Dragon Years are a busy time for babies. Every parent hopes to have achild, especially a son, born in the year of the dominant animal in theoriental pantheon.
In Eastern Oriental opinion, people,especially males, born this year will be more intelligent and havebright and successful futures.
Long, as the dragon isknown in Vietnamese, represents the ruling forces of the universeincluding the water cycle - the movement of water from streams, lakesand seas to mist, clouds, rain and eventually down the mountain streamsback to the beginning. This is why the dragon is so often depicted inthe clouds, rising out of the sea or whispered to be slumbering beneathlong mountain ranges.
But while 2012 may be a good yearfor families with a dragon child, it is not so good for the increasingsex imbalances developing between male and female babies.
Nor is it a good year for the overloaded education system which willhave to start thinking about providing more school classes for childrenborn in this dream year for fortunate families.
NguyenThanh Van, living in Hanoi 's Dong Da District, expects her baby thisApril. Many of her friends and colleagues also plan to have babies thisyear.
"The pre-natal check-up room where I have my healthcheck every month is much more crowded than two years ago when I havemy first baby," Van said.
Moreover, most women coming to the room ask doctors for an ovum ultra-sound to choose a good day for producing a boy.
"All of my friends and colleagues have had prenatal ultra-sounds confirming that they will have sons," said Van.
Worrying that the hospital may be overcrowded this year because of theinfluence of the dragon, Van booked a good room even before Tet (theLunar New Year) holiday.
Indeed, many doctors and health experts are afraid that hospitals will be stretched to the limit this year.
Vu Thi Lua, the head nurse of the Hanoi Hospital for Obstetricsand Gynaecology, said that in the past fortnight, more than 300 babiesare born in the hospital, a 30 percent increase compared with the sameperiod last year.
"This Tet holiday, we are more busy than in recent years as a great number of women are having their babies," she said.
According to the Ministry of Health, in the first six days of the lunarYear of the Dragon, from January 22 to 28, a total of 13,450 babies areborn across the country.
And, not surprisingly, NguyenVan Tan, deputy director of the ministry's General Office for PopulationFamily Planning, predicted there will be more boys than girls.
In an average year, the nation's population growth rate hovers around1.2 percent. However, in 2000, which was also a dragon year, the ratewas 1.4 percent.
"The 12-year cycle can lead to seximbalances in the marriage market and workforce. Schools anduniversities can also tend to become overloaded," he said.
At present, the sex ratio in Vietnam is 111.2 boys to 100 girls. InHanoi , the rate is a high 116 boys to 100 girls, accordingstatistics.
It is forecast that by 2050, the sex ratiothroughout the nation will be 113 boys to 100 girls - making 12 percentof men surplus to marriage needs.
"So," said Tan, ""It is necessary to have a policy encouraging parents to have daughters to make up the difference."
School leaders are also concerned about the overload on primary schools in six years' time.
Le Thi Kim Oanh, principal of To Vinh Dien Primary School in Hanoi'sDong Da District, said six years ago when the children from the 2000Year of the Dragon came of school age, she has to open three moreclasses for them.
On average only 40 students are in a class in the capital city, but in that year, classes swelled to 50.
Teachers found it hard to keep discipline in classrooms and the quality of study noticeably declined, she said.
"Parents should pay more attention to educating their children andmaking sure they have a good chance to get married than choosing a goodyear to bear children," she added./.
In Eastern Oriental opinion, people,especially males, born this year will be more intelligent and havebright and successful futures.
Long, as the dragon isknown in Vietnamese, represents the ruling forces of the universeincluding the water cycle - the movement of water from streams, lakesand seas to mist, clouds, rain and eventually down the mountain streamsback to the beginning. This is why the dragon is so often depicted inthe clouds, rising out of the sea or whispered to be slumbering beneathlong mountain ranges.
But while 2012 may be a good yearfor families with a dragon child, it is not so good for the increasingsex imbalances developing between male and female babies.
Nor is it a good year for the overloaded education system which willhave to start thinking about providing more school classes for childrenborn in this dream year for fortunate families.
NguyenThanh Van, living in Hanoi 's Dong Da District, expects her baby thisApril. Many of her friends and colleagues also plan to have babies thisyear.
"The pre-natal check-up room where I have my healthcheck every month is much more crowded than two years ago when I havemy first baby," Van said.
Moreover, most women coming to the room ask doctors for an ovum ultra-sound to choose a good day for producing a boy.
"All of my friends and colleagues have had prenatal ultra-sounds confirming that they will have sons," said Van.
Worrying that the hospital may be overcrowded this year because of theinfluence of the dragon, Van booked a good room even before Tet (theLunar New Year) holiday.
Indeed, many doctors and health experts are afraid that hospitals will be stretched to the limit this year.
Vu Thi Lua, the head nurse of the Hanoi Hospital for Obstetricsand Gynaecology, said that in the past fortnight, more than 300 babiesare born in the hospital, a 30 percent increase compared with the sameperiod last year.
"This Tet holiday, we are more busy than in recent years as a great number of women are having their babies," she said.
According to the Ministry of Health, in the first six days of the lunarYear of the Dragon, from January 22 to 28, a total of 13,450 babies areborn across the country.
And, not surprisingly, NguyenVan Tan, deputy director of the ministry's General Office for PopulationFamily Planning, predicted there will be more boys than girls.
In an average year, the nation's population growth rate hovers around1.2 percent. However, in 2000, which was also a dragon year, the ratewas 1.4 percent.
"The 12-year cycle can lead to seximbalances in the marriage market and workforce. Schools anduniversities can also tend to become overloaded," he said.
At present, the sex ratio in Vietnam is 111.2 boys to 100 girls. InHanoi , the rate is a high 116 boys to 100 girls, accordingstatistics.
It is forecast that by 2050, the sex ratiothroughout the nation will be 113 boys to 100 girls - making 12 percentof men surplus to marriage needs.
"So," said Tan, ""It is necessary to have a policy encouraging parents to have daughters to make up the difference."
School leaders are also concerned about the overload on primary schools in six years' time.
Le Thi Kim Oanh, principal of To Vinh Dien Primary School in Hanoi'sDong Da District, said six years ago when the children from the 2000Year of the Dragon came of school age, she has to open three moreclasses for them.
On average only 40 students are in a class in the capital city, but in that year, classes swelled to 50.
Teachers found it hard to keep discipline in classrooms and the quality of study noticeably declined, she said.
"Parents should pay more attention to educating their children andmaking sure they have a good chance to get married than choosing a goodyear to bear children," she added./.
