The Vietnamese girl today

Title

Language

English

Source

Volume XIX (Issue No. 2) February 1967

Year

1967

Subject

Social conditions of women -- Vietnam

Gender differences (Sociology)

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

The new women in South Vietnam are now invading the areas of men’s activities.

Fulltext

■ The new women in South Vietnam are now in vading the areas of men’s activities. THE VIETNAMESE GIRL TODAY Sitting in her home, a vo lume of poetry in her hand and a piano contrasting with her simple pink Ao Dai tra ditional dress, Hong Khac Kim Mai seems to typify the petite charm and grace of Vietnamese women. She is anything but a typlical young girl, however. The poetry is her own. She teaches piano in order to earn money to publish an other volume. She likes to "mix up in politics,” and did so this summer with fellow boy and girl students at the Saigon University where she is studying in the Faculty of Letters. “It must be said,” she ad mitted, "that I am very am bitious.” Mai is one of a new wave of young women in South Vietnam who are overturn ing the old idea that only young men are entitled to higher education and to ca reers in public life. At Saigon University nine years ago, the only Univer sity of Vietnam at that time, less than 700 girls were re gistered, only about 15 per cent of the student body. This past year of the 27,826 students in the various uni versities of Vietnam nearly 30 per cent are girl students — and the number of glirls is expected to increase stea dily in coming years. In the School of Pharmacy, more than half of the 3,000 students are girls. And in the Law Faculty, one out of every five future lawyers is female. This year there are more women students enroll ed in the Faculty of Law than there are practicing at torneys in the entire country. One out of ten in the Fa culty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science are girls. In Mai’s school, equivalent to the Arts and Sciences Col lege of an American univer sity, 36 per cent of the 8,000 students are young girls. Mai does not want to go abroad to complete her stu dies, a common move for February 1967 35 children of wealthier Viet namese families. At present, about 15 per cent of Viet namese students abroad are girls, some working in such difficult fields as chemistry and electronics. For Mai, too many important and ex citing things are happening in Vietnam today for her to leave the country at this time. “I must finish higher stu dies at the Faculty of Let ters,” she declares. She is deputy chairman for public relations of the Executive Committee at the Faculty’s student body organization. She studied at Marie Curie high school in Saigon, a French girls’ school, and be lieves her French is better than her Vietnamese. “I’ve been preparing for my Viet namese license although I am not very strong in Viet namese, but I like my mother tongue,” he said. Like many strongly na tionalistic Vietnamese, Mai approves the current move ment to require Vietnamese in all schooling. “The use of Vietnamese as a vehicle language is very necessary”, she declared, “It will give the universities a national char acter.” “However,” she added quickly, “students must be strong in foreign languages, too.” In 1965, Mai wrote and published with her own funds a book of poetry entitled “The Brown Yes.” This year she teaches piano lessons to private students in order to earn money to publish her next collection of verses. Fortunately, Mai comes from a well-to-do family and she does not need to work to pay for her education. Other girls must work hard to further their studies and earn a living. Many tutor other students privately, for children often prefer female to male tutors. The bright young girls also are in de mand as shop assistants and office clerks. Many are able to live a. self-sufficient life while studying at the Uni versity, even though they are far Trom their houses. Mai, for example, comes from Hue, the ancient capital city of Vietnam far to the north of Saigon. Despite their handicap, for many Vietnamese still cling to the old idea that women must not enter the fields of 36 Panorama man, girls are excelling in scholarship and social action. Miss Nguyen thi Binh topped ' all other students graduating in the year-end examinations at the Faculty of Science. In the 1965 en trance examination for the Faculty of Pharmacy, the six top students were girls, ex cept for a lone boy who rank ed fourth. Girl students from the university are active in so cial relief duties. A number of girls went to Central Viet nam wlith the Relief Com mittees during the 1965 flood and again this year to the western provinces to aid flood victims. The traditional view that daughters simply studied household duties and, when marfied, followed their hus bands faithfully in whatever directions he led, is breaking down. Mai was quick to de fend the new woman, saying: “I don’t think modern Vietnamese women neglect their duty as housewives. They should not.” And Mai knows something of the domestic arts. In addi tion to playing piano, she makes a hobby of cooking. (And admits to being an es pionage movie fan.) What does she want to do after completing university studies? “I don’t want to teach school,” she declared certainly. “I really Want to do some thing else. I like to live an active life; to tell the truth, I want to mix up in political activities.” Last summer, during the Buddhist crisis, Mai was among Saigon University students who were vocal about their position tin the situation. But her activities go beyond such directly po litical things. With their new-found li berty, the girls appear to be using careful restraint in or der not to go too far. They are careful in social. contacts w)ith boys and few scandals have slurred their integrity. For the older observers, they represent something new and almost mystical. They combine the soft charm of the ancient orient with the fiery zeal of the western wo man. A new force today in the universities, they will be a vital new power in the Viet nam of tomorrow. — Mekong Features. February 1967 37

pages

35-37

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