Educators have rung the alarm bell over the school evil of gambling. A lot of students now like spending time at gambling tables rather than at the school tables.

The 1A alley on Ton That Tung Street has been well-known in Hanoi with the shops of different kinds that specifically serve students. There are tens of gambling tables on the small alley, about one kilometer in length. The tables have existed in cafes, where students go every afternoon to relax.

It is very easy to find out the cafes with gambling tables. One can see groups of students gathering around wooden tables and gambling behind the glass doors.

Each of the groups comprises of at least four players. In order to attract the more players, the cafés’ workers are always ready to satisfy all the requirements of the clients

In general, winners earn tens of thousands of dong from every game of cards. Some students complained that they lost nearly one million dong within a week because of the bad luck. 

In Vietnam, those who can earn 10 million dong a month are considered high income earners.

Kim Ngan, a student, said she and her friends come here to gamble every day. She told her parents that she needs to relax and she goes to café to chat with friends and drink. However, in fact, she comes just to play cards.

“I sometimes squandered one million dong just within a week. Therefore, I had to ask the parents to give me some more hundreds of thousands of dong for “pocket money.”

Some students said at first, they felt embarrassed when gambling here. However, gambling has become their habit, and they would not feel easy-going if they do not come here every day.

Vu, an information technology student, said that he first went gambling one year ago, when he followed the girlfriend to a café. And he quickly became a gambling addict.

“My girlfriend and I come here every week, where we can gamble for money and relax,” Vu said.

When asked if Vu knows that he is violating the laws by gambling, he said that he does not care about that.

Another student said he only plays cards and he earns only several thousands or several tens of thousands of dong each time, therefore, this should not be considered as “gambling.”

“The police would not care about us – the pretty card players,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, another student affirmed that the café here all pay money to the police in return for the quietness of the state management agencies. “I am sure that the cafes’ owners give the police the under-the-table money,” he said.

“If they had not given money, their cafes would have been removed,” he continued.

A student of the Hanoi National University said that gambling tables for students can easily found everywhere in Hanoi. The gambling tables are mostly located near universities.

“You should come to cafes or shops to gamble. The cafes serve coffee and drinks as well. But if they do not serve the gambling, they would not have clients,” the student said.

In related news, the headmaster of Nguyen Ba Ngoc School in Dak Nong province has also been found gambling, after a video clip showing the gambling was posted on Youtube. 

The information has stirred up the public, especially the parents, who say a teacher – gambler should not be accepted in the Vietnamese schools.

Source: Giao duc VN, Dat Viet/ VNN