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Post date: Nov 23, 2011 8:38:53 PM
Words by John Thornton. Photos by Charles Barnes
Boy and girl scouts have been teaching life lessons to kids around the world for over 100 years. Find out how the youth of Vietnam are still benefiting from this tradition.
IT’S 9AM ON A SUNNY AND HOT Sunday morning. The parks of Ho Chi Minh City are bustling with frenetic activity. Like other green spaces in the city, the expansive Hoang Van Thu Park, in Tan Binh, is heaving. Divided in two by the one-way Phan Thuc Duyen Street, and connected by an elevated pedestrian bridge crossing, scores of giggly, gossiping tweens, elderly newspaper-readers and early morning fitness fanatics happily coexist.
However, the largest group making itself noticed is undoubtedly the scouts. Comprising hundreds of boys and girls, local children as young as seven up to the age of 25 meet here on a weekly basis for two hours at a time to not only have fun but to learn a valuable skill set designed to equip and prepare them for the various, and sometimes arduous, challenges life has in store.
Split into coeducational Cub Scouts (seven to 11-year-olds), Boy and Girl Scouts (11 to 15), Venture Scouts (15 to 18) and Rover Scouts (18 to 25), the scouting movement was first introduced to Vietnam in 1930 via the French. Initially the preserve of French secondary school pupils and the offspring of wealthy Vietnamese, its popularity soon spread through the classes nationwide, particularly in the south, culminating in the establishment and operation of the Vietnamese Scout Association by athlete Tran Van Khac.
At the movement’s peak in 1959, over 5,000 Scout members were registered in Vietnam(1), and the country regularly participated in the annual World Scout Jamboree, as well as hosting its own national version. Throughout time, politicians, physicians, composers such as Luu Huu Phuoc and writers like Cung Giu Nguyen have all been scouts, and the movement was said to play an important role in Vietnamese society, teaching young people to be independent in their studies and in decision-making.
And though an official governing body no longer exists, the movement lives on. As it stands, Vietnam is the country with the largest population to have scouting that’s not recognised by the World Order of the Scouting Movement.
The Assembly Call
Tu Duy, scoutmaster of the 25-member Le Loi troop (named after the Vietnamese king), signals the beginning of the traditional opening assembly, whereby various troops line up in age order in front of their respective leaders to salute the flag, recite the Scout Oath (“On my honour I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times and obey the Scout Law”) and 10 acts of Scout Law.
“This is an important part of the day,” says Tu. “It reminds the children of what it is to truly be a scout and what is expected of them. That is why the law says a scout must be honourable, loyal, respectful, disciplined, courteous, and helpful to all people and animals at all times.” Decked out in khaki short-sleeved shirts, black berets, green neckerchiefs, and knee- length navy blue shorts, the 25 members of the Le Loi Boy Scouts troop look every bit the part. 14-year-old Quan, the assistant patrol leader for Le Loi troop, is laden with merit badges, including those for hiking, swimming, astronomy, first aid and camping.
Other kids sport badges for fishing, rope climbing, collecting garbage, knot-tying, and even for learning Morse Code, while others have not yet been a member long enough to even receive the neckerchief (after six months) or basic uniform (three weeks) — a test of one’s commitment to the scouting cause.
Following the end of the assembly, the children disburse back into their respective troops. Some erect tents while others make flags or simply sit and listen to stories. About a dozen girl scouts from the Au Co troop (named after the Vietnamese goddess) stand paired off in a circle with a balloon tied around their ankles. They’re playing a game designed to impart the virtues of teamwork. One girls explains that each pair must protect their balloons while attempting to burst the others with their feet. The winner is the remaining pair that successfully guards both their balloons.
However, theory is largely taught at the park, with the kids able to put their skills into practice on camping trips once every three months at national parks and rural countryside in Vung Tau, Nha Trang and Dalat. Most of the children have also participated in the Asian Pacific Region Jamboree, held every three years, most recently in the Philippines in 2009.
The Last Boy Scout
Parents and curious onlookers watch everything on the sidelines and one father explains that his 12-year-old son is the latest in a long line of family scouts dating back nearly 70 years. The pride that comes with being a scout is prevalent, not only in the proud parents, but in the kids themselves.
21-year-old student, Hoang, is a Rover Scout and leader of the Hai Dang Cub Scout troop from Dong Thap Province. He says that giving back to the community makes being a scout a worthwhile experience.
“Every year we visit a different leprosy clinic and talk to the patients, clean up their living areas by picking up garbage and fix things that are broken. For this, scouting makes me feel very good and is something I know my friends and myself will want our future children and grandchildren to do.”
Though the scouting movement in Vietnam appears healthy (over 4,000 Scouts were recorded in Vietnam in April this year, and websites such as ScoutFace and Giupich.org are dedicated to Vietnamese scouting), unless it’s once again officially recognised, it’s difficult to say whether the country will ever see a return to the glory days of the 1950s and 1960s.
In any case, it’s probably best to take heed of the universal scout motto and “sap san” (be prepared).
Source: John Thornton. Photos by Charles Barnes, Scout’s Honour, The World Ho Chi Minh City, Print Edition, November 2011 Issue, Pages 84-85.
(1) Scouts Abound: According to the the Vietnam Scout Association's record, in total there were 14,432 registered youth and adult members, at the end of 1974. Source: Sáo Dễ Thương, Bốn gỗ xưa bốn gỗ nay, gỗ nào hay gỗ nào dở, Giữ Vững Mối Dây No. 6, part 2, p. 41, 2011.
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