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(Baonghean) - From my school days until now, I've always been grateful to my parents for giving me a name that always stands out wherever I go. It saves me from having to wait in line and avoids the strain of searching for my name among a sea of ​​names – so convenient! Later, I learned something else: my parents were forward-thinking when they didn't put "Thi" in my name. Indeed, in the last 5-10 years, few people have used "Thi" as a middle name. My friends who are "Thi" my age keep praising my parents for their modern thinking, haha! I often joke with my mom that when we have children, we'll name them "Mời Anh" (Come to the board). My mom stares at me and asks why, and I nonchalantly reply, "If the teacher calls my child to the board, I'll say: 'Mời Anh, come to the board!'" My mom snaps, "Your name is something your parents give you; keep it while you live, take it with you to the grave! It's not a joke!" That makes sense!

Actually, naming children also has its trends. For example, there was a time when people often named their children after famous people. Families where the father was a football fan would name their children Sy Son, Sy Thuy, Sy Hung... Families where the mother was a movie fan would name their children Tuan Anh, Tra Giang... That was back when our people had just started to access forms of entertainment like movies and sports. Later, there was a generation of young people whose names were all foreign countries: Russia, Czechoslovakia, Germany,... Asking about a child's name immediately revealed that someone in the family had gone abroad, a kind of subtle "show-off"? When I was in middle school, I started seeing a trend of adding the mother's surname to the child's name, and the children's names were all four words or more, very long! It seems that people in the South were pioneers in giving children long names, right? Now it's very widespread. In general, people now prefer names that sound as impressive as possible. These are all names that our ancestors wouldn't have even dreamed of, and you could probably even put them together to form a sentence...

Actually, what does a name say? I know that some families still maintain old customs, placing great importance on naming their children. Only the elders in the family, knowledgeable in Chinese characters, astrology, and physiognomy, are allowed to decide on the name. A name is something none of us can control, yet it stays with us for life. As my mother said, "fate takes hold," the name chooses the person, you have to look at the person to choose it. Each name has a "usual value" for a lifetime; it reflects not only an individual but also the cultural beliefs, tastes, and even traditions of a community. Few people know that the word "Thi" in female names and "Van" in male names signify the affirmation of Vietnamese sovereignty and ethnicity from the time under the feudal rule of the North. In this way, from the moment of birth, each citizen of ancient Vietnam openly and faithfully affirmed national sovereignty throughout their lives.

Recently, the National Assembly discussed a draft law on civil registration reform. I'm not particularly concerned about whether to issue a new ID card or keep the old one. I think change is fine; many countries have been issuing ID cards for a long time. If there is a change, it certainly won't happen immediately, as they've just piloted the 12-digit ID card system in Hanoi, replacing the 9-digit one. A long transition period is needed, so there's no rush. What's more concerning is the proposal to regulate naming conventions. It sounds naive at first, but upon closer examination, it makes sense. A name is like the clothes you wear. Clothing should conform to cultural norms and national traditions, based on the values ​​of what is considered beautiful and what is considered offensive in the country and community where you live. The same applies to names; even if clothes aren't nice, you can change them, but your name stays with you for life. Don't let the moment come when people want to say your name and just want to tell you to leave!

Hai Trieu