructure :

Each hamlet covers an area  from 15-20 hectares. The population is scanty,the way of circulation is difficult muddy during the rainy season  and dusty during the sunny season . The means of circulation lies on  bicycles  and on the equipted ones  to carry merchandises.

b)      Population :

Hamlet  comprises 13 families with 83 individuals ; Hamlet 8,38 families with 159 persons .The ground is arid , a great part composes of white sand on which can only grow  up cashews and maniocs.This influences greately on the people life there.

c)      Familial Life :

Their main occupation is to insert their daily work. The ground capable to exploit is negligible in proportion of the culture of maniocs or of cashews which require a large area for a sufficient productivity . Their loan superimposes. They can earn irregularly about 2 USD. Their children  wacth over the cows and buffaloes for an owner or go to look for some snails and rats… without doing anything else…and obviously going to school  puts forth a big problem for the family.

d)      Religion :

The majority of the inhabitants of the Hamlet 7 have no religion . A few families are catholic or protestant. Especially,the ones of the Hamlet 8  do not adopt any religion .

e)      Cultural level :

Their level of learning is low. A large quantity of them cannot read nor write . Lots of young  do not finish the primary Degree and rarely end this level .The main reason of this situation is  the poverty and rhe hard means of circulation. There is no school in these quarters . It takes the children about  5-10 km to go even to the Primary Degree 1 .

f)       Daily life

The question of hygiene is self-effaced.There is no source of clean water. Two or three  public wells are not enough especially during the dry season. The lack of food and hygiene do not assure  good health .

            What we can do :

Like the situation of all the ethnic minority villages in VN , this approach allows us to see a little their urgent needs in short run such as  help with food, medecines, means of transportation and in long –run  as education of hygiene , health, the way to raise their level of life . And if possible to found a local primary school in order to eliminate one of the causes from which  the children do not go to school .

                        4-History of a poor village

The South VN is famous for its wealth , a fertile land in rice and however there are people who live in the deepest misery.

            Without any fragment of land ,these villagers’ blood is their only property. In some families , the two parents  sell their blood. The selling of blood is a ” movement “  in the village DA HOA, Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province (South VN ).

            In a cottage , Mrs Thach Thi Rach says this confidence :“ Our family owns no fragment of rice field  however, has 7 children.Their father and me,we cannot know how many times we bought our blood to maintain the life “. An old dame continues : “ The whole family have to go to work  all year long without earning sufficiently to nourish the family. So, my son goes to ell his blood. At first, once a month, now twice”. And today he falls in sickness and “ cannot sell it because the Hospital withdraw his ticket “.

            However, the case of Mrs  Si  Dinh is to mention . According to a trader ‘s sayings : “ She abandoned her husband  and took care of her old mother and her two young children.Her mother was falling ill.Without money nor land to cultivate  and not to be hired , being pushed to a dead end , she goes selling her blood to take care of her mother  and nourish her whole family . But, finally  her force is exhausted after several consecutive sales of her blood without  fortifying herself  by nourishing aliments . She died leaving her unfinishing cares . Her neighbors feel pity for this family, take the responsibility to take care of the mother ,but they are themselves poor and have to sell their blood to survive “

            Here are the statistics of the local authorities: this village composed of 541mfamilies whose 210 (284 individuals) live by means of selling their blood .The natural conditions are too severe and the numerous family are the main  cause of poverty and abandonment of school[4].

5- Market of workers…

At  4 a.m. , while almost the inhabitants of Vinh Long province (South VN) still sleep well, a group of men and women and chidren disturb in the morning mist , at the crossroad of a river  belonging to the Nhon Phu Village ,Mang Thich district ,Vinh Long province . They sit along the two  river  banks waiting for a certain boat arrival . They are  “amator” brick-porters . I say “amator “ because these  persons arrive likely,no contract, nor hiring and nothing else .Their “tools” is so simple: a wooden frame of 70cm long and a chequered towel . Here is an arriving boat, accosting the ”quay “. Four or five young people  jump onto the boat . And so on. A boat  gets into,the crowd reduces and till 7am, this market gets back to its rural quietness. After the job, each worker gets directly his money depending on the number of bricks  moved : 8 000 VND for 1 000 bricks transported from the brick factory to the boat . Each day, a worker can  earn 70 000-80 000VND, be about 5- 6 USD.Mr HAI TAM does his confidences while showing his hands : “ After the first day of work,my hands are completely scrabled while my wife cannot suck her baby” ( photo,p.455)

The villagers knew the exixtence of this market since the beginning of the years 60 and  it lasts until now, but it is really ” tumultuous” since the 90s when  about 80 brick furnaces attracted also the arrival of boats from other provinces . These furnaces resolve the problem of work for 3 000 inhabitants,but  there are also 2 000 jobless persons left, forming the market of selling workforce ,the typical one  in the delta of Mekong.

            Almost the participants of this market have no cultivating ground . In order to look for what to eat,they have to find out the food by their own force. However, what appears most obviously under the eyes of those who come from somewhere else , is that a number of children abandon their schools haft way to join this market  of work. After  the level 6 of Degree 1, these children do not go to school any more  but to this market ,becoming  little brick-porters . A porter can afford the family budget with 2-3 dollars a day:”Going to school “ is really nonsense.?

D-  Drug addicts

 

According to the information published by the  vietnamese government  on radio in 2003 , the number of drug addicts  increased of 25% , be 142 000 persons whose  25 453  were incarcerated in different re-education centers . More than 67% drug addicts are under 30.

Another source published by Doris Buddenberg, the UN delegate in VN : “ Nowadays, there are 101 035 drug addicts (persons depending on drugs) whose 10 838 drug-addicts  are incarcerated in different centers of re-education, 1 609 school boys and students and 4 799 children .”

            These statistics are not  similar, it does not matter ! the signal of alert is ringing: the use of drug derived from opium in VN expands little by little from adults to younger persons in big cities ,then in provinces,on highlands…; and especially from opium to heroin.  In the recent time, appear the global drugs, the excitants under  form of amphetamine (ATS) which starts to influence the young. The use of drug by injection with the same syringe is already commom, this makes contagion situations of the virus HIV/AID  more and more serious : An estimation of 65,3%  of  drug addicts infected by the virus HIV in the whole country by using the same syringe.the recrudescence of crime goes in pair with that of drug addicts. According to the official statistics ,90% of infraction of stealing, of homicide , of robbery …come from the persons who are dependent on drugs.

            On August 17th 2007,the government organized  a forum on evaluation about the success of restoration of the dignity of the drug addicts  and  the system of  coming-off in different centers . According to the commitee of prevention Report of contamination of AID ,of drug and of prostitution  during the period 2001-2006, 235 000 drug addicts are deprived off drugs in the country. However, the percentage of deteriorated cases is rather high, of 70-80 % . The sub- minister of the labour Service and invalids  Mr.Dam Huu Dac and even the government made us know that asum of 40-50 billions VND,be 3 million USD,But, was invested in this domain . However, there are only 58 000 drug addicts who profited it. [5]

a)      Drug addicts  in school

The Educational Service of the Nghe An Province  publicized on the 3rd of Mars,2006 that during the 5 last years, one  detected 213 person-cadres ,instructors, schoolboys,students, depending on heroin,with a percentage as following : school mates and students : 72,3% (154 cases );person-cadres and instructors :27,69% (59 cases). Especially, In the University of VINH ,one detected 43 students reliant in selling and carrying narcotic.The districts having the most drug addicts are :Tuong Duong,23 instructors;Ky Son 14 instructors;Que Phong,10 instructors. The Province of VINH and the districts of Yen Bai,Dien Chau,Anh Son,Tuong Duong,Que Phong,Nghia Dan are the Districts and towns  where the pecentage reliant to the drug is the highest .

b)      Patients infected bay the virus HIV/AID

Between the frontier  separating the prostitution and the drug addicts to that of AID is only a little step Several new statistics made public at the meeting on AID carried out in HCMC by the Communist youth Union,on Monday the 23rd of September 1996, provoked a certain emotion amongst the auditors .In fact , a responsible of the UN developping Program  confirmed that “ Over the haft of these cases are seropositive, checked in the territory of VN, concerning the young between 15-24 years old “[6] . In some regions, the “number of  seropositive young girls is the double of that of men.[7]. “ 85% of infected persons by the virus HIV/AIDS are at the age of 20-49” .This is the number published by the  Service of Prevention of HIV/AIDS on september 18th 2006 at the Meeting with journalist representatives to divulge the Law of Prevention and struggle against the century disease .(photo,p.456)

Since the detecting of the first case effected by the virus HIV in VN in1990 till the 30th of June 2006, 109 989 persons infected detected whose 80% are male and  19 261 at the last stage and 10 785 died because of this disease .The patients infected by the virus HIV/AIDS  are shared in the cities and provinces of VN (100%).The province of Quang Ninh (Center  VN ) is the champion : 600/100 000 inhabitants[8]. Especially on the only month of June 2006,according to the Report, the number of Patients reached 1 200 persons. However, in reality, the real number is  very much higher .[9]

c)A ton of drugs

            A news that attracts the attention of those who are anxious of education is published on the newspaper Tien Phong on the 20th of May,2005 : Every year, over a ton of drug is clandestinely imported into VN. Recently,the Police Ministery discovered a transport of 3 500 packages of drug , and a bigger quantity ones then.The colonel VU HUNG VUONG, chief of the Prevention and Struggle against criminality of Drug, joins a Press Conference as following :

Extract of a part from this conference :

Q- Your evaluation about this discovery ?

R-  It is a particularly significant case realised on a long time with a network  of selling and buying  from  Laos, through the North-East border VN ,so It is  extremely hard to go after and to destroy it . We developed it into steps . We arrested 21 subjects and the result is to detect 3 500 packages of opium . We never discover such a quantity before .

Q-  Why, whereas the movement of preventing and struggle against the drug is pushed over more and more strongly, the quantity of the last detectingis always bigger than that of the one before ?

R-  It is not quite exact. You know that the potential reserves of drug in VN are considerable and complexe for a long time,but the detecting is still limited. Thanks to the decisive investigators  and surroundings into  the government prevention being more and more directive,  the Police force was  increased and well-organized; We could detect so many causes. Let‘s do a simple calculus : Today, one identifies  about 172 000 dependants on drug . Each day, one dependant needs an expenditure merely of 50 000VND ( about 4 USD)  to calm down. This entire number of drug addicts  “ burns off” each year about 2 500 – 3 000 billion VND  be 209 - 266 million USD . To provide such a quantity to the drug addicts , I think, we need at least a ton and over…

Q-  According to some information, VN  produced compound drugs ? 

R-  Recently, the Police discovered in HCMC a case of compound drug made on the spot . The criminals bought powdered compound drugs and made pills by mixing with  rum-based and Seduxen medecines. More dangerously, one even  mixed with heroin and called them under the attracted names such as  “ the Queen “, “ Mercedese” ,… On my arrival ,the Police of HCMC  showed me 60-70 types . We have collaborated with the Medical Ministry and the Ministry of Industry for a Prevention to supervise strictly the production of compound drug in VN. It is too dangerous to let pass this event .

Q-  You are present at the Dancing and Karaoke Room?

R-  A long time ago. In 2002 , I was alerted of the compound drug used in the dancing and karaoke room. Recently, I myself entered into a point of karaoke , I had to do it to know how the pills of ecstasy can infiltrate into this social setting. My experiences told me that  all of the Karaoke centers  providing the compound drug to the customers owned their powerful speakers system .

For intance 3 weeks ago, being in a point of Karaoke by 22:30, I was informed that there was case of using drug but I could not penetrate into there because 5 couples of young hired this room, locked it inside and told the servants to get out . As a matter of fact ,to struggle against using drug in these centers is so hard.

The compound drug costs too expensive. Almost the users belong to the category of rich families, the children of “Cadre”, of government officers’ children . Being rich,a great quantity of cadres neglected the education of their children , gave them a lot of money easily . To be so called in mode, these young wear  in styliness , amused inside the dacing and Karaoke rooms and finally used the compound drug .

F-    Street Children

The phenomenon of street children is not new. In Europe , It seems that the young  “ lived on the streets already  in the Middle Ages” [10].There were surely street children at the time of industrial Revolution . We can also find them  in the works of several european and northern american writers  such as Anderson, Twain, Dickens or even Gorki .

            In fact, I studied deeply this problem of Street children in my Memoire  of Master’s Degree  in 1997 approaching the WHY of street children ,the HOW of their life  and the how to help them . This phenomenon lasts until today.

            The quarter TAN HUNG  for intance, is located in  the District 7 of HCMC , juxtposed at the quarter TAN KIENG that I mentioned above. These families coming from the provinces of all the countryfind easily a house or  rather  a room for rent by 16m2 , where piled  about  ten persons .They think they can have easily what to live. But, the reality  does not respond to their imagination . Without specialised occupation and financial resources, all the family have to work hard to  earn a living . Every members have to look for a small occupation to get some money . The ones sell chewin-gums, the others newspapers, fruit, cigarettes  by the unit, tickets of  lottory…Or also elsewhere, they offer their services as deliverymen, washers of windscreen,shoe-shiners,car and motobike keepers … We can see the children do these jobs especially in the center of the city,around the market,at the train station. It is nomal their children do not go to school wandering everywhere in the city to do these easy jobs…as their parents do to make a little extra on the side of their family budget. Even their thirtiness for going to school, they cannot be satisfied because of their poor economic condition. (photo,p.459,460).

            In tourist areas , a few english words allow to the most cunning persons  to improvise in playing guides or in handing while saying “money “.

            In the markets where goods are delivered  wholesaling ,several children wait for the truck arrival bringing the products from the provinces in order to pick  haft-spoiled vegetable up , thrown down by the owners, this can make their meal better or even get some money by  re-selling these  given back products.

            When they have nothing to do, they amuse in the parks or play cards,shoot pool…with the moneyjust earned recently. Not forgetting those who have not any occupation and who wander on the streets all day long. What is stranger under the eyes of foreigners is to see there are lots of people, men and children standing in front of the restaurants watching attentively the customers eat their meal.  No longer did the latter end their  dish , they hurried to empty the rest , afraid of this being thrown down into the garbage can .

At the falling night, no housing nor  resources , entire families being improvised a new life on the sidewalk. Some markets, under-bridges , parks become then “ thousands-stars hotels” for those who cannot find a dwelling to pass over the night . Some little girls become childish  sexual  victims  mentioned by CHRISTINA NOBLE in his adventure [11] and also in other papers.

“ These are almos the asians from China,Taiwan and mainly Hongkong.After 22:00,the streets wake up with other activities. Here, they are 45 minors being whored inside a beer bar. There,inside a massage bar is exercised on the same commerce , and at this time in a corner of the streets ,a hidden camera is in action.” Difficult to buy a chinese virgin ?”, asks acameraman. A girl of 16 leads him away to her house where lots of too young girls wait for 120 dollars each pass …”[12].

“ …Saigon drains only for itself about 40% tourists, those who come there for other things instead of sights…In spite of official prohibitions, we can find there 150 000 prostitutes  whose several too young ones sell their virginity as a sign of Welfare for  a handful of dollars…”[13].

            Campaigns of information are multiplied and the authorities  attempt to repress a prostitution that,in the cities, affects “more and more generations of youth ( 8% prostitutes getting old , according to an official investigation , under 14 years old…)”[14]

Last year (2008), I had a coffee in a cafeteria at the “ French Corner “ with a young french who arrives in Viet nam several times. During our talking, a little street-boy came inviting us to buy his lottery tickets; however,we refused to buy it and after the ticket-seller left us, the young French made me such an observation : “ I remark that there is a surprising improvement “. Last year, there were also  children coming to ask me to buy “ healthily” lots of things. This year , they invite me officially to buy their “ white substances” at the same time.” For these street-boys , it is the fastest means to have money and for the clients, the least dangerous and maybe the cheapest. It is the same concerning the infantile prostitution .

G-  Cambodia, our neighborhood

Why the Cambodia ?

I never have the idea to go to Cambodia  even as tourist before that day.

By the month of May in 2004, at the time of Reunion in Rome of Br.Visitors all over the world, the idea of coming back to Cambodia appearedin my spirit lightly during a pic-nic meal . We were there present : Brother Superior General ,the 2  Br. Auxiliary provincial Visitors of Quebec District and me at the same table . The conversation rotated about the lasallian Mission around the world, particularly in the asian countries. In this discussion , I told them about the Brothers’ mission in such an abandoned Cambodia, the first French brothers’arrival in 1906, the coherent and active collabaration between VN and France  for this 100-year installation ago , the possibility to come back there  as a Souvenir  of centenary of the lasallian presence in this Bhudist nation. And I suggested the 2 canadian brothers to assume this mission with the reason that I was spoken vaguely of some canadian priests and bishops’ presence in this Khmer  country. Suggestions, discussions went on to the final solution : Everybody,but me, pointed the District VN according to the Brothers, as the most suitable to realize this Project. On unanimity, they asked me to empty my glass as a positive accord sign  for this Proposition. Finally, after 15 minutes of reflection, I “up-side-down” my glass  of compliance. This is the reason I assumed the charge of studying the problem : Coming back to Cambodia.

1)      Approach of the land

During 6 months after  the glass of compliance, all steps of approacing for the re-installation in Cambodia were frozen in my anxious mind. The problems I could not resolve appeared against me : who can finance? Where to find competent brothers for this great project ? I shared this mission with some brother-friends in USA. By the month of November 2004, an e-mail from USA  asking me if I still have the  idea “Coming in Cambodia” for an approach of  terrain . After  a few days of reflection and arrangement I senf him the blue fire. And here I am in Pnom Penh for the first time, on December 26th  2004. photo,p.461,462 ).

2 )  A good guide

Brother Fortunat had a rendez-vous with Sister Lina, a vietnamo-cambodian Sister of the Providence Society (photo,p.463), as a guide during my stay in Cambodia. She came to see me at the hotel on the 26th afternoon  to make  a program for the next day visit . Early in the tomorow morning she was already at the hotel with a 15-seat car . Three goals of the “tour” were approved by all:  some vietnamese villages Visit ( rather  hamlets), Visit the houses where the Maryknoll priests lodge the patients of HIV/AIDS and the children infected by the virus HIV and finally, visit schools or centers of professional formation of the Salesian Sisters.

2)      Visite  the vietnamese hamlets

At the age of 70 years old , Sister Lina has a seemingly good health . I say “ seemingly good”, because as I write these lines , she has just come back to her Provincial House in VN for a period of recovery of 6 months. She was in charge alone over about 20 “vietnamese hamlets” in helping these hamlets in the domain of education and  a little of Health and also in collaboration with the priests to animate Mass, and hollidays…(photo,p.464 ). She took me to the hamlet of about 30 families by coordinating the visit of an affected HIV/AIDS woman who, though, according to the villagers, was brought to the hospital and may be died. Normally, the vietnamese regroup in asmall hamlet of 30-100 families ,sometimes 300 and over,along the rivers.

i) Economic life

In Cambodia, there are 2 social classes . The one consists of the original vietnamese cambodians,those who succeeded in fitting into cambodian community , had a job and spoke fluently cambodian and the other gathering the vietnamese who live on the fringe of the society , they form an apart community .The first succeeded more or less in life , the second has managed a quasi - miserable life. Saying this because they could always find something to eat only in each day , exactly like their  predecessors .There are families who have dwelled there  since 3 or 4 generations however, their situation is always the same. They do not care about changing  and promoting their social life at all. In some hamlets, there is not any brick house  but only miserable slums having no windows nor  doors…A few dwellers work outside with non-particular jobs: builder’s apprentice, garbage-taker, gaz lighter recharging person … A detail to pay attention in order to understand the mentality of these dwellers : recuperators of scrap metal , plastic bags for instance, when they think the quantity is enough for his today expenditure , they come back home without taking care of some more efforts to earn more money for a coming  bad day of work  impediment . What do the wives at home ? They enjoy playing cards from morning to evening ! No foresight for a future when they have no chance to work nor any initiative to get a lucrative job, whence a real unsteady life.

ii)Human life

Here is a very urgent problem . The parents only worry about their material needs and let their children live as they like naturally. When hearing a child throw foulnesses to his mates in presence of his non-reation parents who are playing cards, I asked them “ you do not educate them ?” , they answered me indifferently:”I do not no how to instruct them! “. It is the aspiration of some other parents who worried about their children’s future with a coming better life dream for them later .They hope to get someone teach the vietnamese to their children  in order not to lose” their origin “. However, It seems for me to be an error, because without mastering the cambodian they cannot get out off this isolation to integrate into cambodian life and to have a higher position…Their children will be like them, live apart of the cambodian society in this retired  hamlet with no real  nationality.

iii) Health

In Viet Nam, the more one lives far from the city the more the notion of hygiene defaults ; it is the same for the cambodian. One takes muddy water from the river, decant it with a piece of  alum to drink. A vietnamese priest  told me :” when they eat some spoilt food , it made them fall sick  at once , it is this only moment they realize that this food is harmful !”.

iv) Racism

There is a hereditary hatred between  the cambodian and vietnamese people. We are told that in the reading lesson,the instructors  always remind this “ savage” act of our vietnamese ancestors at the war time: “ The vietnamese warriors cut 3 cambodian heads and made them into a tripod , put a cooking-pot on it to cook rice.” Truthfully speaking, by nature , cambodians are loyal and peaceful. On the contrary, vietnamese being more malignant usually mislead cambodians in commercial doings , on the quality goods for instance .As a result , on the streets, all the “bad quality”  are attributed to vietnamese products. So, to avoid the non-desirable consequences ,the vietnamese who live in the center of the cambodian quarter do not speak their mother tongue , even one another. In general, the vietnamese are not so qualified as europeans  by cambodians. However, I was told there are over 40%  of the population in Pnom-penh are viet-original.(photo,p.465 ).

v)  religious life

The Boudhism is considered as the national religion . Almost the catholics are vietnamese . The villages I visited have the so high purcentage of catholics. All or nearly all are catholics. But there is noone to help them in this domain. A priest,by turn, come  one,two or three times to say the Mass or to bring them other sacraments.The believers manifest a burning thirst to have a Brother or a Sister  to help them live deeply and efficiently their religion . A lady from the leadership of the hamlet gave me her confidences : “ they (believers) do not obey us because they cannot see from us something surpass them. On the occasion of great Feast ,we organised also solemnly different activities , but we did not know anything about catechism .How to instruct our children? What are they becoming at the age of adult ?”

vi) Social life

The distance from Saigon to Pnom-penh (about 240 km)  is shorter than that from Saigon to Buon Ma Thuot ( by 350 km) . Up to now , a visa is required to go to Cambodia  by way of  Moc Bai  Border Check-point Port.When passing through the border,one felt  a complete solace : No Presence controlled nor Night absence checked : people can dwell or move  where they want. No need of  permission for a Mass…

            I visited a property of salesian Sisters and another of  Sisters of Mother Theresa Calcuta. The salesians have a nursery school , a primary one and a center of professional formation for 60 girls.The sisters of Mother Teresa Calcuta take care of about 40 HIV-infected little girls. There is no complaint of difficulties from the government. Contrariwise, the authorities  even help these sisters facilitate their mission. For intance these Sisters receive easily medicines from outside ,while in VN there are so much complex formalities, tax…!

            I also visited centers where lodge HIV/AIDS patients at the final phase. In reality, they are just the for rent houses (about 10) of an american priest of Marynold congregation in USA.This made me reflect a lot, these patients live their last days next to their neighbors who do not push them aside  and do not feel their horror disease of the century.Why this ? By  their ignorance of the danger of this sikness or by a total understandingof the possible contagion ? The visit of the center where lodge the infected children shocked me a lot.They are really so numerous, these innocents!

H- What people did

          a)Private  schools

In 1975, all the private schools were nationalized. The public school- teaching was then toll-free. However, the gratuity  was kept only during a few years .The State, impossible to assure alone the good running of the total schooling system, restored little by little  in different ways , the financial contribution of parents.

            In theory, the primary teaching is gratuitous . This was confirmed by the law of primary teaching restauration voted by the national Assembly in August 1991 after the Congress . Families were only asked to pay a certain sum for general school fees . No school fees  in primary schooling. But, in fact, no parents were exempted to contribute financially to school or  to the support  till of education. This contribution increases in proportion with the hours of teaching added to the normal program, or in proportion with the works  aiming to make nice the buildings of the school. It is true that all these requirements of cotisation are not officially asked by the school. Each of them is approved by the Association of Parents and the school satisfied with such different sums of money.

            Since 1989, the private instruction  re-appeared in VN, under the name “ Truong Dan Lap “ ( schools founded by the people ) . For the scholar year 1991-1992 , one remaked that in HCMC there were 2 new openning schools “ founded by the people” and the passage to the sector Semi-public of 8 public schools.

            For the scholar year 1996-1997, another phenomena happened : inauguration of 13 schools “ founded by the people “at the beginning of the year in HCMC only. According to the ministry of Education and professional Formation, 3 other projects are going to complete their case file containing detailed information.” This year , said one of my friends in jest, schools founded by people were born everywhere…on the streets.” It is true that schools are nearly everywhere in all Districts of Saigon and its suburbs. Banderoles ,leaflets, in supermarkets, advertisings on newspapers…

            From 1991-1997, 40 schools founded by people happened thanks to big options of “consecutive” reform of education. The term used today is “socialization” in all domains : socialization of  medecine, socialization of theater, socialization of Sports,socialization of…and evidently education is also socialized.

            Since then,the number of this category of school  increased  years after years. Not including social organizations, several  entreprises tried to invest in such a new domain. Classrooms are equipped in accordance with international criteria : individual tables , computing science rooms, air-conditioning rooms with modern means of teaching. It is then an orientation with a view to help out the Ministry of Education facing its present difficulties  in the domain of welcoming infrastructure , satifying the needs of a great quantity of young  coming from provinces to continue their studies  unincluding the category of Street children . In a certain point of view, it is an outlet  to solve the” missing problem” of schools and classrooms ; but chidren are in charge of  high scholar fees . All decorations get its own  back that requires reflections  on the part of  responsible persons .

            The quality of instruction improves evidently. Several schools inaugurated a few years before reached a purcentage of 100% in final examinations (baccalaureat) .It easy to understand it , due to the fact that the recruiting the competent teachers  has no bureaucratic formality . Besides, the lowest salary of instructors is from 30 000-50 000VND/h (about 3 USD) while the monthly wage of a public school instructor is not equal to a monthly scholar fee of  a private school boy. A right salary will be dignified to get in turn  the devotedness of teaching. In these last years, the phenomenon of international schools augmented in big cities and at all levels: primary,secondary, academic, language schools, technic schools…

            As far as unincluding the public nursery-classes nearly all the Congregations of Sisters got permission to fit into the education world …but only till the nursery. The Sisters got easily the confidence of people,this is why the number of little children is so high. Alike to the Cross-Loving Sisters of Go Vap ,for instance “ We had to refuse several  applications”.said the religious superior. And yet, she admitted already 700 children. At the Sisters of Charity, people had reservation  at least a year before!

            Here are some schools founded by people in HCMC.

i)                    Secondary school founded by people HONG HA (SSFP Hong Ha )

-          Address :  02 Truong Quoc Dung, Phu Nhuan district, HCMC

-          Telephone  :  399 755 67

-          Director  : Prof. HO ANH TUAN, assistant at University of Science and technology of Alger ,Paris University 6 and Polytecnics University of Hanoi.

·         The school equipped modern means of teaching : Video-Overhead-Projector in view of realizing little by little the new style of teaching and apprenticeship to be worth the creative spirit of Teachers and children.

·         All studying-rooms are air-conditioned . All learners are provided  good cares in activity and learning with best conditions.

·         The good quality of HONG HA  brought  very good results at the Final Examinations (baccalaureat) and  gained the confidence of the parents.

ii)                  SSFP DUY TAN

-          Address  :  149/2 Tran Huy Lieu Street, Phu Nhuan District,HCMC.

-          Telephone :  8 3452 382 – Fax : 8 242 694.

-          Competent  Instructors  : The Staff  consists of good teachers of HCMC.

-          Small effectives : maximin 20 learners  each class to make easy the keeping tract of the teachers.

-          Studying rooms fitted with international criteria : air-condintioned rooms, and high quality tables.

-          Instructing Computing sciences and languages : associated to  Language Center of Melbourn .

-          Serious discipline : administration of learners  confided to experimented teachers , regularly in relation  with parents . A part of the Staff is consist of former teachers of Institution TABERD.

-          Wide and confortable locals : assure the quietness and the environment  conformed to pedagogy

-          For the parents who want to invest their children adequatly so that they could have good results and able to avoid social scourges: SSFP Duy Tan  satisfies your request.

c)      Welcoming Centers

Each year, the secretariat of Social development of the Cathedral Saigon publishes  an address brochure of the social activities centers of catholics in Saigon an in its suburbs and surroundings. There are yet  64[15].

In parallel,welcoming Centers, orphanages, hospices for the old  organized by bhoudists or by other organizations are also significant not including government humanitarian Centers.

i)                    MAI HOA Center (photo,p.466)

Mai Hoa is a Welcoming Center which tries to respond to the needs  of affected HIV/AIDS patients at final phase.

These persons, repudiated by their family, live in an extreme misery and their disease  triggers the scare of a repulsive contamination in their  environment. In bringing them necessary cares , the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul hope to bring them the full human dignity  while they are still alive .

            MAI HOA is founded and managed by the Daughters of Charity in collaboration with lots of  voluntary organizations, physicians and specialists in different domains .

            The Center of Mai Hoa  gets a space of 10 000 m2 considered as the first catholic Center, the unique type one in VN. It was established  on January 17th 2001  by the decision No 433/QD of the people committee of HCMC and by the governmental and diocesan Agreements as well.

I -OBJECTIVES :

1. Taking care and surrounding the patients HIV/AIDS at the final phase.

2. Helping the patients to come to terms with themselves , with their family,with the society so that they could be in peace during their final stage of their life .

3. Helping them feel helpful  by giving them the opportunity to share their experiences and the chance to participate to the Prevention Campaign .

II- CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION

1.      No possible direct admission but  welcomely received to the Center those who are recommended by the following etablishments:

- Center of tropical diseases , service E

- Center of patients affected by Tuberculosis Pham Ngoc Thach

- An Binh gratuitous Hospital.

            2. This Center admits persons ,who, affected HIV/AIDS at the final phase:

-Are not alcoholic

-Are not to become addicted to heroin or other drugs  and not to do commerce with them.

            3. Before the admission, a preliminary medical  and social study was effected by the social assistant of the Center.

MAI HOA CENTER

A  home for patients of HIV/AIDS at the final phase

 

 

Tel: (84 8) 38 926 135

E-mail : aidsmaihoa@hcmc.netnam.vn

Address : lot 6-An nhon Tay-Cu Chi-HCMC-Vietnam

ii)                  Address : 17 and 14 Ben Cat. Quarter 7, Tan Binh District,HCMC

Telephone : 8 363 7373

Representative : Sister Nguyen Thi Hao,Congregation of Lady of Mission.

Objectives : Help young girls who need a safe lodge in a short delay before her childbirth. A suitable job will be provided to help her  re-integrate into the society.

Subjects : The girls who are in special ly difficult situations

Conditions of admission : Under 18 years old- from the whole Country-4 photos- no limit about numbers or welcoming time.

Different activities :

-Education  : All girls who need studies can be satisfied, even language study.

-Vocational orientation : Sewing, hair-cutting

-Capacity  : Music, Sports (Tennis, swimming…)

-Social activities : going out twice a year.

Here you are a rather large panorama about the life of “a medium  condition of living” people but lots of them are are under this average. A huge working field  is offering to the Brothers . The problem for them is to have “open eyes” to perceive  such a reality, “ burning hearts “ to sympathise the screams of the poor and, finally the force to take action with creativity. It is true that the study of these “ possible approaches” evokes some challenges for lasallian Brothers today:

·         Psychological challenge : this is a challenge of conversion to take a risk while, a long time ago, the Brothers had lived  in a community covered with security. When we stand up beside the young in difficulty, we must dare risking, accept  a somwhat uninstallation : our life, our reputation , our fortune and our house . Before undertaking  a work, one must be ready to the idea of its falling down  a day  in spite of ourselves.

·         Educational challenge : Being as educators, we have no other  exits to live our mission.We must then study how to respond to these so realistic needs , how to reach the poor  and those who are expelled from society, the marginal children to make them in their position again, so that they could share their experiences with us…

·         Community challenge : This is a challenge of administration to  make true these projects based on a somewhat community form conforming to the Spirit of the Institute, this reqires a creative spirit  by accepting a certain  dispossesstion , differences from others.

 

I-Position of the government

Since these last years, the so hopful expression “ socialization of education “  becomes current. Popularly understanding, we think the government does not still keep his exclusive right in education. In fact, the schools so called “founded by pepople”  or “ private”  were open one after another as well as the schools called international –we mentioned them above as phenomena ones . According to the ” laws of education”, art. 91 , the government encouraged the investment in education:

            1-The government encourages, furthers organizations or individuals to finance or to contribute financially to Education that is considered as  an expenditure  for its running : This contribution must not be considered as  income,so it is not subjected to  taxation according to the government prescriptions.

            2-[…] The school ,the other centers  of formation  enjoy the right of using the tract of land, without taxation under the government  law.

            3-The organizations and the individuals who invest in constructing works of education and help pay in cash or in nature  to the educational development , are considered as wellknown conforming benefactors .

Art.  95 :

1 . The government supports and furthers the schools, the other centers of formation in VN, collaborates with organizations and foreign individuals , with vietnamese original foreigners in schooling, apprenticeship or scientific research.

Under the laws concerning education ,the foundation of a  private school is easier than we think of it. To open a school , one only has  a sufficiently big property and a sufficient fund . HCMC is considered as a region realizing perfectly the “socialization of education” , by pulling inwards the foreign investment for formation. Particularly,the socialization in the domain of professional formation seems to be  the strongest side. International schools, language schools open their gate one after another…

During the visit of the cardinal  Archbishop of Saigon , he mentioned the 2 most sensible domains moreover the most ”promissing” of all. They are  Education and  Medicine .The Cardinal has dreamt for a long time to open a Hospital but he did not have permission , at the same time  in the domain of education no primary or secondary schools run by religious congregations  came true yet. And the Archbishop added :” We hope “ with a smile ( typically vietnamese ) , it is the sign of an endlessly and  no deadline waiting. However, a good news has just appeared with the article issued on newspapers  entitled “ Abolishment of the  monopole of the Publiser Giao Duc (education) concerning classic books publication. This is the result of the governmal inspection reported to the prime minister, following after the results of the inspections published at the end of Mars concerning this publisher.[16]

In all cases,the socializationfo education is just haft open ,but up to now the government still always keeps for itself the  role of the actor .!


 

[1] Le Vinh Nhut,student of  HCM open University, reportage in 2005.

[2] See TUOI TRE  (The Youth ) ,sept.2004,p.16

[3] See TUOI TRE,sept.12 2004,p.17

[4] See Cong Giao & Dan Toc  (Cathilicism and people) No 1201,page 16

[5] See Toui Tre (the Youth ) the percentage of  re-addicted drugers,Sat.August 18th 2007

[6] Asia Church,No 228 Oct. 1st  1996.

[7] Id.

[8] See the link http://www.hanoimoi.com.vn/vn/46/102550 and

                http://www.vnanet/TrangChu/Vn/tabid/58/itemid/163004/Default.aspx.

[9] http://www.vnanet/TrangChu/VN/tabid/58/itemid/16304/Default.aspx.

[10] Stefa VANISTEDAE, the street children, editiòn  2nd ,Paris : international catholic  Bureau of children,1995,p.13

[11] Christina  NOBLE,Child,Iwrite you name,Gilbert,Paris:Fixot,1995,p.270.

[12] Renée BARBIER,the sidewalks of Saigon,Paris,Le Figaro 13.12.1955.

[13] Id.

[14] Viet Nam,the last link in a chain/J.C.P.- Paris,Le Monde August 10th  1994.

[15] Annexes1,p.61.line 1420.

[16] Hoang Mai,the Courrier of Viet Nam, Thursday April 12nd 2007,No 4065