Following in the steps of Japanese

Japanese children have been educated to exert themselves to overcome all difficulties of success. In the photo, a boy was being in barefoot on fire at Mr. Katao festival in Japan.

Japanese Ambassador Sakaba has recently concluded a term of two years and seven months of working in Vietnam. At the farewell party organized by the Japanese in Hanoi, when being asked "How do you think about the country and the people of Vietnam?” Ambassador Sakaba has honestly answered, "I want Vietnamese Youth to pay attention to hygiene cleaner, to have better disciplinary and compliance as well.”

Factly, Vietnam and Japan have also got some similarities in geography, culture, lifestyle ... In terms of area, Japan and Vietnam have been equivalent but in terms of population, Japan has nearly been half as much again Vietnam. Also on natural conditions, Vietnam has been is relatively more favorable than the Japan.

Japan used to be defeated in World War II, but from the ashes of the ruins, only after 20 years, they had risen to become the second largest economic powerful country of the world (after U.S.). In 2009, Japan's GDP had reached 5,000 billion U.S. dollars (473,000 billion yen), per capita income had been of about U.S. $ 40,000 per year.

Meanwhile, Vietnam had ended the war against the United States more than 35 years, but we have only just been out of the least-developed countries group so far, with about 1000 dollars per capita income in 2009. What had been made this big difference?

Everyone has heard a lot about the “legendary Japan" from several decades ago, but in my opinion, the main reason of making the magic is their national pride. After the Second World War up to now, the Japanese - both officials and civilians - were grinding to work, no one had expressed subjectiveness or satisfaction with the great achieved success.

At school, the Japanese had educated their children (the gist): Japan, very poor, natural resources can be hardly anything, you must try to do well later to take care yourselves, family and to contribute to national construction. They had never "self-deluded” with "Our country is a forest, gold, silver sea ...." Because once we have been comfortable with the thought "massive gold, silver” that many people will develop the psychology that they will never be hunger, just slowly enjoy! Perhaps that is one of reasons why Vietnam had been backward in comparison with some other Asian nations which had got similar starting point like us such as Japan, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand ...

Ambassador Sakaba’s advice had been contained character which had formerly been the strength of the Japanese and the "weak" of the majority of Vietnam. We have often defied the discipline, less obeyed the general regulations such as traffic rules, prestige, arbitrary habit, disorderliness, lack of awareness of conserving general sanitation, or following the immediate benefit that they will be great obstacles in the march forward of Vietnam.

Thanks for the honest advice of Japanese Ambassador Sakaba. If we know how to listen, how to be modest, how to learn and we don’t consider ourselves as number one, certainly, we will quickly shorten the gap with developed countries. "Outdoor is heaven", the teachings of the ancients will never old.

By SaiGonTimes

Translated by Thuy Hang