DECLARATION
I certify this report of the Study Project entitled: “The facts and some suggested solutions to using English in tour guiding at Son La Prison”to total fulfillment of the requirement for the report of graduation practice.
Son La, April 2011
Hà Thị Khuyên
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this report. I want to thank the teachers from English Department in Son La College for giving me permission to commence this report in the first instance and to do the necessary research work.
I am deeply indebted to my supervisors Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong who give materials, support, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in all stages of this research and writing of this report.
My classmates from class English course 45 supported me a great deal and I want to thank them for all their support, cooperation and valuable suggestions.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to other fellow students of the English Department for references.
Especially, I am obliged to my friends who looked closely at the final providing me their translation exercises and assignments to use as version of the report for English style and grammar, correcting both and offering suggestions for improvement.
Finally, I can not fully express my gratitude to all the people whose direct and indirect support helped me complete my assignment in time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PageDECLARATION / 1
ACKOWLEDGEMENT / 2
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION / 4
1.Rationale / 4
2. Aims of the report / 5
3. Methodologies / 5
4. Structures / 5
SESSION 2: CONTENTS / 6
Chapter 1:The importance of using English and Revolutionary historical relic Son La Prison / 6
1. The importance of using English nowadays / 6
2. The history of Son La Prison / 6
3. Overview of the Son La Prison / 7
3.1. Position of Son La Prison / 8
3.2. Reasons for the French communist to built Son La Prison / 8
3.3. Architecture / 9
3.4. The peach tree / 9
3.5. Three watchtowers / 10
3.6. Underground water tank / 10
3.7. The kitchen and underground cell / 11
3.8. The large cage / 11
3.9. These are photos of prisoners escaped from the jail in 1943 / 14
3.10. The picture of the Tet ceremony in 1942 / 15
3.11. That is the place where issued of “Suoi Reo” newspaper were written / 17
Chapter 2: The fact of using English in tour guiding at Son La Prison / 18
I. The fact of using English in Son La Prison / 18
1. The number of staffs can use English are quite small / 18
2. Ability in using English is not good / 18
3. The management has not take much care about using English in guiding yet / 19
4. The staffs rarely speak English in guiding foreigners / 19
5. All staffs have not made a good sense of study and enhance using English / 19
II. Causes lead to weak ability of using English / 19
Chapter 3: Solution to improve the tour guide / 20
SESSION 3: CONCLUSION / 21
1. Summary of the study / 21
2. Author experience / 22
3. Limitation / 22
REFERENCE / 22
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Son La is home of the nation’s oldest state and some other ethnic minorities such as: Mong, Dao, Kho Mu, Muong, Sinh Mun… ethnic minorities in the painting is still being kept in the community of traditional cultural values and unique such as customs, festive costumes, folk arts, architecture and housing, cuisine, this is the foundation for painting is to organize community-based tourism activities tourism is a method many tourist objects of interest.
Coming to Son La, visitors will see the majestic mountains, exploring the unique cultural values of peoples northwest. In recent years, the peace process in conjunction with renovation of the country, Son La also had many profound changes, especially in the fields of infrastructure construction to serve the needs of economic development- social. Son La known to tourists by the unique culture of 12 ethnic groups. Among the 12 nations that own the common traits, such as the harmony between cultures. When tourism becomes a key economic sector of the tourism sector in many provinces of Son La infancy has also prospered. Many short tours have been organized to create attraction for tourists both domestic and foreign.
To the central provinces (Son La City) tourists are visiting the historic and famous scenic spots have been classified . The Son La Prisonwhere political prisoners detained during anti-French, with To Hieu peach trees there are blossoming, historical and cultural attractions as well as attractive and useful for many visitors, prison is a peach tree auto painting effect where the French have been detained held many senior officials of the party and our country as Mr. Truong Chinh, Le Duan, the prime Minister Pham Van Dong and other revolutionary predecessors To Hieu, Le Duc Tho, Nguyen Luong Bang.
According to documents obtained by the management of the monument from 1930 to 1945, there were 1007 soldiers of the revolutionary party in which 108 senior officials of the party and the ivory had been detained in the French Son La Prison. Son La prison now has become a famous historical place of traditional education for future generation, each painted in prison is welcome thousands of people from all over the country and overseas tourists to visit. Son La prison has left many impressive lessons blood and deep recognition of our people
Seeing the importance of history, the lessons of the blood predecessor to the spiritual revolution of human and also contribute to maintaining the revolutionary tradition.
So in the course of practice in explaining tourism Son La prison you are still having difficulties explaining in English, express ideas conveyed to visitors is not so good to find a solution to overcoming the difficulties which I have bravely chosen topic “The fact and solution to tour guiding in Son La prison”.
2. Aims of the report
In my topic, I find out “ The fact and solution to tour guiding in Son La prison” on the basis of research to find solutions to problems and travel notes are painted in Son La prison
3. Methodologies
In order to achieve the above aims, this report has been carried out with the following approach: Basing on the theory and principles of tour guiding, analyzes the results of the interviews, and the survey to collect information from internet; TV programmers, articles, newspapers…
4. Structures
This report is organized in three parts:
1. The first part is INTRODUCTION consisting of the rationale, the aims, the methodologies, and the design of the report.
2. The second part is the main study designed in 3 chapters. Chapter 1 generalizes about the revolutionary historical relic Son La Prison. Chapter 2 describes some facts of tour guiding about Son La Prison and the chapter 3 suggests some solutions to improve the guiding there.
3. The third part is CONCLUSION which provides overcoming and summary of the report, Strengths and weakness of the report and final comment.
SESSION 2: CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
THE IMPORTANCE OF USING ENGLSIH
AND REVOLUTIONARY HISTORICAL RELIC SON LA PRISON
1. The importance of using English nowadays
It is very important to know a foreign language now. Since it is an indispensable condition of hi-tech worker to satisfy the new technological processes which are always apparel. It is also a necessary for model Vietnamese to approach knowledge of the world. Have more knowledge, you are more control your life. Nowadays, by using Internet you can connect to every corners of the world but without English you can do nothing because all the information is written by English. Especially, English play more important role in economic sector. Since it is a general language, it can help people who come from different countries to understand each others by many ways as: fax, telephone, telegraph, e-mail, letter, or signing contract…etc. As a communication job as hotel trading activity, English is more importance in satisfaction all guests. If the staffs in hotel do not know English they can not understand what the guest demand, so they do not know how to serve guest or do it on the wrong ways. For example: the fill-in registration requires, deal with guest room requires, handle guest complains…etc. it will make the guest dissatisfy, a not good impression, a not nice hotel imagines and it shall not attract visitors which is the most important thing in hotel trading activity. Certainly, the hotel can not attract visitors, it will be bankrupted. Therefore, the ability of using English is very vital importance for hotel’s future.
2. The history of Son La prison
The prison is located just paint the town center is painted on top of the suture, where the cover was painted panoramic town, this is a famous historical association with the museum’s painting and make a sightseeing many tourists visit.
The prison-painted colonial law is to be built in 1908 from a small provincial jail, to the mid 1930 to 1945 the prison was built and expanded as a place imprisoned, in exile in 1007 respectively and revolutionary’s patriots. We want to turn this place into a living hell, exile and the elimination of the will to fight the communists in Vietnam. However, for revolutionary Vietnam son la prison has become a revolutionary school, where forging laundering, training of personnel for the party leadership for Vietnam’s revolution. Many community soldiers who had excelled in captivity in the prison is painted as Mr. Truong Chinh, Le Duan, Nguyen Luong Bang, Van Tien Dung, Song Hao Xuan Thuy, Tran Huy Lieu, Nguyen Co Thach, Mai Chi Tho, Tran Quoc Hoan, Hoang Tung…;
Visit the relic population of Son La prison, visitors will feel the brutality of French colonial history and the evidence before admired stamina, combat training of the political prisoners, as well as to hear the touching stories about the activities of the Party. Prison is painted as activity solidarity mutual assistance enlightened revolutionary propaganda in and out of prison organization sighting for the rights of prisoners, escape organization and activities of the elite cadres of the party as Mr. To Hieu, read the painting was under grave secrets comrades. Peach trees were planted To Hieu called the tomb he had become a symbol for the vitality of Vietnam’s revolution.
Come to this historic site, visitors also will have more useful knowledge to learn the unique culture of 12 ethnic groups are displayed in the museum’s painting or a carefree moment when stroll the tree-lined road outside the prison, reporters eye over view Son La town today is innovation going pear
3. Overview of the Son La prison
Son La prison was built by the French colonialists in 1908 with an original area of 500 sq to keep normal prisoners (non political prisoner).
In 1930, Vietnamese communist party was born to organize and lead the Viet Nam people against the French Emprise. Being frightened by the ever-surging movement for nation independence of the Viet Nam revolution, the French expended 1500 square meter and 170 sq.m in 1940 more to keep political prisoners.
Altogether, after having been built and expended for the 3 time, Son La prison has atoll area of 2170sq.m
During 1930 to 1945, 14 group of political prisoners were exiled to Son La prison with the great total of 1013 prisoners.
Overviewof Son La prison
3.1 Position of Son La prison
Son La prison is located at the top of the Khau Ca hill in the center of the town. This is the highest hill in Son La town and lie between the three way crossroad which links Ha Noi, Dien Bien, Muong La. From here, French could observe whole Son La town.
3.2Reasons for the French communist to built Son La prison
Son La was a forest and mountainous area with extremely harsh climate, adverse to health not only for prisoners but for the local inhabitants as well, if they did not succumb to common diseases as edemas, dysentery, typhoid, etc. They also suffered from malaria which was wide spreading. The French used the harsh climate, illnesses, and particularly malaria, to wear off the prisoners energy and kill them slowly, a confidential letter the Resident Minister of the Son La province Saint Pauloppe sent to the scheme “please keep sending prisoners to Son La. In Hoa Lo (central Mai Son, Ha Noi) they are stubborn and aggressive, but in Son La, in 6 months malaria will take away their strength and make them obedient”. They threatened the prisoners “In Hoa Lo you have to cope with the government but in Son La you will have to cope with malaria”. At that time, Son La prison was counted as” an open coffin waiting for dying prisoner.
On the other hand, the French availed themselves of the low education level of the ethnic minorities in Son La and of the difference in language, tradition and customs between political prisoners and the local people to divide and rule. They labeled the communist prisoners as robbers, murderers who were transferred from the lowland for detention in the prison. They offered a very high reward for those who could take communist prisoners alive, a price of 20 silver dong or 500 kg of salt for a communist prisoner’s head. The Resident Minister told the prisoners “ Never try to escape, if you do the local people will bring back your heads to exchange for salt”.
3.3 Architecture
Initially, characterized by a model at provincial level, the prison was only 500m2 in area, strongly built, with stone and brick walls, metal roofing without ceiling, beds for prisoners were large rocks with a cemented surface, a fetter system was fixed to the outer edge along the length of the floor. Detention rooms featured a system of latrines with a skeptic tank (but never used the right way), which was higher than the floor, without cover, without water and rarely cleaned… with such a design, in summer the western monsoon wind from Laos would create an extremely dry and scorching heat while in winter, hoarfrost would create a piercing cold, and along with the polluted air in detention rooms, all these would cause illnesses and diseases that might spread quickly among prisoner. The prison system here thus was once described by political prisoners as follows.
“Lying several steps away from mortuary
Smelling stink from latrine all year round”
3.4 The peach tree
This is peach tree namely comrade To Hieu. As a story To Hieu did not this
peach tree that it was planted to commemorate him.
This is To Hieu peach tree
Initially, the prison’s area was only 500m2 but quite solid. The wall was made of stone and brick, the roof was covered with iron sheets without a ceiling, the beds for prisoners were built by stone, the surface was paved with cement, and the edge was bound with fetters of iron along the bed. With this type of architecture, in summer hot and dry westerly wind of the Northwest (from Lao) brought into prison an extremely baking hot weather on contrary, in winter it feared cold. In each detention room, there is a latrine was built higher than the bed surface without being cleaned very often this causes pollution in the room, the disease can spread very quickly in this environment. At that time, Son La prison was compared as an open coffin ready for any prisoner who had just breathed the last to be buried under guava trees.
This is place where detained comrade To Hieu. This is only one which have door to see outside. To Hieu is revolutionary soldier. He was born in 1912. In 1930, he was detained in Con Dao prison for 4 years. After finishing his imprisonment expires, he continued to work for Vietnamese revolution. In 1939, he was imprisoned again in Son La prison . He died and interred at guava cemetery in 1944. Now it is martyr’s cemetery. He was a secretary in Hai Phong province. When in Son La prison, he was prison’s party committee secretary.
3.5 Three watchtowers
This is the watchtower. In the time war it was built to control the prisoner in the outside and inside the prison. Beside, they could see the villages around the Khau Ca hill.
As I said at first the prison’s area was only 500m2, However, in 1930-1945, it was expended and became the place where detained revolutionary soldiers. It was considered a steel prison and a hell on earth to stamp out strong struggle of prisoners. The prison has 49 difference cell rooms. As you see, some rooms are very small. Others are large with the difference shapes some rooms were for one or two prisoners, others could detain 15 to 20 prisoners . Normally, the prison detained about 150 prisoners however, especial time, the amount of prisoners can reach 300 to 500 prisoners.
3.6 Underground water tank
In front of you, it is the underground water tank . It was used to contain water to serve daily activities of prisoners. Everyday, prisoners had to take water from Nam La stream to put here. Two prisoners were for a barrel and they had to bring 7 barrels per day Son La prison was difference from other prisons such as Con Dao or Hoa Lo. French colonialist did not use the method of torture to prisoners that they used harsh system to diminish the mind and the body of revolutionary soldiers.