Vietnamese Women: Yesterday and Today Tran Luu Khai
Vietnamese(VPS) Vietnamese(VSCII)	Summarized and translated by Vietnamese Canadian Federation

Within such patriarchal societies, the dependence of women on men has been perpetuated, resulting in gender stereotypes.

However, not all women are compliant to this dominant train of thought in Vietnam, and these few women have contributed a new perspective towards Vietnamese femininity and independence.

1. The traditional Vietnamese woman
 
 An old Vietnamese proverb states that having one son is always better than having ten daughters because once married, the daughter will become a member of her husband’s family, whereas the son will remain at home and bring in a new member to care for his family. Such principles stripped Vietnamese women of their basic human rights.
 
 Historically, Vietnamese women were not allowed to go to school or work in a position that was normally occupied by a man. They suffered under the tradition of pre-arranged marriages, which basically constituted a form of slavery.
 
 Rich parents wanted to have a healthy, hard working daughter-in-law, who would take care of their family’s welfare. A likely scenario under these circumstances is a marriage between a 17 years-old girl and a 7 years-old boy.  When that husband reaches adulthood, he would realize that his wife might be too old for him; and he would be entitled to take a younger girl as his second wife. Polygamy was accepted in Vietnam but remarriage for the wife was not allowed since faithfulness to her first husband was required.  Thus the first wife, being restricted by the old custom, must remain a lonely slave with her husband’s family until her death.
 
 This exaggerated concept of spousal fidelity has oppressed Vietnamese women for years.  They had to live up to certain rigid standards, and under no circumstance were they allowed to re-marry, even if the husband died while she was still very young. Stripped of any sense of identity, Vietnamese women’s fates  were defined by their men, and their subservience to them was absolute.
 
2. The recognition of women’s rights in Vietnam
 
 The initial step toward the liberation of women took place at the beginning of the 18th century with the Declaration of the rights of women by Olympe De Gouges.  Nevertheless, very little ground was achieved during the 19th century until the beginning of this century when the right to vote was granted to women in France, China, England, and United States of America.
 
 In Vietnam, this idea first appeared on ‘Nu Gioi Chung’, the newsletters for women, published in 1918 by Mrs Suong Nguyet Anh.  Upon its introduction, this movement quickly spreaded across the country. In the South, Mrs. But Tra led a strong fight for women rights. In the North, the feminist struggle was avocated in the works of Tu Luc Van Doan.  From there on, Vietnamese women were encouraged to have their voices presented on all different levels of society.
 
 Women began to hold important positions in society as doctors, lawyers, professors, and judges.  Great strides were being made towards the liberation of women in Vietnam, as women across the country began to realize that their involvement in social institutions was not limited to the household.
 
3. Cultural integration.
 
 The struggle for women’s rights has progressed at a much faster rate here in North America than in Asian countries. North American culture celebrates individualism, free enterprise and democracy, concepts which may seem unfamiliar to Vietnamese women who are accustomed to the subordinate role they play in a traditional home. An initial reaction of "culture shock" is inevitable, due to the popular differences in ideology and culture between North American society and traditional Vietnamese society.
 
 We must not be intimidated by the differences in our cultures, however, and yet we cannot ignore them either. Rather, we should strive to understand these differences with the objective of integrating the positive aspects of both cultures and rejecting the negative ones. This comprehension of cultural integration is fundamental for any immigrated Asian.
 
 Without this understanding, misconceptions about the cultures can arise and will eventually lead to trouble. For example, the sudden empowerment of privileges that were denied to them in their homeland could cause Vietnamese people to abandon their culture and become totally assimilated into a North American way of life.  With so much perceived freedom, an abuse of these newfound privileges is bound to occur due to a lack of control and comprehension of the culture.  They misinterpret capitalism and free enterprise as an excuse to indulge themselves into crass consumption and materialism. Miscomprehension about individual sexual rights and politics leads to promiscuity and adultery, resulting in divorce and the break-up of the family.
 
 Conversely, there are those who refuse to adapt to their new society, stubbornly sticking to the traditions of their native culture. These people have effectively segregated themselves from the rest of the society, preferring isolation over conformity. What these people don’t seem to see is that total conformity isn’t required to function within a new society.
 
 An integration of aspects of both cultures can allow one to succeed in both societies. Hence, Vietnamese women who are able to retain some of the fundamental values of Vietnamese society and who can adapt to the changes in ideology can succeed in both the home and the office.
 
 By being assertive and confidant instead of quiet and shy, Vietnamese women can leave behind their traditional subordinate roles and rise to newer heights that they would never have dreamt of back in Vietnam.