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Students’ laptops a curse in disguise?
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Many university students convince their parents to buy them expensive laptops for school only to neglect their studies for pornography, online games and chat rooms.


A third-year business student at Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Economics, Le Duy T., convinced his mother to buy him a laptop by saying that he needed it for research.

“Without a laptop, I can’t study!” he told her.

But ever since his mother bought him the computer, T. has spent less time studying and more time chatting, listening to music and downloading and watching films. He stays up most nights until 3 or 4 a.m., glued to the screen without spending a minute on his school assignments.

Huynh Van Ph., a student at the Ho Chi Minh City Information Technology College told his parents he needed a computer for studying as well. “It’s useful to have a laptop,” he says.

“We can access sex websites for free anywhere there’s Wi-Fi,” he says without a hint of irony.

A student at HCMC’s Vocational College No.8, says he saves more than VND500,000 (US$29.58) per month playing games on his computer rather than paying heftier fees at Internet shops like he used to.

Another student at the college, Tuan A., says he plays games all day everyday.

Classmate Thanh T. says “We mainly use computers to play games,” adding that users often find Wi-Fi hotspots so they don’t have to worry about slow connections at Internet cafes.

Truong The S. from the University of Economics says he uses his laptop to “save” him when he runs out of money or loses a football bet.

“I’ve had the laptop for five months, but I’ve only used it a couple of times because it’s usually at the pawnshop,” he says.

Reported by Nguyen Thanh Nam