[Vnbiz] Điểm danh và i thói xấu (The Bad Habits of Vietnamese)

[Tran Dinh Hoanh]

Dear Brother Binh & CACC,

Thanks for the interesting question.  I am not sure what the Japanese says
and what we Vietnamese say.  We say a lot of things.  So I will not rely on
your quote to make the analysis.  But I will address a very common
phenomenon in human development.

When we rely on things outside us, we don't make progress.  When we rely on
our Self, we advance.  Look around us and we see this point very clearly.

The Middle East countries sit on oil fields, but they are marred with
problems and injustice.  Japan is a very good example of a country that has
little and achieve greatly.

If you talk to Walmart founder, he will say that Walmart becomes the
number-one caompany in the world not because he and his people were so
clever and had a great vision.  He will say that it was because they had
nothing.  Walmart was in the middle of no where in Kansas, no major
consuming population, no advance transportation, no hitech valleys,
nothing.  Walmart had to keep thinking about doing every so cheap, so low
cost, in order to survive.  And it became so smart at cutting cost that it
became great.

Children born into a poor family have great chance to build tough character
and surviving skills.  Years ago ,when the first group of Vietnamese
arrived in US and Europe, we had nothing, no money of course, but not
even the language or supporting family members and friends.  We had only our
Self, and we relied exclusively on our Self to survive.  About 10 years a
later, most of us became so good in moving around in our new society that
many of us became more successful than the natives who lived here all their
live.

During the Vietnam War, the North relied exclusively on the people's heart
and determination to win.   The US relied exclusively on its bombs and
guns.  The South relied exclusively on "Are the Americans still with us?"
(Please read memoir of Dr. Nguyen Tien Hung, advisor to President Nguyen Van
Thieu).

The key is:  Do we believe in our Self?  If we believe in our Self, we will
win.  If we do not believe in our Self, and believe instead in our things
(oil, sea, forest, or even our victorious history, etc.), we will lose.

It is nice to have good things.  Good things don't hurt.  But they also
don't help if we don't believe in our Self.

The battle is won in our heart, our mind and our determination.  The battle
is not determined by what oil fields we have, what degree we earn, or what
our golden history has been.

Have faith in our Self.

Have a great day, brother Binh and all !

Hoanh


On 9/29/06, Binh, Vu The <binh at netnam.vn> wrote:
>
>
> [Vietnam Business Forum]
>
>
>
> Dear a. Hoanh, et CACC,
>
> How do you say about the following opinions which I think many of us have
> known already.
>
> The different between the education system between Japan and Vietnam:
> - Japan education system always says: Japan doesn't have good natural
> resources, doesn't have "golden forests, silver sea". And now they are the
> second richest country in the world.
> - Vietnam one always says: Vietnam has "golden forests, silver sea", the
> Vietnamese people is hard-work, smart. And Vietnam is still one of the
> poorest country in the world.
>
> Have a nice weekend,
>
> Binh.
> --
> Vu The Binh
> Business Development Manager
> NetNam Corporation – Institute of Information Technology
> 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
> Tel: +84-4-7564907, Fax: +84-4-7561888, Handy: +84-(0)-9 0343 4477
> e-mail: binh at netnam.vn
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tran Dinh Hoanh
> To: vnbiz at vietlinks.net
> Sent: 29/09/2006 10:44 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vnbiz] Điểm danh và i thói xấu (The Bad Habits of
> Vietnamese)
>
>
>
> [Vietnam Business Forum]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Brother Toan & CACC,
>
> Thanks for posting the list of "the Bad of the Vietnamese," brother Toan.
> My first reaction to the list is that many of the so-called bad habits are
> universal, typical human habits, why say 'Vietnamese"?  Examples start
> from
> the first item:  Not yet rich, already looking down on the poor.  What
> does
> this have to do with the Vietnamese?  We go to any country in the world
> and
> we will see lots and lots of people like that.
>
> Some of the "bad habits" are not even bad.  Example: Not yet talking,
> already laughing.  What's wrong with that?  If you meet me in the morning
> and laugh "Ho ho ho... How are you today, anh Hoanh?"  You would make my
> day.  I would feel happy for the entire day, like I've just met Santa
> Claus.
>
> But here is my real problem.  Why do we have to focus on our so-called
> "weaknesses" so much?   Why do we have to always focus on how bad we are
> in
> this, how weak we are in that?  Why do we have to be so obsessed with our
> own so-called "weaknesses"?
>
> Of course, we should be aware of our weaknesses and limitations, just so
> that we know our Self.  And we should improve our weaknesses as much as we
> can.  But in order for us to grow strong, to win, to be victorious through
> life, we have to focus on our strength, our advantage, not on our
> weakness,
> our disadvantage.
>
> If you don't have a good voice, why keep complaining how bad your voice is
> and how you would never be able to compete with My Linh or Quang Dung?
> Should you focus on your strength, say, a very logical mind, to become a
> mathematician instead?  If you body is slender and light, should you try
> to
> be a body builder instead of a swimmer?  And as a nation, should Vietnam
> focus on the industries it can't do so well, instead of the industries it
> have great competitive advantage?
>
> The point is that:  Instead of being obsessed with how bad we are, let's
> focus on how good we are.  In stead of dwelling on our weaknesses, let's
> develop our strength to the max.
>
> When we are obsessed with our "weaknesses," we lose confidence in our
> Self,
> we become small-minded, uncreative, unmotivated.   When we focus on our
> strength, we will be confident, happy, and therefore creative and
> motivated.
> And when we are confident and successful, chances are we have
> automatically
> overcome many weaknesses.
>
> There was girl who had a beautiful voice that many people like.  Everyone
> told her that she would be a great singer some day.  And she believed that
> she would be a great singer.  But she was arrogant and impatient.  She
> looked down on the people who didn't have a good voice and  was quick to
> throw a tantrum at anyone or anything that displeased her.
>
> She practiced singing everyday with a passion in her heart, with the
> unshakable belief that she would be a great singer some day.  Her musician
> friends help her practice, but they soon left her one after another,
> because
> she was too arrogant and impatient with them.  But she kept on practicing.
> Many times she had to apologize and beg her friends to come back to help
> her
> practice.  She entered many auditions, and failed many times.  But her
> singing passion kept her moving.  And she made her way slowly, until a day
> when an executive of a record company spotted her voice in an audition and
> offered to made the first record for her.  Her career took off.
>
> Some of her old friends now come to see her, the famous singer, and they
> are
> surprised  how she has changed.  She is much more humble and patient.  The
> arrogant and impatient girl of the old days has disappeared.  Why?  She
> seems not to notice that change.  But the years of practicing, practicing,
> practicing each song, each note hundreds of times, has taught her
> patience.
> And the loads and loads of hard labor she put into singing practice has
> taught her the appreciation for beautiful things in life and their
> creators.
> In a restaurant, having a good dish, she understands how much training,
> practice and artistry the chef has put into her dish.  Walking on the
> polish
> floor of a hotel, she knows how much hard work the cleaner has poured on
> to
> the floor.
>
> When we focus our heart and mind into our developing our strength, we will
> automatically erase lots of our weaknesses.  When we are obsessed with our
> weaknesses, we are doomed to defeat.
>
> Each of us has his/her unique talents, unique gifts.  In the biblical
> tradition, each of us is created in the image of God.  In the Buddhist
> tradition, our true nature is Buddha.  We already have the strength, the
> greatness embedded deep inside us.  Let's focus on how beautiful we are,
> how
> wonderful we are, how loving, how motivating, how creative, how
> hardworking,
> how happy, how great we are.  Never forget that we possess God's image,
> that
> we have the seed of Enlightenment in us.  Let's focus on building our
> wonders, our strength, our advantage,   Let's focus on polishing the jewel
> in each of us.  The jewel will shine away all our stains and will bring us
> victory.
>
> Have a great day!
>
> Hoanh




-- 
> Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> Attorney of Law
> Washington DC
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