To Dong Hai
It can be said that though their material lives have been not so high, the rural inhabitants of Vietnam have spared no efforts to raise their intellectual levels. It is, therefore, no surprise that a number of villages, though still poor or even hard hit by chronic food shortage and hunger, have got a large number of people with high academic degrees and titles, thus being known widely as “dat hoc” (the land of learning).
Such a tradition of eagerness for learning was specified in various village codes - the “huong uoc” - with various provisions on study encouragement, detailing the warm-welcome home for persons who passed State examinations with high degrees and returned to visit their families, parents, relatives and villagers, as well as the preferences accorded to them. For people who are studying at schools, “huong uoc” also spelled out preferential treatment to them such as the exemption from obligatory public labor and from conscription into the army, aiming to create favorable conditions for them to continue their study.
“Huong uoc” of An Lac village, Nam Dan district, the central province of Nghe An, which was compiled in 1857 under the Tu Duc dynasty, stipulated: “Those villagers who follow study courses seriously shall be exempt from obligatory public labor and military conscription so as to have favorable conditions for their study.”
“Huong uoc” of La Noi village, Y La district, Ha Tay province, provided similarly: “Those students who study asiduously shall be exempt from obligatory public labor and conscription into the army. This regulation shall not apply to those who have reached the age of 26 but not yet enrolled in any schools and those who do not study diligently.”
“Huong uoc” also clearly prescribed congratulatory and welcome ceremonies as well as privileges accorded to those who passed various exams. For instance, ancient “huong uoc” in Nghe An province specified: “Any villagers who pass exams and return to their villages shall be welcomed according to the prescribed ceremonies:
- Those who pass the State exams shall be greeted and welcomed at the provincial capitals before being accompanied to their native villages.
- Those who get the bachelor degree shall be greeted and welcomed home at Huu Biet bridge (10 km from their home village).
- Those who graduate from senior secondary education shall be greeted and welcomed at Huu Biet commune market (8km away from home village).
- Those who win high prizes at martial arts competitions shall be greeted and welcomed at Hoach mountain market (5km away from home village.
According to some “huong uoc”, any villagers who pass exams or are conferred titles shall be congratulated with big parties by the village notables and given presents by local authorities. For instance, under “huong uoc” of Thuan My village, Tuong Phieu commune, Tung Thien district, (old) Son Tay province, the senior secondary education graduates shall be presented with a laudatory writing, 5 “sao” (a land measuring unit equal to 360 square meters) of land; those who get the bachelor or doctoral degree shall be presented with a red brocade laudatory writing and 5 “sao” of field land.
Meanwhile, “huong uoc” of Tuy Lai village, Chuong My district, the same province, prescribed in more detail: Those who graduate from senior secondary education shall be congratulated by the village association of scholars with a bunch of areca nuts, a parallel scrolls, ten “quan tien” (strings of coins) and shall be carried home on palanquins from the examination compounds.
Those who get the bachelor degree shall be presented with a jar of alcohol, a poem, 20 strings of coins, and carried home on palanquins from their schools.
Those who get the doctoral or higher degree shall be presented by villagers with a kilogram of black tea, a laudatory writing, 40 strings of coins, and congratulated by the entire scholars’ association with an welcome palanquin parade from Hanoi to their native places.
Such honor, as prescribed by various village codes, was accorded to not only the academic titlists but also their families and parents who would be arranged to sit at positions reserved for village dignitaries at various village functions including meetings and festivals, regardless of their ages. According to some “huong uoc” of Ha Tay province, those who have two or three children being excellent students would be arranged to sit together with the village chiefs on different occasions; and those who sit for but fail at doctoral exams would still be admitted to the village scholars’ associations as an encouragement to them.
All “huong uoc” contain specific provisions aiming to encourage villagers to study hard. For instance, “huong uoc” of Phu Van village (in the central province of Nghe An) provided clearly that those who follow their academic courses by inviting senior secondary education graduates or bachelor degree holders to come to the village for teaching would be allocated three “sao” of public land for use as means to nurture their teachers; and those who leave their villages for second-degree examinations in the capital city would be carried on hammocks by villagers to the provincial capitals.
Meanwhile, “huong uoc” of Yen Luu village, Nghe An province, clearly prescribed the use of public land as incentive for study, called “hoc dien” (study encouragement land), stating: “Hoc dien” of the commune are reserved as incentive for those who pass various exams. When they have not yet got any academic degrees but been ranked as top students at their schools, they would be given such land to till. When they get academic titles, they would be given “huong dien” as bonus for their academic success.
Moreover, the opening of schools was also prescribed in some “huong uoc”. For instance, “huong uoc” of Van Nam village stated in its Article 11: “The establishment of school is necessary for all villagers - old and young, male and female, poor and rich - who can have their schooling. All school-goers, rich or poor, must make contributions as payment of wage to teachers. A rich family shall have to contribute 15 pots of paddy while a poor family, 10 pots, each crop. The costs of books, papers and inks bought for teachers would be covered by the village’s tax paddy source. Learning must develop continuously from generation to generation. Any students who advance in their study would be sent to sit for examinations at public schools.”
Though having inspired, encouraged and assisted their children in study to broaden their knowledge, Vietnamese peasants have been fully aware that learning must start with the morality as the Vietnamese saying “tien hoc le hau hoc van” (the study begins with civility first then the letters later) goes.
Article 70 of Quynh Doi village codes clearly stated: “It is essential that the pupils must first be well-mannered. The pupils’ families must consider the fostering of good conducts for their children a primary and important task, urging them to study hard. Though they spend more time studying away from home than staying with their families, the pupils must maintain their good behavior and civility, make good reputation in personality and human value.”
It can be said that Vietnamese villages have set in their “huong uoc” specific regulations to encourage the learning and heighten the spirit of venerating teachers and treasuring morality. This testifies to the truth that from time immemorial, the Vietnamese have understood the learning as embracing both the learning of new knowledge and the fostering of good morality. That is a fine tradition of the Vietnamese nation, a pride of every Vietnamese village.-