Friday, November 06, 2009

Vietnamese Baby Names

This blog post was just too amusing and informative not to share. *Warning - Adult Language*

The name game
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November 6, 2009 by Nguy Ha

Giving names to children has never been so fraught with difficulties, as Vietnamese parents are bombarded with advice on tones, meanings, lucky numbers, family traditions and the pressures of adapting to increased use of English.

Names in Vietnam are heavy with meaning. Parents think that a child’s name plays a key role in the destiny of their children. Often names and derivative meanings of names are passed down through generations, partially as a way of paying respect to their ancestors.

However, names can also be the source of family contentions. A mother may find herself in conflict with her mother-in-law over her choice of names, as the older woman attempts to force the younger to adopt a traditional name from her family. Such ‘name games’ are often centred around the naming of the first grand-son and can even be tied to future material wealth, such as inheritance of family property.

Names are not only tied with family traditions, but often with long-standing superstitions. In the past, parents did everything they could to ensure that spirits or ghosts would leave their children alone, and names emphasising the beauty or intelligence of a child were eschewed for more ‘ugly’ names. Girls would be given names such as Truong Thi Buom (butterfly, a slang word for the female genitalia), Tran Van Dan (fucking), Nguyen Thi Ty (breast) or Phung Van Ram (fart) were very common. Parent would use Van (male) and Thi (female) to identify their children’s gender.

As throughout the world, peasants with limited education resorted to very basic names for their children, often due to the large numbers of children they had. Consequently, children often ended up with names such as Nhat (one), Hai (two), and Ba (three). Other popular names were based on the year of the child’s birth, so the names of Chinese astrological years was a useful source giving rise to such names as Mui (goat), Hoi (pig), Mao (cat) and Dzan (tiger).

In some cases these ‘year names’ have led to trouble for their holders. One official was found to have lied in official statements about his age in order to avoid retirement. His name ‘Dan’ had revealed that he had been born in 1950 rather than 1953 as he stated (which would have meant his name would have been Ti after the year of snake).

Names in the past were often used to express the unity of a whole family. For example, if a grandfather’s name is Chuoi (black fish) or Ro (anabas), the children and grandchildren’s names would often be fish-related, such as Tre (cat fish), Tram (carp) and Bong (gudgeon). Or if a father’s name is Thanh, his son would likely be called Dat because Thanh Dat means success.

After 1975 the children’s names began to express the wishes of parents for their children, with Chien Thang (victory) or Hanh Phuc (happiness) becoming popular.

From the1990s, parents became increasingly inventive, echoing the David and Victoria Beckham perhaps, with names marking places that the evoked good memories. Names such as Ha Lan (Holland), Von Ga (Volga River), Duc (Germany), My (America) became more popular. Girls are now often named after flowers, such as Lan (orchid), Cuc (daisy), Hong (rose), while boy’s names concentrate on manly traits through names such as Dung (bravery), Cuong (strong), Manh (powerful).

Today people may be more educated but people still find that choosing a good name can cause headaches. Often the same names crop up due to their auspicious meanings. Some parents even visit a name specialist who will provide a list of names for between 50,000VND to 100,000VND ($3-$6).

A name specialist will also rule out unfavourable names that the parents may have chosen.

‘Nameologist Nhuan explains: “the name of a child should be based on the name of their parents and the year in which they are born”, but he also thinks that names with no tonal inflection are likely to provide the child with a smooth and untroubled life. So, no matter the year of their birth, Nhuan proscribes Hoa Linh, Van Khanh, Trang Ling, Phuong Anh as good names.

Mr Hung, another ‘nameologist’ usually suggests names such as Minh Chau (Bright Gem), Minh Anh (Clever) and Tue Minh (Wise) and he says that children with these names will be very clever.

No-one denies that a good name is important, and it’s reasonable that parents spend so long choosing a name for their children. But the lack of imagination is a shame, as the Vietnamese language is rich in meaning, and the repetition of the same names can be dull and confusing. Many specialists say that good name should evoke a good feeling and be easy to write and say.

Yen, who works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also adds that parents are now having to be even more careful in their choices. “Now Vietnam is opening up to the world and parents shouldn’t choose names which in English might be misunderstood. When I gave birth to my first daughter, I hoped that she would be beautiful so I gave her the name Loan. A foreign friend come to visit me, and they asked ‘When you gave birth to her, were you in debt?’ So I had to spend time explaining the meaning to them.” Luckily she had not chosen Dung.

http://www.expat-advisory.com/articles/asia/southeast-asia/vietnam/name-game

A Working Woman Once Again

It is Friday now and I have completed my first official week back to work and I have to say that I am thrilled to be working again. My new schedule is 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. My new office is about a 15 minute drive from our house, although after dropping Steven off at school, it is more of a 25 minute commute.

The office, as many businesses in the city, is housed in a residential house, with a reception area, dining room/admin office and a kitchen on the ground floor and a winding staircase up through three floors where bedrooms have been converted into offices, each with its own bathroom. I share an office with Ngoc, the program manager, a young social worker who is a pleasure to work with. Across from our office is Pho Duan, the head researcher, in an office of his own. And at the top is Caroline, the French Head-of-Mission who is funny, driven and inspiring and, who I believe, will be a great person to work with and learn from.

I spent most of my first week going through various organizational and project documents and putting everything together in more comprehensive drafts that will serve as VeT's "face" to donors and the public. The basic project structure is as follows: VeT is approached by local government representatives in regards to an urban area with poor infrastructure and a population of low-income or impoverished residents. VeT then visits the area and, if it fits within the scope of their work, they contract with another organization to perform a Socio-Economic Survey/Needs Assessment on the area taking into account the financial situations of the local families, their awareness of environmental issues, the local housing stock and the local infrastructure. Both the perspectives of residents and local government authorities are taken into account in terms of the scope and specifics of the problems to be addressed as well as proposed solutions. An initial agreement is then drafted between VeT and the local authority, determining each partner’s participation and establishing a basic project framework contingent on funding for the project. Then comes the fundraising.

Once, and if, sufficient funds are able to be raised, an official agreement between all project partners, including local beneficiaries, is drafted, detailing the importance of participation and commitment by all parties, including a financial commitment on the part of the local government. Once the agreement is signed and accepted by higher authorities the work can begin.

Many of VeT's projects include the improvement of or installation of local infrastructure including alley ways, drainage systems, fresh water networks, sewer systems as well as assistance with the improvement of local housing stock. Residents are often encouraged, if not required in the contract, to assist with such projects, most commonly their own homes, to grant them a sense of ownership in the project and, for some, give them temporary employment.

In tandem with the physical improvements, local families are offered financial assistance either for income generating activities or for home improvement in the form of micro-loans. The micro-loan program provides small loans to groups of individuals who are then responsible for keeping each other on top of the repayment of the loans. Once a small initial loan is repaid, families can borrow larger loans.

Throughout the projects, VeT provides capacity-building trainings to local residents and local government officials in the areas of Project Management and Micro-Lending as well as more hands on training in respect to new utility systems, if necessary. At the end of the project cycle - typically three years - the project area should be in better shape environmentally (less flooding, less pollution by wastewater, improved housing stock, more environmentally aware populace, etc.) and financially, with residents more able to save and earn enough to support their families. VeT has done a lot of great work in its 14 years in Viet Nam and I am looking forward to learning more and being a part of it.

Now we just have to figure out how to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour with both of us working!

The Vietnamese Love Affair with Plastic

This morning, after four days of working, I decided that we were in dire need of some fresh fruit from the market, so after a nice chat with my mom on Skype, I headed out to the market, armed with my own cloth bag, determined to come home with a full stock of fruit sans a single plastic bags.

The Vietnamese love plastic bags. They use them for everything. Plastic bags for your plastic bags. Steven and I have attempted to refuse them at times trying to regain our environmental rejection of all things plastic, only to have them pressed upon us by an overzealous, plastic bag-loving Vietnamese. But winning a reusable shopping back from a promotional drive at our favorite grocery store last week that says "Protect the Environment" in both English and Vietnamese has rejuvenated our desire to be environmentally friendly and given us a small glimmer of hope for a plastic-bagless future in Viet Nam, even if in the far, far off future.

So this morning, I decided to take my conviction to the streets - my street to be specific.

As I was locking the door to our gate, I saw our one English-speaking neighbor, Mr. Manh, across the street with his grandson and stopped to chat for a few mintues. After making my way through the maze of alleys to our main alley, I ran into the xe om driver I have only used twice, but remains unfailingly friendly whenever I see him and received my usually friendly morning greeting. As I walked further down the street, I heard my name and turned to see The (pronounced "Tee"), our housing intermediary on his way to the market and we stopped and caught up on each other’s lives. When I left The, I made my way down to the fruit lady at the end of the alley and picked out nine small apples, put them in my bag, and handed them to the lady of the market, who proceeded to take them out and put them in a plastic bag until I stopped her and pantomimed that my bag was suitable and I wouldn't require another bag for my apples. She weighed them - exactly a kilo (fruit being my only frame of reference to what makes up a kilo) and asked for the 15,000 VND (or about 80 cents) price per kilo.

Proud of my first plastic-free purchase, I walked down another small alley, where I picked up four mangos for 15,000 VND and waived off yet another plastic bag. At the end of the alley, I said hello to the local cobbler who had recently fixed a few pairs of our shoes and received a wide grin in reply.

Coming back on onto our main alley, I spotted our regular banana man and wandered over, saying hello to him and the woman standing outside her front door to his right. I selected nice bunch and asked for half, paying 8,000 VND for about 10 bananas. As he went for a bag, I told him, “Khong Sau,” or no problem and went to place the bananas in my bag. Frantic that they would be squashed, he offered to cut them up, but I showed him that I could place them gently in the bag and they would be safe on my short walk home.

I walked away, proud of myself for this relatively small stand against plastic bags in Viet Nam.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

A Glimpse into Viet Nam's Wedding Machine

After Steven and I left Binh An village, we decided to check out another of Than Da island's attractions - Binh Quoi Tourist Village - or what might be more aptly named - Wedding Picture Central. Binh Quoi Tourist Village is like Disney World for Vietnamese Brides. It is luxuriously landscaped and dotted with every imaginable backdrop for the ever popular Asian wedding picture albums which consist of the happy couple posed in multiple outfits in multiple locations from the branches of trees, to old rustic doorways, to boats, to swings, to a faux American west backdrop complete with antique guitar. While the expanse of manicured lawn teeming with brides-to-be felt a bit surreal and otherworldly to Steven, he humored me and dutifully accompanied me through the park as I shamelessly snapped picture after picture of beaming bride.



Exotic Tree



Exotic Flower on Exotic Tree



Giant Lily Pads


 
 
 
 
Steven in his Rude Boy pose
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

An Afternoon Outing

Between paying rent plus two months deposit our rental house in Viet Nam and sending money home each month for the mortgage on the house in Atlanta, Steven and I have been living quite frugally since we arrived in Viet Nam in August. Part of this frugal lifestyle involves many weekends at home while our friends are out seeing the country. Granted that many of the places they are visiting, we have visited already, but it is less the need to see, than the need to get out of the city that starts that telltale itch.

Last weekend, we decided to take an afternoon to explore a part of HCMC that we hadn't explored yet. Asia Life, our local expat magazine, had an article on Than Da island, in a district just 20 minutes from our house. Though Than Da island is not quite what one thinks of when one thinks of an island, it is still - technically - an island, being a landmass surrounded by water - that water being the Saigon River which snakes its way around this particular parcel of land separating it from the surrounding city by short bridges. While neither palm trees, ocean, nor while sandy beaches appear anywhere in Aisa Life's description of Than Da island, it does say that upon entering it is possible to feel "miles away from the city" while, in reality, only being minutes away. For me, this was the most attractive part.

On Saturday morning, we set off in search of something new. According to the article Than Da island is home to many local restaurants and resorts, so we set about to find the one that sounded most appealing - Binh An Village. After a short 15 minute ride, we found ourselves on Than Da island and not long after pulling into Binh An Village. We were immediately impressed with the immaculate landscaping, the tasteful decor and most importantly, the quiet serenity of the river front. We happily whiled away a few hours having lunch and exploring the grounds, enjoying our new found escape from the city.







 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

A Day in the Life of a Korean Housewife in Viet Nam

My friend An had asked me to accompany her to her massage parlor a few weeks earlier, so this Tuesday, I decided to take her up on her offer. An is a former student of mine, married, with two young daughters, to one of the many Korean men employed by one of the many Korean companies doing business in Viet Nam. An's family, like the majority of locally employed Korean families, is set up in a nice serviced apartment, complete with a regular cleaning service and a driver. The company pays their bills as well as covering the expenses for their daughters education in one of the highest rated International Schools in the city. All in all, a pretty nice package.

An spends her days, after preparing breakfast and getting her husband and children off to work and school, enjoying her leisure time having massages, lunches, shopping with friends and the occasional golf outing, a popular pastime among Korean women in Viet Nam.

On our agenda today was lunch and a massage.

I left for An's around 9:45, her apartment now being within walking distance from our neighborhood and met her at her apartment where we spent some time catching up before leaving for our 11:00 spa appointment. On the way down, An called her driver and asked him to meet us at reception.

An's driver chauffered us to her massage parlour - what I may soon come to consider MY massage parlour at less than $4 for an hour long hot stone massage in a real spa  - where we luxurated in the relaxing atmosphere of the spa for a soothing 60 minutes of pampering.

After our massage, An called her driver, who again appeared from wherever it is he spends his time between appointments and scooped us up to bring us to one of An's favorite Chinese Restaurants. She had suggested a restaurant that she said, "I find alright, but westerners seem to like," but happily directed her driver to the Chinese option after I begged off any place that "westerners seem to like," prefering to be taken to her favorite Asian spots.

After a lunch of wonton soup, seafood fried rice and delicious shrinp dumplings, An's driver again picked us up, only to drop us off around the corner at Annam, one of the city's gourmet grocery stores which sold the organic vegetables and cleaning supplies that An and I had been discussing over lunch. Once inside, An made a few small purches and I picked up one of my new favorite sweet treats in Viet Nam - an almond pastry bar.

As we were riding back to my house where I was to be dropped off before An left to pick her girls up from school, both of us munching happily on my almond pastry bar, I thought to myself, that while I wouldn't ncessarily want to live the encapsulated life of a Korean Housewife in Viet Nam, I wouldn't mind tagging along on a few more outtings like today.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Mr. Steven/Coach Steven

Just a quick update on Steven's experience here in Viet Nam, since he is too busy with planning and grading and coaching to sit down and write out a post.

Steven is teaching five classes this year - three 7th grade world history and two 8th grade geography - as well as being the head coach of the boys basketball team. He is really enjoying both the teaching and the coaching and is aiming for "Teacher of the Year" this year.

Life is good.

Vietnamese Job Search Take II


Last year, I approached my  job search like I would have in the US, not thinking that there was any need to adjust my methods to my new environment. After a long, frustrating search, I finally cobbled together a crazy schedule that included two days of "formal teaching," various private English lessons and tutoring sessions, a contract writing assignment on, ironically enough, "How to find a job in Viet Nam," and a few mornings at a local charity to maintain contact with my field and feel that I was giving back a little during the time I was here. This time around, armed with the cultural experience gleaned from my research, and a network of connected friends, I set about to find a job in Viet Nam.

The first thing that I did was disabuse myself of the notion that I was going to get a job doing what I wanted to do that paid any sort of salary. Then I set out designing my very own "business cards" with my name and contact information and no mention whatsoever of what kind of job I was looking for or was qualified for to allow for a little more versatility. Then I sent a few emails out to friends in the NGO sector for the dates of the next NGO luncheon and happy hour and put them on my calendar. The next step was to take my  cards out on the town and start networking.

The NGO luncheon was held a Sesame Restaurant, a French restaurant that provides hospitality training for underprivileged teens in Binh Thanh not too far from our house. The food was delicious, the money went to a good cause and I met a few people from various charities doing really important work. One that I was especially interested in was called, "Villes en Transition" or Cities in Transition, a French NGO working in the area of urban re-development and micro-loans. The organization is based on the principles of cooperation and sustainability and only works on projects in which everyone involved - local beneficiaries, local government, donors - is an active participant contributing to the success and sustainability of the projects. They work in high density, underdeveloped urban environments where a lot of people live in concentrated substandard housing and lack the basic necessities of access to clean water, electricity and an income adequate to sustain themselves and their families. VET provides expertise, supplies and labor to build new housing, local water sources and other improvements to local infrastructure, while training local residents on issues of sustainability like the importance of a clean water supply, housing safety, basic budgeting, etc. They also provide micro loans to families to help them start or improve existing businesses to increase their families income.

After speaking at length with the outgoing Head of Mission for VET, who was transitioning to a VET project in Cambodia, I introduced myself to the new Head of Mission, who had only been in Viet Nam for a week and gave her my card, expressing my interested in working with their organization.

The following Monday, I received a email asking for my resume, which I gladly sent over. A week later, I had a date set for an interview. A week after my interview, I had an offer for a "volunteer position with a stipend" (hiring expat staff is a difficult, cumbersome process that can often result in denial) as the "Outreach and Program Officer" for Villes en Transition. I happily accepted.

I will be working from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday, beginning on November 1 at the exhorbitant salry of $300 USD a month and am quite excited about my new position. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute quality work, learn more about urban development and poverty in Viet Nam, build my skills for whatever awaits me in my professional future, AND have more interesting stories for the blog! Wish me luck!