Family Customs in Vietnam

With the influence of the French, traditions started changing in Vietnam.  Wealthy Vietnamese, in urban areas, started imitating Western social behavior with the use of Western clothing, resistance to arranged marriages and the defiance of women concerning implicit obedience to their fathers and husbands.  Even now though, male superiority is still a constant in the countryside, where traditional values were and are holding strong.

Even after it's division in 1954, Vietnam continued its trend toward Westernization, sexual freedom, movies, music and other influences in the South.  The North followed Communist principles copied from China and the former USSR.  Equality of the sexes was recognized by the Communist government, thus allowing women to gain employment in predominantly male areas.  While this was going on, the government was also trying to staunch the corruption of Western influences by exerting their influence for a less decadent lifestyle.