While many students look for jobs in summer, or try to get more knowledge by going to clubs and English classes, many others spend summertime on gambling, games and parties.

Cot Co alley is full of games shops

“I had to tell lie to get my parents to give me money. My parents are always ready to give money if they think the money will fund my courses,” he said.

Parents who live in the countryside cannot check information their children give them about things in the big cities.

Thai’s parents still try to fund Thai’s training courses, hoping that he can become a good mechanics engineer, thought the income of primary school teachers is not high.

However, Thai is not attending any English class in Hanoi, he is gambling. Thai’s team has some ten members and all of them have ‘escaped’ from the countryside. They described themselves as birds who have escaped from cages and they think they have the right to relax after nine months of learning hard.

At my home in the village, I had to get up early, while my parents did not allow me to stay up late at night to play games. I cannot get used to that,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Hanoi Thai spends most of his time gambling, sleeping or partying.

A lot of bia hoi shops have arisen around the university where Thai is studying. These are shops that serve normal customers. Just a few unripe mangos, snails and dried cuttlefish are enough for a ‘party’ of Thai and his friends. Those, who win gambling, invite others to karaoke shops or dance halls to celebrate the ‘victory’.

Tung, a student from Quang Binh, also said that he did not want to stay for a long time in his home village.

“I felt I was under house arrest when I was there,” he said, adding that he had to get up early and then prepare meals for his mother.

Tung decided to leave for Hanoi to attend ‘summer training courses’. However, in fact, he has thrown money into gambling and parties.

“My father knows that in Hanoi, students all rush to learn English. Therefore, he will give money immediately if I tell him I need money for an English course,” Tung said.

Shops overloaded because of students relaxing

Though it is now summer, shops around universities in Hanoi like the University of Technology, University of Civil Engineering and Architecture University are still crowded these days. The ‘student shops’ in Ha Dong district are even more crowded.

Oanh, the owner of a bia hoi shop on Ta Quang Buu said that her shop has been operating well with a lot of student customers. The only difference is that she has to close the doors late because students always stay for many hours.

Le Thanh Nghi Road, which is the intersection of three universities, has become the paradise of online game world. A lot of shops have even been equipped with air conditioners to lure student customers.

Some 30 game shops are seen in a short stretch of road in Cot Co alley.

Dinh Ngoc Lam, the owner of Long Go game shop, said that summer is the high business season of his shop.

Nguyen Dang Phuong, a student at University of Technology, related that though he goes to the games shops early in the morning, he still cannot get a seat, because other players have been there since the night before.

Thu Ha