During my time in Thi Nghe and Tan Dinh Market I observed the role children and young teens held in the businesses and layout of the space. Child labor is an interesting concept in Asia because education is sometimes seen as a luxury rather than a necessity to children and families. What are the children doing while in the market? Are they helping their parents or relaxing and staying out of the way of business? I focused on children ages 3-13 and observed them rather than interviewing or actively participating in their activities. Since I am a foreigner, my presence did cause attention but I tried to stay unobtrusive. I was expecting to see a lot of teens helping in the stores and stands rather than younger children and very few toddlers but my hypothesis was proven wrong.
The children I did see in the market were usually around 5-9. They were playing among each other and had toys and games around for entertainment. There were tables with chessboards in the shade and a group of boys were playing soccer in a small open area near the entrance. Their parents or older figures were watching from the booths while also conducting business. There were very few children working behind the scenes of the stores. I saw one teenage girl at Thi Nghe market in the beauty supply store helping costumers and another young girl around the age of 11 helping her mother in the food area. One role I expected to see for young adults and teens was translator since English is usually taught in schools. When I did talk to a teen at a stand, she didn’t know English and instead got her mother to help me buy my shoes. There were a few toddlers walking with an older woman in Tan Dinh Market and they were extremely social and said hello every time I walked by. From what I observed, the female children were more social than the male children and were expected to help out more in the stands and business. The adults in the marketplace all watch out for each other’s children and it seemed like a strong community setting.
Next time I want to interview or talk to the children. I want to go during a time when the market is busier or on a weekend when I know the children won’t have school. The timing and day of when I visit the market greatly affects the chance of encountering children in the marketplace. We went during the nap time of most of the shop owners but I didn’t see many sleeping children.