Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Lack of family values, not just poverty, behind street children
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Experts say bad parenting and the changing face of a modernizing society have created urban Vietnam’s street children.


Nguyen Khac Long, 12, now feels safe and secure at the Children’s House in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8, where he can study and interact with his peers.

It is a far cry from two years ago.

Long was then begging on the city streets and was abused and beaten by his boss, who had hired him to beg, for a meager commission, in the northern Thanh Hoa Province after paying his father around VND800,000.

“He [the owner] told my dad that he would hire me to sell lottery tickets in HCMC. But I ended up begging there 13 hours per day,” Long told Thanh Nien Weekly.

“My family was very poor and my parents and sister eke out a living on menial jobs,” Long said.

Long’s father brought him back to Thanh Hoa in 2007 but “sold” him again the same year to another boss who also promised to have Long sell lottery tickets in HCMC.

“I was forced to beg on the streets, again. The only slight difference is that I suffered from harsher abuse from the boss,” Long said.

Societal structure

Long’s story is an all too common one.

Hundreds of children like him roam the streets selling lottery tickets or shoe-shining to make money, vulnerable to both imminent and invisible risks.

While poverty has time and time again been blamed for the plight of many children of poor families, experts say a broader view needs to be adopted to pinpoint the root cause of the street child problem.

“Poverty is not the sole cause or reason for the existence of street children,” said Margrit Schlosser, country representative at HCMC’s Terre des hommes Foundation, which promotes children’s rights.

“There are many poor rural families who would never send their children to the big cities on their own. There are many poor families in the cities who would never expose their children to the risk of being in the street,” Schlosser told Thanh Nien Weekly.

“It is related to the disruption of families and communities, and the lack of parental responsibility,” she said.

“It is definitely related to the socio-economic development of the country that has created considerable inequalities.”

Michael Brosowski, country director of the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation acknowledged that the consequences of economic developments like rising landlessness played a role in creating street children.

The migration of droves of rural people to urban areas attributed to the rapid modernization and industrialization helped feed the street child problem, he said.

“One of the results of modernization is that those in ‘modernized’ or ‘industrialized’ areas suddenly have many new opportunities and sources of income that people in rural areas don’t have,” Brosowski said.

“Rural people see city people with their mobile phones, nice motorbikes, and new fashion – and, quite rightly, they want the same.”

Family, not just poverty

While Dang Hoa Nam, vice head of the Child Rights Protection Department under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, agreed that the changing structure of Vietnamese society was part of the street child issue, he was harsher on the street children’s parents.

“A majority of street children make money by doing different jobs. They have to fend for their parents who do not bother to work,” Nam told Thanh Nien Weekly.

“The traditional family values have been compromised as many people have not born their parental responsibility and the kids on the contrary have to support their parents,” Nam said.

Tran Thi Tuyet Mai, coordinator of the Thao Dan social support establishment, illustrated the point.

“When our people go to ask any child selling lottery tickets or shoe-shining near the Cau Muoi Market in District 4 or the backpacker area in District 1, the most common answer was that the kids there were financially supporting their parents who just stay idle at home or kill time gambling,” Mai said.

“So it is the parents that should be blamed first for exploiting their children.”

‘Basic rights’

Experts on the one hand acknowledged governmental efforts to ensure basic child rights but on the other said there was still plenty of room left for improvement in this area.

“The basic rights of a child, besides access to education, must be to make sure that the child has the essential personal documents necessary to start a new life,” said Le Thi Thu Thuy, director of the Thao Dan establishment.

“While the formalities to obtain a birth certificate for a street child have been relaxed as centers taking care of them are now eligible to carry out the procedures, getting an ID card in this regard has remained a cumbersome task,” Thuy said.

The procedures require a family register for a street child to be granted the ID card, while many of them have no idea where their parents used to live, Thuy elaborated.

“This will be a big hurdle for the street children when they try to integrate into normal life,” she said.

Thuy recalled the case of a former street boy she encountered in 1992. He had undergone vocational training that would enable him to fend for himself.

“But so far he has been unable to obtain his own ID card, which is really a big problem for him,” Thuy said.

“We hope that agencies concerned would issue more specific guidance on this issue so that the basic rights of a street child could be guaranteed.”

Nam of the Child Rights Protection Department said the Law on Protection, Care and Education for Children does not cover these issues.

“I think there should be more concrete and feasible regulations on this,” Nam said.

Originally Posted by jackbl

HCM City’s exploited children – Is there a remedy?
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[jackbl]

Teaching bias by discriminating against children
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A fourth-grader at a renowned primary school in Hanoi once came home and sadly told his mother “I was told to have a day off tomorrow, mummy.”


The mother was surprised as this was an announcement that would usually be accompanied by a lot of excitement that he would never bother to hide.

The mother questioned her child for a while and found out that some inspectors from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training would attend his class the next day.

The school was informed of the visit in advance and had chosen the best class in each grade to be inspected. The selected class then had to make a series of changes, including keeping the room cleaner and neater, getting better-dressed and preparing more carefully for the class. And 15 students with average or bad academic records were asked to stay at home.

When the inspectors come, they would only see good and excellent students, who can raise their hands and give correct answers to all questions posed by the teachers.

The mother understood why her son was sad. And that must have been the case for the other students asked to stay at home as well. But it goes beyond being sad. The students are experiencing discrimination from the very people who have to teach them not to do it to others! What is the lesson they will learn from this?

Is a compliment or a nod of agreement from the inspectors so important that a school is willing to hurt some of its students?

And this situation is not limited to one school. Many parents in the city can gather around a table talking tricks deployed by schools, colleges and universities to deal with inspectors.

Is no one concerned that these tricks will teach the children how to be cunning and how to cheat?

The desire for recognition has become a serious disease. It is growing despite the Ministry of Education and Training trying to say no to it. A campaign by the ministry against the disease has been carried out for three years and is going to end by the end of this school year.

Or is that all they need to do – just say no, and what the schools really do afterwards is of no concern to the authorities?

By Tue Nguyen

[jackbl]

Public concern mounts over improper teacher conduct
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Eleventh grader Le Anh Tuan, who was punished by his teacher with physical exercise, was later hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City with an injury sustained during the punishment.

VietNamNet Bridge - Ho Chi Minh City parents are growing angry after recent reports of inappropriate behavior by teachers toward students.

Within the last month, an 11th grade student from Le Quy Don high school was hospitalized after being forced by his teacher to perform physical exercise as punishment.

Local media reported that Le Anh Tuan said he was made to cross his arms while holding his ears and quickly bend up and down 100 times.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (DoET)’s deputy head, Nguyen Hoai Chuong spoke with Sai Gon Giai Phong about the controversy.

He said his department has received details of the case and is now waiting for a decision from the school on disciplinary action for the teacher.

Also this month, a story surfaced that students at a local school were taking stimulant drugs to stay alert in class as their teacher was forcing them to recite their old lessons.

Mr. Chuong said improper teacher conduct is not new in the city, and school administrators need to learn from past mistakes.

Earlier, a private school in the city sacked a teacher for what it deemed inappropriate punishment of students, he said.

Education experts are also angry at the behavior of some teachers, calling their discipline methods outdated and dangerous. Teachers need to be educated about appropriate ways of dealing with students, they added, and do away with the old adage “Thuong cho roi cho vot” (Hitting is the best formula to raise a child).

Le Quy Don high school Deputy Head Do Thi Bich Duyen said November 25 the school will convene a meeting attended by political party members to decide on disciplinary action for the teacher accused in the Le Anh Tuan case. The decision will adhere to education sector regulations, the school said.

VietNamNet/SGGP

[AdGuy]

Troi oi!,

This thread become online viet news section liao.

[KangTuo]

yesterday receive very bad 2 sms from a vb (we name her Ah Lian).
not after receiving the sms, I seat opposite 678/V2 for soyabean drink, I saw a commotion involving her.... must be crazy liao

1) Tui bay la mot lu cho = all are a dog
2) May nho nhan voi cac ban may dum tao. hj hj hj = you remember to forward this sms all your friends for me.

[jackbl]

I felt that to learn 1 language, u must also know about its culture, lifestyle, and tradition. Most of the reports here are related to the above mentioned

Originally Posted by AdGuy

This thread become online viet news section liao.

[jackbl]

Nice rice rolled with soul
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VietNamNet Bridge - Steamed rice rolls come in all shapes and sizes, each version representing the culture and spirit of a different region.

White rice is inescapable in Vietnam. Even if you’re not having a “rice-dish,” chances are the noodles you’re eating, whether in soup or fried, are made from rice. Even the cake in Vietnam is made from rice.

Banh cuon, or steamed rice rolls, is one of Vietnam’s most ubiquitous rice-derivatives.

The rolls are made by grinding white rice and mixing it with water to create rice batter. A pot with a thin piece of cloth covering it is put to boil on the stove. The watery batter is then poured on the surface of the cloth and spread wide and thin to make a sheet of what looks like rice “paper.”

The rice sheet needs to be as thin as possible. It is then taken off the cloth and rolled with various fillings, depending on where you eat it.

In each region, namely the north, south and central areas of Vietnam, the steamed rice roll has its own recipe, ingredients and flavors.

In Hanoi, customers often enjoy banh cuon rolled with minced meat and peziza, an edible mushroom-like fungus. The dish is served with fried shallots, nuoc mam (fish sauce) and Vietnamese pork sausage.

In the central town of Hue, the rice sheets are rolled with grilled pork. The dish is served with fish sauce infused with the essence of ca cuong (giant water bug) for extra flavor.

Hue’s other version of the roll, known as banh uot tom chay (steamed rice roll with dried ground shrimp), is popular for the little bit of shrimp powder sprinkled on the surface of the dish.

There are two versions of banh cuon in the south.

The first version is similar to that served in the north.

The second version is vegetarian and rolled without filling, served with fried shallots, scalded bean sprout, cucumber and herbs. The rolls are then dipped in a concoction of fish sauce, garlic, lemon, chili and sugar. The sauce needs to be a little salty and both sweet and sour.

Whatever the color and flavor, banh cuon is a lasting favorite throughout Vietnam and more and more foreigners are making it part of their diet.

Besides traditional versions of banh cuon, an increasing number of modern versions of the dish have appeared in recent years, including steamed rolls stuffed with pate, chicken, salted pork and scallops.

Banh cuon can be found at the following Ho Chi Minh City restaurants:

Banh cuon la
57 Nguyen Du Street, District 1

Banh cuon Tay Ho
127 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1

Banh cuon Hai Nam
11 A Cao Thang Street, District 3


VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

[Thom07]

Originally Posted by KangTuo

yesterday receive very bad 2 sms from a vb (we name her Ah Lian).
not after receiving the sms, I seat opposite 678/V2 for soyabean drink, I saw a commotion involving her.... must be crazy liao

[jackbl]

TRAVEL : Ba Den Mountain: creative architecture of nature
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VietNamNet Bridge – Those visiting Tay Ninh Town for the first time cannot restrict their curiosity and craving for a famous cultural and historical site of the South, Ba Den Mountain, the most striking mountain in Nui Ba. Conquering the 986-meter-high mountain, which is considered the “roof” of Southern Vietnam, is a stunning experience.


Tourists take a cable car trip at Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh Mountain.

About ten kilometers northeast of Tay Ninh Town and straddling three communes, Ninh Son, Tan Binh and Thanh Tan, the Nui Ba Complex stretches out over 24 square kilometers and comprises three mountains, Heo (Pig) Mountain, Phung (Phoenix) Mountain and Ba Den (Black Lady) Mountain. With a system of grottoes, numerous
religious works in harmony with the forest and century-seasoned trees, the relic attracts many tourists and pilgrims every day.

Climbing Ba Den Mountain is a chance to be closer to nature and get some good exercise at the same time. The feeling of defeating the mountain is a joyful one.

The path zigzags through splendid surroundings and under the shade of green trees that protect your skin from the scorching sun. From the peak, trekkers are treated to a perfect view of the valley that immediately relieves the fatigue of the climb.

To get down the mountain, trekkers can take a grass slider trip. It is safe as the slope is gentle and tourists can control the brake of the slide.

Also, a round trip cable car ride between Ba Temple and the mountain is VND50,000. Soaring on the cable car, tourists catch a view of a sparking waterfall under the glistening sun, mysterious caves and dense forest.

The Ba Temple Complex includes old pagodas such as Ha Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda and Hang Pagoda and caves such as Ba Co Cave, Thien Thai Cave and Ba Tuan Cave. All present typical features of Buddhist culture and folk beliefs. Upon reaching the site, tourists can explore the biodiversity here and the folk spiritual life of local Vietnamese.

Tay Ninh is about 100 kilometers from HCMC. To get to Ba Den Mountain, take a bus from Ben Thanh Station to Go Dau and another from Go Dau to Long Hoa. On a motorcycle, take Xuyen A Road.

VietNamNet/SGT

[AdGuy]

Most imptly must drink saliva.

No wonder I never improve.

Originally Posted by jackbl

I felt that to learn 1 language, u must also know about its culture, lifestyle, and tradition. Most of the reports here are related to the above mentioned

[jackbl]

TRAVEL : Vietnam’s waterway tourism asleep amidst potential
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VietNamNet Bridge – A lack of concerted efforts and a poorly-funded infrastructure have hindered development of Vietnam’s waterway tourism despite the country’s great potential, officials and entrepreneurs said here last Friday.


Small tourist boats navigate on a canal in the Mekong Delta. Waterway tourism in HCMC as well as southern Vietnam is still underdeveloped due to the lack of orientation.

It is frustrating for a country crisscrossed with waterways when there are still few and unappealing waterborne travel products, they said at the seminar “Developing waterway tourism in HCMC and Mekong Delta” which took place on board the tourist boat Far East Pearl.

Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism, said that “waterway tourism is Vietnam’s strength, but we have very few products to meet the demand for this special tourist type.”

Besides, the development is spontaneous and lack of orientation too, he said, citing how HCMC and the Mekong Delta lacked facilities like boats, harbors, and stopovers for tourists. Binh admitted that the lack of such developments was due to the absence of a clear and consistent policy to encourage enterprises to invest more in new projects.

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shared Binh’s view, saying that up to now the city has not built a wharf for tourists. Meanwhile, he said, there are few attractive stopovers like Binh My Ecotourist Park in Cu Chi District.

He also complained about a lack of vision in the city’s waterway master plan.

“The city has devised a long-term plan for developing its waterway network and ports, but this plan does not mention tourist landscapes. Understandably, most of new bridges across city rivers have been built with minimum clearance, blocking navigation of big boats, while the riverside landscapes are monotonous,” he said.

Khanh of the city’s tourism department therefore proposed both immediate and long-term solutions, including the need to strengthen cooperation between the city and neighboring provinces to design new waterway tours and more destinations.

“The city from next year should start developing a network of tourist wharfs, especially along the three main waterways from Bach Dang Wharf to Cu Chi, Can Gio and Dong Nai,” he said.

At the seminar, other speakers from related provinces like Dong Nai, Tien Giang, and An Giang as well as entrepreneurs agreed that all waterway-travel firms should join forces for better products and services.

According to La Quoc Khanh, the city has a waterway network stretching 975 kilometers linking the city with neighboring provinces, especially the Mekong Delta region and the Eastern Sea.

VietNamNet/SGT

[jackbl]

Is the VB the one with bad breath?

Your vietnamese is alot better than i think.. The below sentence took me a lot time to figure out

Originally Posted by KangTuo

yesterday receive very bad 2 sms from a vb (we name her Ah Lian).
not after receiving the sms, I seat opposite 678/V2 for soyabean drink, I saw a commotion involving her.... must be crazy liao

1) Tui bay la mot lu cho = all are a dog

[jackbl]

TRAVEL : Lo and Behold
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VietNamNet Bridge - Ho Chi Minh City’s Notre Dame Cathedral is undoubtedly an architectural masterpiece of immense cultural and historical value.

In the early years of its colonial administration, the French government decided to build a church when planning the construction of Saigon, the capital of French Indochina.

Bishop Leferve was in charge of constructing the church, but the first effort was too small so a larger one known as the Sai Gon church was built on the banks of the Charner canal. However, as it was mostly made of wood, termites ravaged the structure and so the bishop went back to the drawing board.

In 1876, he organised a design competition. The French architect J. Bourad submitted the winning design and construction work subsequently began in 1877. Bourad was actively involved in the bidding process and also directly supervised the work. Incredible, considering every single piece of material used came from France. The work was completed by 1880.

The tiles covering the façade came from the French of Marseille. These tiles have no mortar coating and are immune to moss so they can maintain their rosy-red colour. Hence, the church’s overall radiance and resplendence against the background of the shady green perennials.

The bells, the bells!

The cathedral, 93m long, 35.5m wide and 57m high from the ground to the bell tower, is an imposing building but not as too large as it appears at first sight.

The design incorporates the classical beauty of Romanesque gothic architecture. It also retains its original interior and is home to some uniquely rare antiques.

The six bells weigh 28,850kg in total and ring out a peal of six musical notes-do, re, mi, sol, la, si- everytime they go.

The decorative designs on each bell are very delicate, and the ‘so’ bell is among the biggest in the world weighing 8,785kg with a diameter of 2.25m and 3.5m tall. This bell tolls once a year, on Christmas Eve, the only night when all six bells are rung together.

To ring the bell, it takes three or four robust men to turn the starter on so that the bell can swing as high as possible. On Sundays and during festivals, three bells chime together, but on week days, only one bell tolls, at 5am and 5.30pm. Despite the din of Ho Chi Minh City’s suburbs, you can hear the bells from 10km away.

The giant clock under the vault between the two bell-towers is another rare antique. It was made in Switzerland in 1887 weighing more than 1,000kg. Although the clock still works, it has been left unused for many years.

As time has taken its toll, the huge ancient organ inside the cathedral is not in used anymore as worms have eaten into its woodwork.

Thankfully, a lot of the interior’s ornaments and decorative designs have been kept intact and well preserved. The high altar is made of monolithic marble, featuring engravings of six angels supporting the canons table and the pedestal of three compartments, each being a carving describing a religious event.

Each chapel, stained glass window and vault is a work of art. Everything is engulfed in a gentle light that gives you a sense of complete peace, devotion and holiness. This, despite the fact, that the cathedral is fitted out with electric lights and has no space for candles.

A centre piece of the city

The cathedral is spacious and can accommodate a congregation of 1,200. In front of the cathedral, the paths run across the park in the shape of a huge cross. In the centre of the park stands a marble statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her arms embrace the globe with a cross while her feet stamp on a snake, expressing a wish to bring peace to all humanity.

The statue, also called the Virgin of Peace, became an international sensation when it was reported to have shed tears in October, 2005.

Thousands of people flocked to the cathedral to behold this supposed miracle, forcing the authorities to stop the traffic around the area. Vietnam’s top Catholic clergy quickly confirmed that the statue had not shed tears but this failed to disperse the crowd for some days. The reported ‘tear’ which flowed down the right cheek of her face was the result of pollution.

For over 129 years, Notre Dame has been a place for Catholics to gather, but it has also become an icon of Ho Chi Minh City.

Although located in the middle of a bustling metropolis, the unique architecture of Notre Dame always brings visitors a quiet and peaceful ambience. At present, the cathedral has a team of volunteer guides who can speak several foreign languages fluently to present the most attractive aspects of its history.

VietNamNet/Time-out

[jackbl]

Teachers respond to reports of abuse
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VietNamNet Bridge – The stories of teachers punishing students, creating deep psychological and physical wounds, have been reported by the local media recently. People have criticized teachers heavily in response, but they have not asked themselves why teachers use such methods.

“It happened in November 2009,” P. recalled. “My students continued playing in class during the lesson even when I asked them many times to pay attention.

“After the math lesson, I erased the blackboard and asked them to repeat the lecture. Ten students could not do the math questions even after my careful lesson. I could not control myself and so I beat them with a ruler.”

P, a primary school teacher in HCM City, laments that the class has 12 out of 40 students who always make noise during lessons and never concentrate.

He said that he has gotten angry many times over the last 23 years as a teacher. When upset, he usually knocked heavily on the table or went out to ease his frustration.

On that day in November, however, P. asserts that he could not control himself, especially because the students had ignored his words even with the exam drawing near.

D., the teacher made infamous for beating a student’s buttocks black and blue, was known as a level-headed teacher who rarely lost his temper. He always gave extra lessons to the student in question, who had proved to be a difficult one.

The student was discovered ignoring the teacher’s efforts and failed to complete any homework. The student’s laziness also seemed to be supported by his parents. Then, the teacher finally lost his temper and beat the student.

Lazy and unfocused students are but one pressure on teachers today. Some questionable school policies also add to their mental workload and ethical stress.

Le Quy Don School in HCM City strives to offer high quality studies with international standards. Its teachers are now under strict pressure to not allow any student to receive low grades.

If any student makes grades below the allowed level, the teacher will not be allowed to teach any more.

Parents of Le Quy Don High School students pay tuitions much higher than those of state-owned schools and feel they have the right to demand results. These policies, however, place a heavy burden on teachers’ shoulders.

Primary and secondary school teachers also complain that the curriculum is too heavy for students, forcing them to work long after regular teaching hours.

A history teacher from HCM City reasoned that anyone would feel frustrated after speaking themselves hoarse while students play and ignore the lesson.

“Sometimes, classes are noisy like a market, the history teacher observed. “The classroom is so cramped and hot. The teacher is tired from too much work and worries about daily life. You know, no one can be sweet at such times.”

VietNamNet/TT

Originally Posted by jackbl

Public concern mounts over improper teacher conduct
================================================== ======
Eleventh grader Le Anh Tuan, who was punished by his teacher with physical exercise, was later hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City with an injury sustained during the punishment.

[KangTuo]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Is the VB the one with bad breath?

Your vietnamese is alot better than i think.. The below sentence took me a lot time to figure out

No better than you.
translated by a long hair dictionary