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The Vietnam Nationalist-Communist conflict that resulted in the Vietnam War between the two Vietnam sides, one supported by the Americans and the other by the International Communist bloc is still lingering in Vietnam, one way or another. Most people outside Vietnam only learn of consequences of the war that could be sensed or perceived. The 55-year conflict with horrible, bloody internecine leaves long range effects - even on remote domains - that have often been unknown to observers.
One of these deeply marked effects reaches as far as the field of general education, and profession training especially at high level study.
During the period of 1954-1975, the Communist regime in Hanoi was applying the 10-year education system. Proportional to shortened school time, curriculum of the high school education over North Vietnam was simplified and reduced down to about 80 percent. Meanwhile, there was a great shortage of qualified teachers, and a lot of school time was devoted to political teaching (some 2 to 4 hours/week).
Besides, all resources of human and material power to the largest extent were contributed to war efforts. At schools away from Hanoi, some courses were not taught because no teacher was available, including physics, chemistry. At 4th grade and 7th grade, students were required to pass the entry examinations to the next grade. Those who hadn't studied such a course could still be graduated and proceed to the higher grade, particularly children and grand children of ranking party officials. Most of these exams were staged by teachers, even disclosure of solutions to all students during exam sessions so that the teachers could have their classes graduated at 99.9 percent students.
A great many students from poor families of the first to fourth grade had only portable blackboard of the size 4x11 in. and chalk to learn reading and writing. At higher grades, note-books are made from brown paper with rough surface that made students tired of moving the pen around.
Because there had been no printed books available, students had to write down the text as if it were a dictation class. Usually, half of school time was dedicated to copying the text, including those in courses for future physicians at the Medical Schools
Tuoi Tre (Youth), a popular state-run newspaper in Vietnam reported on its March 13 issue regarding a study on Vietnamese doctors' capability. The study was conducted by the World Health Organization and the Vietnam Institute of Hematology. It asserts that nearly 100 percent of the medical doctors have not been trained for blood transfusion. Experiences they have obtained are mostly from self-teaching and books.
The report also confirms what many people have been skeptical about: 12.5 percent of the doctors serving the public do not have experiences concerning procedures to deal with strokes during blood transfusion. The smaller group, 6 percent, were not trained of partial transfusion and about using manufactured substances related to blood transfusion.
It was reported also that 60 percent of doctors at central level medical centers, 80 percent at province level and 100 percent of them serving district dispensaries did not have any knowledge regarding blood screening kit and related equipment.
As to the lawyers, the newspaper on its issue of March 13 published a survey about the lawyers profession in Vietnam. According to the report, Vietnam must have a lawyers corps with international capability in order to protect the interests of Vietnamese enterprises in the world trade arena. And the young lawyers do not meet these demands. The news report also asserts that the said situation is "dangerous" and should be alerted.
The director of a toys factory in Saigon said on condition of anonymity about how the lawyer that he hired to represent his business betrayed him. The lawyer secretly contacted the lawyer of the other side and made a deal to earn a large money for himself, causing serious harm to his business.
The report comments that the lawyers should be cultivating their virtue beside improving their knowledge. If (a number of) lawyers keep acting the same way, "who else would trust them?" the report says.
Many businessmen agreed that they really want to reach the American market, but they couldn't rely on the Vietnamese lawyers who don't have sufficient comprehension of the market and especially hundreds of laws and regulations in the U.S.A.
A lawyer in Saigon, Ms Truong Thi Hoa said that the Vietnamese lawyers should not be defeated right in their homeland. She confirmed the fact that lawyers in Vietnam today are not trained in international and comparative laws. Without such knowledge, the lawyers will not be able to assist the Hanoi government in management of foreign trade operation to the best profits of the nation.
However, the main problem is in the general political environment and social morality, not in the law training. For decades, people have been taught since the early years of the life to absolutely obey the Party. Everything the party top leaders say and act is right; the party never commits errors, and the citizens have to do everything to the Party's interests.
Law teaching is one thing, but living to the rule of law and abiding by the laws is another matter. And even the lawyers are willing to do the right things, their actions could be deeply influenced by their general knowledge, most of which could be obtained only from formal education in high schools.
It should be noted that in the last two years, as many as two to three thousands of newly graduated medical doctors and lawyers are unemployed. Most have to find jobs as secretaries, clerks, salesmen or other posts that do not relate to their university education. Meanwhile, in state as well as private sectors, there is a great shortage of doctors and lawyers, especially doctors in rural areas.
Not only doctors and lawyers, but many other college and university graduates have also suffered from the Vietnam Communist Party’s obscurantism, deliberately designed to consolidate its power and to boost the 1960-75 war efforts. A mechanic engineer who does not understand basic theory regarding ignition timing in the internal combustion engine is not very uncommon in Vietnam these days.
Unless the Communist regime is replaced by a true democracy and the whole education system is renovated and managed in a direction to the best interest of the individual citizen, little can be done to improve the country especially in science, technology, medical and legal professions.
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