Women in Vietnam

Lauren Lambrecht

Blog Post #1: Vietnam

WST 250

Women in Vietnam

            “Vietnam is far ahead of most other countries with similar levels of income in terms of human development and gender equity.” (Schuler) Throughout the years, Vietnam has been wrecked, but has been putting itself back together at a rapid rate. Organizations within Vietnam, namely the Vietnam Women’s Union, have worked with the government to enforce policies that bolster gender equality. To accomplish this, these organizations have developed a connection with the people at a local level. Although change has begun, there are still human rights issues still being questioned. High rates of human trafficking still occur, the brutality nearly unimaginable. Even online censorship by the Vietnamese government has been recent. While there has been change, there is a need still for more.

            The average age of Vietnamese trafficking victims is between 15-17 (Global Exchange). While human trafficking is being battled against, it still exists. Many people in Vietnam are affected by it today. Vietnam is a destination country, but more so, a source country for victims of human trafficking. Most often men, women, and children are sent from Vietnam to China and Cambodia. It is estimated that there are nearly 50,000 girls in Cambodian brothels, 15-32% being Vietnamese (UNIAP). Throughout the world, there is a stigma around the sex work industry. Especially opposed to it is Vietnam’s government, which considers sex work a “social evil” (Ramona). Sex trafficking victims, therefore, have a very difficult time returning to their home country. They are considered to be dirty and impure by their community and even their family. This gives the victims nowhere to go but back from which they fled, and in turn, reinforcing the sex trade industry. Sex traffickers often lie and deceive the victims, get them addicted to drugs, and beat them brutally. Imagine escaping that to return to a family who condemns you for something you did not chose.

            In Loi, Vietnam, there is a group of single mothers who have chosen to be single despite its widespread disapproval by traditional Vietnamese ideals. This is a phenomenon that is beginning to become more common in Vietnam. It began after the war when women began to feel as though they did not want to live a “solitary life” after the men died in service, and chose instead to have children and raise them alone (Cohn). Women are becoming more and more prominent among the Vietnamese people. While there is still a gap in literacy, men being 96.0% and women 90.6% (Binh), women are becoming more and more involved in the workforce. It is estimated that women make up 68.5% of the workforce while men make up 75.8% (Binh). I think this can be attributed to the government’s attempts to make education widespread and accessible to both men and women. It is becoming more widely acknowledged that women are powerful, articulate, and brilliant. Vietnam and its people are beginning to tap into this previously underestimated pool of genius. Vietnam’s neighboring countries are not as developed yet, but are making progress. Nepal’s literacy rates for adult women are a mere 22.8%, while Laos’s is only 31.7%. The female literacy rate in Vietnam is a whopping 91%. While women are not yet completely equal to men in Vietnam, they are still making steady progress.

            While Vietnam is recognizes the need for universal human rights, they acknowledge that these rights should be “locally specified” (Zhang). Vietnam has had a tumultuous past, and has been recovering rapidly over the past 30 years. The government began putting policies into practice to equalize both male and female, but they have not been entirely effective. Yet, they are in place and are working positively. Traditionally, the accepted Vietnamese family structure was based on “Confucian teachings”. These included the expectation of a patriarchal family, many generations under one roof, female “domestication”, and filial piety. Women were supposed to remain virgins until marriage, and then after, they were to take care of the home and reproduce males. If women did not follow these expectations, they would be demoted in status. (Zhang) Even more, if the women were not married by age 20, they would be considered “qua lua”. This means “past the marriageable age”, of 16 according to Vietnamese tradition. (Cohn) These expectations are still perpetuated by Vietnamese society despite the government’s attempts to begin to change things. The traditionally accepted beliefs have roots in Vietnamese religion, and often it is hard to break from that. The families expect their children to perpetuate their own beliefs, and if the children don’t want to, they are criticized and made to feel guilty. Both the ruling government and their policies, and the people of that country can make true change and shift in culture. The people first have to break from tradition, which can be incredibly difficult and stigmatized.

            The Vietnam Women’s Union, VMU, is a network that connects women in Vietnam, and advocates for gender equality and women’s rights. There are nearly 13 million members in the VMU (Namati).  This conglomerate has existed since the 1930’s and, since its development, has expanded widely across Vietnam. VMU works at a local level through “…health promotion, cultural and educational and activities, and a wide range of interventions to support economic development – for example, microcredit, training and access to technology for agriculture, fisheries, handicrafts, mushroom cultivation, brick making and animal husbandry.” (Schuler) I think that this attempt to connect at a local level is most effective. Rather than implementing broad policies, the VMU is getting to know many different small groups and cultures within Vietnam and introducing new ideas and support in a comfortable and accepted environment. Instead of ruling over a people, the VMU is working with the government and the people to make much social change.

            While Vietnamese government policy is progressing, there are still a few set backs that have occurred recently. Some Vietnamese people have, not long ago, been convicted of treason or heresy because of the things they posted on the Internet. The Vietnamese government has cracked down hard on expression on social media sites. Similar to its neighbor, China, the government is attempting to stop the circulation of “articles critical to the government” (Mullany).  This affects not only women, but everyone in Vietnam. Vietnam is taking this censorship another step farther and enforcing rules that would make “…sites like Google and Facebook… comply with Vietnam’s censorship laws.” (Mullany) Many people in Vietnam do not agree with this. Despite the new and progressive movements, the government is still struggling with a change towards freedom of expression. Rather than working forward with the attempts to equalize and universalize human rights, the Vietnamese government is taking a step back with these convictions and censorship.

            “Vietnam is one of relatively few countries that has tried, via legislative changes and social programmes, to institutionalize gender equity at the macro, meso, and micro levels.” (Schuler) Vietnam is continually advancing despite obvious setbacks. They must battle traditionally accepted ways of life to accomplish a society where there is gender equality. Through groups like the VMU, women and men alike are working towards this goal for their country. Both the government and people must work together as well to accomplish anything. Yet, the government is still implementing laws that prevent complete legitimate human rights for everyone. Change still needs to happen, but there is obvious evidence that Vietnam and its people are moving towards that. One step further, they should work with their neighboring countries to spread ideals of equality, and do this by connecting to people on a local level. True change happens when people work together to understand all perspectives and accomplish a common goal. 

Works Cited

Binh, Nguyen Thanh. "The Changes of Women's Position: The Vietnam Case." Internation Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research.1 (2011): 126,127, 128, 137. Print.

Cohn, Julie. "A Tiny Village Where Women Chose to be Single Mothers." The New York Times: 1. February 14 2013. Print.

Mullany, Gerry. "U.S. Denounces Vietnam’s New Limits on Dissent on Internet." The New York Times: 1. August 6 2013. Print.

Schuler, Sidney Ruth, et al. "Constructions of Gender in Vietnam: In Pursuit of the ‘Three Criteria’." Culture, Health & Sexuality 8.5 (2006): 383-94. Web.

"UNIAP in Vietnam." United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking. 2013.Web. UNIAP. October 15, 2013 <http://www.no-trafficking.org/vietnam_who.html>.

"Vietnam Women's Union." Namati - Innovations in Legal Empowerment. 2013.Web. October 15, 2013 <http://www.namati.org/organizations/viet-nam-womens-union/>.

Vijeyarasa, Ramona. "The State, the Family and Language of 'Social Evils': Re-Stigmatising Victims of Trafficking in Vietnam." Culture, Health & Sexuality 12 (2010): 89-102. Web.

Zhang, Heather Xiaoquan, and Catherine Locke. "Contextualising Reproductive Rights Challenges: The Vietnam Situation." Women's Studies International Forum 25.4 (2002): 443. Web.