by CHAN NGON
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Mar 29, 2010 (IPS) – Both chose the legal profession for their career path, and both are bent on fighting for more rights for the people. But the fortunes of Vietnamese women lawyers Tran Thi Quoc Khan and Le Thi Cong Nhan cannot be more different: One enjoys prominence in the National Assembly, while the other was just recently released from jail.
Their divergent tales show two faces of courage in Vietnam, where battling for rights remains a task that has to be handled not only with passion, but also great skill.
At 51, Quoc Khanh has two decades of experience over Cong Nhan. Aside from a master’s degree in law, she holds two other diplomas, one in politics, the other in journalism. The mother of two children, Quoc Khanh began working at the Hanoi Department of Justice in 1995. By 2002, with the support of the Hanoi Bar Association and the Hanoi Fatherland Front, she had won a seat at Vietnam’s National Assembly.
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