Education system in Vietnam

Role of educationEducation has always played a central role in Vietnam culture and society as it has been seen as the path of advancement and families routinely sacrifice much to ensure their children get the required education.

Vietnam as a country with close to 87 million people and with more than 60% under the age of 35(Source: General Department of Statistics of Vietnam, 2009), there is a huge education need for this young population.

Furthermore, as a developing country with booming economy, there is a need on high quality and better skilled workforce for future growth.  Higher education and technical and specialised skills are very important to business as it provides the trained workers and also a system to transfer skills and train new employees needed in a modern business society.

Despite efforts put in by the government, only about 1.6 million (about 2%) actually are now at higher education institutions.  Each year approximately 1.2 million students graduate from secondary education but the enrolment to higher education is only around 300 thousand (Source: Department of Higher Education, MOET).

University criteriaThe process of qualifying for university in Vietnam has two steps. First, students must take and pass the Secondary School Leaving Examination (SSLE), which consists of a comprehensive achievement test in six subjects (math, literature, a foreign language, and three alternating subjects) each with a maximum value of ten points.  In order to graduate, one needs to achieve at least a score of 30 points. The next step is to take the University Entrance Examination (UEE) which usually consists of an exam of 3 of 4 fixed groups of subjects. 

Credit system

A new credit system is now in place at a number of Vietnamese Universities to replace the older subject based system.  With that, each course is assigned a credit amount, whereby each credit represents one hour of theoretical lectures plus one hour of preparation per week over a 14-16 week semester.  A four year program will normally require a total of 210 credits.  Five-year programs require 270 credits and six-year programs require 320 credits.

Leisure programmes

Vietnam is the country of festivities which take place all year round, especially in spring when there is little farming work. The major festivities are Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year), Mid-First month, Han thuc (cold food), Doan Ngo (double five), and Mid-Seventh month, Mid-Autumn Festival, Ong tao (the god of the kitchen) etc... Each region has its own ritual holidays, the most important of which are agricultural rituals (such as the rituals of praying for rain, getting down to the rice field, and new rice...) and trades' rituals (like the rituals of copper casting, forging, making fire crackers, and boat racing...). Besides, there are also rituals dedicating to national heroes and religious and cultural services (e.g., Buddhist rituals). Ritual holidays are usually divided into two parts: the service is carried out for blesses and thanksgivings, the holiday is the cultural activities of the community consisting of many folk games and contests.

List of festivals all year round!

There are a lot of major and minor festivals in Vietnam, and mostly are based on the lunar calendar. The minor festivals are mostly either, religious, based upon pagodas and temples, or village festivals celebrating significant events. Most of the ethnic minority groups also hold regular festivals, often with important ritual significances relating to the cycle of the year.

Tet Nguyen-Dan festival (New Year’s Day) , Phu Giay festival, Perfume Pagoda festival, Chu Dong Tu festival, Pure Brightness festivals, and Mid-Autumn festival are examples of Vietnam’s festivals.

Vietnamese enjoy card games called “to tom”; board games such as chess, “human chess” in which people wearing the insignia of the various pieces moved about a giant outdoor board under the directions of the primary players, and dao dai which is called “hitting the dish”.

Affluent urban Vietnamese often visit Western-style bars and nightclubs or socialise at coffeehouses, movie houses or internet service centres. Vietnamese also enjoy playing sports such as martial arts (Vo Viet Nam), soccer, volleyball and table tennis which require little equipment and facilities.

Vietnam has emerged as a very competitive area for sports in Asia. Martial arts are quite common as are a variety of sports such as soccer, football, running, tennis, and more. Vietnam is also beginning to emerge as a real player in the world of golf with courses from Vungtau to further north up the coast.

While one often gets the impression that life never slows down in Vietnam, the Vietnamese actually display the adage "work hard, play hard" well! Activities range from wonderful amusement parks such as Dem Sen park in Saigon, the Ice House in Saigon with its many hand carved ice sculptures including a very cool indoor ice slide that will delight you especially when the outside temperatures are above 32c! There are fabulous beaches up and down Vietnam's coast with beaches in Danang being named in the top 20 of the world's greatest beaches. Phan Thiet, which is only about 3 hours up the coast from Saigon, is world class and there is an abundance of sightseeing there as well as throughout the country that will please even the best travelled. From the incredible Halong Bay in the north to the far reaches of the Mekong, there's an abundance of leisure activities along with incredible food to keep your energy levels up throughout the country to keep you well pleased with your adventure in Vietnam.

Entertainment is something else that you will not find difficult to find in Vietnam. From the world famous mua roi nuoc-water puppets in Hanoi, the arts in Saigon, to even the most common of entertainments such as taking in a movie in a real air-conditioned movie theatre, there is an abundance of things one has available to do in the country. Sometimes it's also just interesting to sit at a cafe sipping a Vietnamese coffee like Trung Nguyen and watch the frenetic pace of the country unfold before your very eyes!

If shopping is something you enjoy, please note that shops are generally open from 7 or 8am to 11 or 11:30pm. Some are open from 1 or 2pm to 4 or 5pm.

What is the country known for? -Longest War

Longest war

Between 1945 and 1954, the Vietnamese waged an anti-colonial war against France and received $2.6 billion in financial support from the United States. The French defeat at the Dien Bien Phu was followed by a peace conference in Geneva, in which Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam received their independence and Vietnam was temporarily divided between an anti-Communist South and a Communist North. In 1956, South Vietnam, with American backing, refused to hold the unification elections. By 1958, Communist-led guerrillas known as the Viet Cong had begun to battle the South Vietnamese government.

To support the South’s government, the United States sent in 2,000 military advisors, a number that grew to 16,300 in 1963. The military condition deteriorated, and by 1963 South Vietnam had lost the fertile Mekong Delta to the Vietcong.  In 1965, Johnson escalated the war, commencing air strikes on North Vietnam and committing ground forces, which numbered 536,000 in 1968. The 1968 Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese turned many Americans against the war. The next president, Richard Nixon, advocated Vietnamization, withdrawing American troops and giving South Vietnam greater responsibility for fighting the war. His attempt to slow the flow of North Vietnamese soldiers and supplies into South Vietnam by sending American forces to destroy Communist supply bases in Cambodia in 1970 in violation of Cambodian neutrality provoked antiwar protests on the nation’s college campuses.

From 1968 to 1973 efforts were made to end the conflict through diplomacy. In January 1973, an agreement reached and U.S. forces were withdrawn from Vietnam and U.S. prisoners of war were released.  In April 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to the North and Vietnam was reunited.

CONSEQUENCES:

1.  The Vietnam War cost the United States 58,000 lives and 350,000 casualties. It also resulted in between one and two million Vietnamese deaths.

2.  Congress enacted the War Powers Act in 1973, requiring the president to receive explicit Congressional approval before committing American forces overseas.

Background

It was the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the twentieth century. It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths. Even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government.

Cu Chi Tunnel

The tunnels of Cu Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Cu Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968.

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the Viet Cong in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually culminating in an American withdrawal.

For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels, especially malaria, which accounted for the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds.

Halong Bay

The end of the Vietnam War, and the advent of "Doi moi", Vietnam's policy of opening its economy to foreign trade, means that Westerners and South Vietnamese now have a chance to visit Ha long. Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the great natural wonders of Asia, and it is a popular travel destination. It is a spectacular location for sightseeing in Vietnam, located in the Gulf of Tonkin; it forms an amazing seascape of limestone pillars along with more than 1,600 islands and islets. It houses a great diversity of ecosystems including coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forest, small freshwater lakes, and sandy beaches.

Thien Mu Pagoda

Built in 1601 between a river and a pine forest, the Thien Mu Pagoda ("Heavenly Lady Pagoda") in Hue is one of the oldest and prettiest religious buildings in the country. Among the many interesting artifacts housed at the complex is the car that took the monk Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in 1963 Saigon.

History

The Thien Mu Pagoda has its roots in a local legend: an old woman once appeared on the hill and said that a Lord would come and build a Buddhist pagoda for the country's prosperity. Hearing of this, Lord Nguyen Hoang ordered the construction of the pagoda of the "Heavenly Lady" (Thien Mu).

Construction began in 1601 under Lord Nguyen Hoang, and it was renovated by Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan in 1665. Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu contributed a great bell in 1710 and and a stele erected on the back of a marble tortoise in 1715. The Phuoc Dien Tower in front was added in 1864 by Emperor Thieu Tri.

The pagoda was heavily damaged in 1943, but was then fully renovated for over 30 years thereafter.

Changes in the country due to growth of Tourism

Socio-economic Impacts]

Tourism in Vietnam has contributed to eliminating hunger and alleviating poverty, improving the living standards and enriching the society. The development of tourism has helped to change the face of urban and rural areas. People’s living standards have been much improved, especially in tourist areas such as Sapa, Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island, Sam Son beach, Cua Lo beach, the ancient city of Hue, and provinces of Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Ba Ria.

Economical Impacts

Vietnam's tourist arrivals has been on a rise over the years ever since Vietnam has opened its door to foreigners around a decade ago. As shown in the statistic, the primary purpose of visitors coming to Vietnam is for tourism. This will definitely increase the tourism receipts spent by the visitors, especially now with its many attractive tourist attractions, like Cu Chi tunnels, Haylong Bay putting them first on the travel itineraries. With more tourist income, this will definitely boost the economy and improve the economic status of Vietnam. One of the key factors why Vietnam has recently dropped out of the world's poorest countries' list is due to the positive economic benefits of tourism. 

Although the tourism industry in Vietnam is still developing, it plays a key economic role in the country. Tourism attracts foreign investment and creates jobs. According to the Footprint Vietnam Travel Web Site, it states that tourism activities have created jobs for more than 234,000 direct employees and about 510,000 indirect employees.

It also provides investment opportunities for small business owners and thus shifting the Vietnamese workforce from agriculture to the services industry created by tourism growth. This also means that Vietnamese will now have higher disposable incomes and therefore reduced poverty in the country itself.

Tourism in Vietnam benefits the hotel, construction and retail sectors as well as other service-oriented industries. A service-based sector requires higher education levels than an agricultural sector, because tourism sector jobs which include receptionists, clerks and tour guides, must interact with the public and keep accurate business documents. Through this, it will also avoid revenues to leak out of Vietnam and thus directs the most money to local economies.

Environmental Impacts

While nature-based tourism provides substantial incentive for environmental preservation, numerous negative environmental impacts result from the unmanaged arrival of visitors in an area. Without proper infrastructure, litter and other types of pollution worsen. Restaurants opened to accommodate tourists have no way to dispose of waste properly, and resorts and hotels are known to release untreated sewage into waterways. If visitors are not educated about beneficial environmental practices, they can cause habitat degradation and loss of biodiversity. Freshwater shortages are also common in areas with increased tourism and minimal management practices.

The tourism industry has created capability of consuming goods and services, boosting other industries to develop, restoring many traditional festivals and craft villages, boosting economic restructuring of the whole country and each locality, expanding exchange among regions and with foreign countries, and ensuring security, national defence and social order.

Cultural Impacts

As much as tourism has made changes to the people and society, the culture of Vietnam has been affected too. With tourism, many parts of the Vietnamese cultures have been preserved and tangibilized so as to showcase the specialty and uniqueness of its culture to the foreigners. At the same time, the new generations of the locals will have grown more interest in preserving and learning more about their roots. It also helps to build mutual understanding between Vietnam and other countries, especially war rivals as they can release social tension between ex war countries, and understand each other's suffering and past so that history will not repeat itself. It also helps the different countries to be more tolerant and acceptable towards cultural differences.

Spot the "Disney"

Disneyfication refers to the transformation of historical site, local customs etc into trivial entertainmennt for tourists. 

One of which i have spotted woulc be Suoi Tien Theme Park located at Ho Chi Minh City. It is a cultural theme park and also known as one of the top 10 most exotic theme park in the world. Being a cultural theme park, it features cultural theme of Buddhism as well as Vietnam's four sacred animals, the dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix, areas of the park have been designated for the different animals and zones. Eg: Giant dragon underground aquarium, Unicorn palace and garden.

The theme park has a fairy tale theme which is suitable for it to be located at the Suoi Tien area, as this is a place that gathers sacred legends and is the home of Fairy stream where fairies can be spotted.

All the names of the attractions and restaurants are given a name complementing the theme like the entrance named as fairyland gate, the thousand trees and hundred fruit gate open air restaurant which has a Buddhist cultural meaning behind. The parades, mascots are also according to the cultural theme, such as Golden Monkey (孙悟空) & Dragons. These satisfied the first dimension of Disneyization- theming.

This unique theme park only supports attractions for entertainment and leisure, they also have food and beverages services, as well as accommodation such as open air camping. They also supports educational programs such as one of its attraction is animal conservation, as well as study of plants like the many gardens and nature areas preserved and they caters to the needs of learning more about the culture, animals and plants. Last but not least festivals such as fruit festivals are held and celebrated in the park, as well as events like private weddings are held. This is a place with hybrid consumption where they do not just cater to one form of consumptions, but to many different kinds and are still evolving and being introduced into the theme park concept. 

Lastly, the theme park also covers the dimension merchandising. It has a retail shop for people to bring back a tangible item of their experience such as souvenirs and mugs, shirts as well as stationaries printed with Suoi TIen theme park logo. These goods are specially produced under the license of the company and mass produced for sale, but not anywhere else outside its territory. Four sacred animals look-alike goods are also being produced to match the theme of the park and tangible for the fond memories spent there.

Certainly those mascots in performances and parades are not real dragons, superpower monkeys or fairy god mothers in your fairyland. They are just part of the performative labor for the audience, they are only humans like you and me. But they are indeed part of the front line service crew whereby they have to put up a staged front for the audience like pretending to be the holy pig saint by wearing its yellow robe and putting on a pig nose. They are deliberately staging a mood, in Suoi Tien Theme Park case, the festive mood, with all the traditional cultural dances and holy statues people looked up or prayed to during festivals.

 

This can be a big question mark to the authenticity of such performances, yet it can be preserving its culture and tradition in some way by tangibilizing them so that they will not be lost over time and sharing its culture to more people. It also supports the comfortability of the guests which sometimes will appreciate staged fronts more than the wild, authentic change that they cannot adapt to.

Is Tourism the culprit?

Vietnam In The Past


Vietnam today


To a certain extend, yes it is the culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions.

Due to that fact that Vietnam is a developing country, her government has open its doors to tourism because tourism brings in foreign exchange revenues. The revenue can then help increase the income of the locals' as well as their economy. Because of the influx of tourist arrivals, locals are all eager to earn tourist dollars and thus

it is seen as a result of the process of commodification of culture whereby traditions, way of life and its underlining symbolism become imagined and transformed into saleable products for the sole purpose to tourism consumption. Cultural performances used to be performed at its original, appropriate time slot, which can be once a year is now performed on a regular basis because of the tourists.Therefore, i conclude that tourism has comodified cultures and traditions to a large extend.

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