Meanings of Marriage to Young People in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Vietnam’s deepening sociocultural exchanges with foreign countries over recent decades have influenced the thoughts, lifestyles, and marital expectations of young people, who grew up in a rapidly changing social context. The opening of Vietnam’s borders, both economically and culturally, has given rise to concerns that the sanctity of the institution of marriage in Vietnam as well as the longevity of individual marriages may be weakened as a result of the detraditionalization and/or modernization of marriage in Vietnam. This article investigates the meaning of marriage to young people in Vietnam, by drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with 60 married people aged not over 30. It addresses the questions: What do young people in Vietnam think about marriage? Is it important to them? If so, why and in what ways? The findings reflect two main facets in the young people’s thinking about marriage. The first identifies marriage as an essential institution, one that is supported by social norms of family and marriage in Vietnam. The second emphasizes the rewards that marriage potentially provides to individuals. While there was general consensus regarding these two claims, there were nevertheless some differences of opinion between men and women, and across rural and urban contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• family
• gender
• marriage
• vietnam
• youth

Acknowledgments

This paper is written based on the findings in author’s PhD thesis. The author would like to sincerely thank Dr. Raelene Wilding (senior lecturer at La Trobe University) for her valuable professional guidance during the time of conducting this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

Self-employed: implied those who managed the work on their own. These included those doing agricultural cultivation on in their land or operating a business or service.