Vietnam - Who will bear responsibility?

Dear readers,

As long as we are a part of a society, we assume various responsibilities. An employee has work to finish. A friend needs to talk to and comfort others when they need her. A husband and father needs to take care of his family and makes sure his kids go to school. These are jus a few common responsibilities we have among myriad others.

Some people, however, deny their responsibilities or try to get away from them. This week, CG Fewston talks about those who ignore their duty to a greater group of people. He found that after each accident, like a boat sinking or a car crashing, those involved often answered “I don’t know,” which to him implicitly means “I thought I could get away with it.”

“A lame excuse claiming ignorance is never acceptable in any respectable society. [..] In America, we, as citizens, are highly responsible for knowing the law, and to say “I don’t know” is laughable,” Fewston compared the practice in Vietnam to his own culture.
Not only are you responsible for what you do but also for the damage done to others that originates from some possible dangers you know of.

“If you know there is a problem and say nothing and people get hurt or die, then you are just as guilty because you could have done something to prevent the accident but chose to do nothing. There should be more common heroes in Vietnam. Where would Vietnam be if Ho Chi Minh remained silent?”, wrote Fewston.

Agreeing with Fewston, Briton Janak Vadgama in Hanoi was frustrated on seeing no one take responsibility for inspecting construction sites in Hanoi. As a result, when a house is built or renovated, it often causes noises and brings possible harms to the neighborhood.

Janak recalled one of the incidents related to the reckless, unchecked construction in Hanoi:

“At the beginning of this year, I stayed at a friend’s house and one morning we suddenly heard a bang. When we ran out, we saw a whole balcony of a building collapsing right in front of an alley. If someone had been around, he or she would even have been killed. When we looked up, we found the workers at the construction laughing. It was horrifying that they didn’t take such an accident seriously. I wondered if they had gotten used to it.”

Janak compared the situation to the U.K. where there are strict laws on constructions and those involved can be fined heavily and have their permits revoked if an accident happens.

As a news website read by foreigners in Vietnam, we often receive email from readers asking for help with legal issues. Unluckily, we can only get involved in some cases that lie within our responsibilities, much as we want to extend our help, knowing the difficulties of leading the life of an expat, especially since Vietnam has just opened up the country to welcome foreigners for less than three decades.

To make your life easier here, we advise you to learn more about the country, especially Vietnamese laws so you know the basic regulations and what to do in each situation. Refer to our legal resources at the bottom right of this column for useful information about living in Vietnam. It’s your responsibility to learn the rules and help yourself first!

Also this week, the travelling couple Anh and Guim is back with their transcontinental story. When Thuy Anh tried to enter Iran and then Turkey, she encountered a problem related to visa. Read her story to find out how she dealt with it and learn about her journey cycling through European countries.

That’s it for this week!
Spare some moments this weekend to consider your responsibilities. Have you fulfilled them all?

TUOITRENEWS 
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.