Analyzing the Effects of Educational Structures and Opportunities of Vietnam on the Greater Society
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” - Thích Nhất Hạnh, This quote spoken by Thích Nhất Hạnh, a religious scholar, Buddhist monk and activist from Vietnam represents the aspiration to have a better life that all people seek. This message, while short, concisely represents the attitudes of many individuals coming from impoverished or developing countries. Generally from a sociological perspective, aspiration profoundly influences people to achieve. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a Southeast Asian nation on the brinks of social development within both public and private sectors. The country which is noted for its single party communist agenda with French civil statute influences, it has re-opened western diplomacy in the last two decades since the Vietnam War. The summer of 2010 marked Vietnam’s 15th anniversary since establishing diplomatic relations with the US in the Clinton Administration. In addition, Vietnam has established open door approaches within many fields, which has consequently expanded imported businesses and opportunities to Vietnamese citizens. With support from the World Bank, including an enormous five hundred million dollar loan, Vietnam has stimulated economic growth with various small industries in hopes of reaching middle income status (Davidson 2010). Furthermore, Vietnam has gradually made changes in their economic structure since the 1980’s through ‘doi moi.’ With doi moi there is more emphasis placed on export-orientated innovations, which has led to economic progression (Broothroyd and Pham 2000). Also, the initiative allowed many Vietnamese to have more autonomy over their individual income, such as businesses (Broothroyd and Pham 2000). Sociologically, this gave a new sense of independence for many individuals...