• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Vietnam Talking Points

The Pulse on Vietnam

Disparities Amongst Vietnamese Children

April 21, 2011 by Jenny K. Dang 10 Comments

“Mom, don’t worry.  I’m not in pain.  I won’t cry,” softly uttered a little boy named Thien Nhan (Good Person) as he laid on an operating table in Italy.  The doctors and operating room staff were preparing to reconstruct Thien Nhan’s testicles and penis, which had been devoured (along with his right leg) by wild animals within the first three days of his birth.

How did this ill-fated boy end up in such a heartrending state?  Sadly, he was abandoned by his biological mother shortly after she delivered him because his mother and maternal grandparents lived in abject poverty.  Inexplicably, the local authorities had returned the boy to his biological family (a family who could not afford to feed the newborn let alone provide adequate medical care or finance his rehabilitation due to the abandonment tragedy) only to find the poor child months later – dirty, anemic, suffering from diarrhea, and critically neglected….

According to UNICEF, there are approximately 26 million Vietnamese under the age of sixteen today of which about 7 million can be considered poor in terms of basic needs.  30% of children under the age of 5 are stunted in growth due to malnutrition, and 50% of all children lack access to a hygienic sanitation facility within their homes.  Of course, based on these numbers, the majority of the children are living in much better conditions than when their parents were children.  From increases in education attainment to healthcare access to overall longevity, it seems as though the children of Vietnam are benefiting from the country’s economic growth of the past decade.  Unfortunately, not all of the children are benefiting equally.  As a matter of fact, the majority of the 7 million underprivileged children comes from a monetary poor background, is part of the disabled community, or is a member of the ethnic minority population (~13% of the total population of which nearly 50% live in poverty).

Is there anything being done on behalf of these side-lined children?  Who is developing and implementing plans to address their basic physiological needs, such as proper nourishment, hygienic sanitation, shelter, and overall health?  And beyond that, what about other needs, such as education, friendship, love, social inclusion, sexual intimacy, self-esteem, or the Maslow’s need of self-actualization?

The Vietnamese government could possibly establish laws and enforce regulations against abuse, exploitation, neglect, and violence of all children.  However, it seems that the governing administration alone is not effectively addressing the issue considering that the local authorities in the story of Thien Nhan only chose to return the pitiful boy back to where his suffering originated.

Fortunately, there are individuals and organizations exerting efforts toward the cause of these neglected children.  One recent example is that of the unique collaboration between UNICEF and Vietnam’s Next Top Model.

UNICEF & VN Next Top Model

It is encouraging to know that organizations, such as UNICEF and Kids Without Borders, are devoting their time and resources.  Afterall, children do make up approximately one-third of the Vietnamese population, and these children will naturally compose the face of future Vietnam.  Or, as United Nations Resident Coordinator John Hendra put it: “We in the UN believe very strongly in the importance of children to Viet Nam’s development.  Investing in children is not only about realizing their rights, but also about laying a solid foundation for the socio-economic development of the country.”

Present inequalities, no doubt, will threaten the children’s ability to grow into healthy and productive members of Vietnamese society.  It is important for Vietnamese and those interested in the well-being of Vietnamese culture to care for the neglected children.

In the case of Thien Nhan, a kind woman (the person he now calls “mom”) adopted him and ameliorated his life.  Following nine hours of surgery, the Vietnamese miracle boy can now boast to be an aesthetically real boy.  Nonetheless, who knows how many other “Thien Nhan” there are in Vietnam at this moment?

Filed Under: Current Affairs, Featured Tagged With: children, News, unicef, Vietnam's Next Top Model, Vietnamese miracle boy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James H. Bao says

    April 22, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Another top class article Jenny.

    Log in to Reply
    • JKD says

      April 24, 2011 at 3:09 pm

      Hi James,

      Thank you very much.

      Log in to Reply
  2. TN says

    April 22, 2011 at 5:46 pm

    Use a condom next time

    Log in to Reply
    • JKD says

      April 24, 2011 at 3:10 pm

      Hi TN,

      Thank you very much for your comment. Unfortunately, condoms along with other contraceptive methods as well as family planning services are not commonly relied upon in Vietnam compared with other countries, such as the United States. Working in an OB/GYN office myself, I can state from experience that the majority of Vietnamese women never even heard of birth control options aside from the withdrawal method, which is not very effective. As a result, there is either a high rate of neglected children if the family was not prepared and/or able to care for the child or a high rate of elective abortions (http://talk.onevietnam.org/virginity-obsession-and-sexual-ignorance-lead-to-elective-abortions-in-vietnam/). As Dien commented, there is definitely still a lot that needs to be done even though there has been progress.

      Log in to Reply
  3. Dien Yuen says

    April 23, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    A great story, Jenny. We still have lots to do.

    Regarding the comment for TN – it seems there is an opportunity for education here. If you are interested in having a conversation about the issue of distribution, use, social constraints and costs, please feel free to email me and we can set up a time.

    Log in to Reply
    • JKD says

      April 24, 2011 at 3:10 pm

      Hi Dien,

      Thank you very much for your comments.

      Log in to Reply
  4. Son Michael Pham says

    April 26, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    Dear Jenny,

    Great article. Thien Nhan has continued to amaze us with his tenacity, even though plenty of challenges are still ahead of him. His story has inspired many.

    Our Teach Me To Fish program has helped many orphans escaping poverty, becoming independent and good member of the community outside of the orphanages. We are very fortunate.

    There are still so much to do, for all children around the world.

    Warmest regards,

    Son Michael Pham
    on behalf of all Kids Without Borders volunteers

    Log in to Reply
    • JKD says

      April 26, 2011 at 9:58 pm

      Hi Son Michael,

      Thank you for visiting OneVietnam Network (OVN), and thank you very much for founding Kids Without Borders (KWB). KWB’s work is definitely exemplary. Please feel free to share projects’ information and volunteer opportunities on OVN, so those whom are interested can also contribute to the cause.

      Log in to Reply
  5. Daniel P. Luce says

    April 27, 2011 at 7:58 am

    A beautiful, inspiring and heart breaking essay. Thank you so much.

    Log in to Reply
    • JKD says

      April 27, 2011 at 9:42 pm

      Hi Daniel,

      You are welcomed, and actually, thank you!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Bad Guys
  • Business & Tech
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • Food
  • Health
  • History
  • Humour
  • Influential
  • Literature
  • OneVietnam Blog
  • Op-ed
  • People
  • Philanthropy
  • Rising Stars
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Trends and Fashion
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer
  • Women and Gender

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in