A SUBORDINATE NARRATIVE IN HOW VIETNAM'S NEWS

MEDIA REPORT ON POOR ACHIEVERS AND RICH ACHIEVERS

 
Our case study summary 
In 2019, the income gap in Vietnam raised to 10.2 times (General Statistic Office of Vietnam
2021). This incidence has widened the gap between social classes and their families. Thus, the
inequality in Vietnamese youth's pathway to success has been intensified since money is important in
a child's development (Dang & Vu 2019; Oxfam 2018). For this reason, we collected a dataset of news
articles and created a case study about how the news media report on young achievers in Vietnam.
We utilized the lens of narrative paradigm, specifically Fisher Narrative Theory to analyze how the rich
achievers have been reported compared to the poor achievers. 
 
A gap is raised 
As a result, our team has discovered a subordinate narrative, which is an ethical issue that the
mainstream audience might be unaware of: The Vietnamese rich achievers’ efforts are marginalized
by local news media. In this blog, more justification and evidences which describe such a missing
narrative will be discussed. 
 
Money as a prerequisite for life success 
As previously mentioned, money is one of the essential factors in the development and success
of a person (Dang & Vu 2019; Oxfam in Vietnam 2018). To be specific, family income is believed to
enable people to receive better nourishment and medical care. Hence, the children become more
attentive which generally influences their educational pathway (Masters 1969). Furthermore, owning
a lot of money can enhance a person's academic opportunities (Jefferson 2005). For example, Ms.
Tien Nguyen used to study at RMIT (May 2020) which has a tuition fee is approximately 1 billion VND
for a degree (RMIT 2021); or Mr. Đo Quang Vinh who studied at Middlesex University (Nghi Dung
2020) with the tuition fee is £27,750 per year (Middlesex University 2021). Without the scholarship,
such fee levels are high for a university degree. Meanwhile, Vietnam GDP in 2020 is approximately 4
million VND per month (General Statistic Office of Viet Nam 2021). In comparison, the tuition fees of
those universities are higher than the average income of Vietnamese. Accordingly, there is a small
group of families in Vietnam who can afford for their children to go to international quality
university.   
 
Other elements that determine the human's values 
By contrast, money is not the only determinant of a person's success. It is indicated that money
is not usable in fulfilling people's talents or intelligence (Nguyen 2020). Accomplishing success
requires many other elements, such as personal experience, practice, and the flexibility of skills. In
detail, the achievement of a person is interconnected with their attitude toward their commission or
passion. Besides, a sufficient factor in pursuing goals is how people solve their failures and the
challenges during their working process (Miracle 2015). In other words, people who are more likely to
be successful are the ones whose growth is built by their learning effort and determination. Dweck
(2007) suggests that those people have a growth mindset that enables them to overcome the most
challenging times in their life. In fact, nobody can be employed for a high position in an organization
without being capable of tackling real issues, regardless of how high-quality the university they had
been studied before. Currently, Ms. Tien Nguyen is a Director of the Fund for the IPP Community
which is chaired by Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen (Mai Ngoc 2020).  Mr. Do Quang Vinh is Deputy
Director of SHB Retail Banking Division, who saved SHB's stock in the pandemic situation (Nhat Linh
2020). In short, money cannot be used to complete a person's success because human attitudes and
efforts are other important elements that significantly influence their performance. Alternatively, we
believe that the rich achievers are also working on their own life and facing their challenges.  
 
What we believe 
In conclusion, it is undeniable that money is an essential factor in human development.
However, it is not the only determinant in a person's development and success. Without exception,
the achievers who come from wealthy families have been putting their effort into solving their life
challenges and learning their lessons. Unfortunately, the news media in Vietnam seem to ignore such
subordinate narrative while reporting the rich's achievement.  
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