Vietnam Women's Union

Vietnam Women's Union
Hội Liên Hiệp Phụ Nữ Việt Nam
FormationOctober 20, 1930; 94 years ago (1930-10-20)
HeadquartersHanoi, Vietnam
President
Hà Thị Nga
Vice President
Hoàng Thị Ái Nhiên, Bùi Thị Hòa, Trần Thị Hương, Đỗ Thị Thu Thảo
Websitehoilhpn.org.vn
Formerly called
“Liberation Women’s Union”, “Anti-Imperialism Women’s Union”, “Democratic Women’s Union”, “Women’s League for National Salvation”

The Vietnam Women's Union (Vietnamese: Hội Liên Hiệp Phụ Nữ Việt Nam, VWU) in Vietnamese, is a socio-political organization that represents and defends the legal and legitimate rights and interests of Women in Vietnam.[1] Originally founded on October 20, 1930, there are currently over 13 million members belonging to 10,472 local women's unions in communes and towns throughout the country.[2] The current president, for the 2017-2022 term, is President Hà Thị Nga and Vice Presidents Bùi Thị Hòa, Trần Thị Hương, Hoàng Thị Ái Nhiên, and Đỗ Thị Thu Thảo. There have been leadership changes throughout this term however. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà was the president until April 2020 before Hà Thị Nga became the president in May 2020. Nguyễn Thị Tuyết was a Vice President until February 2020. Đỗ Thị Thu Thảo was not named Vice President until July 2018.[3]

The VWU strives for the advancement of women's development and gender equality, representing Vietnamese women to the state and counseling on the protection of women's rights. These policies include everything from childcare, education, community services, to health education. The VWU is the first and only women's organization in modern Vietnamese history,[4] and is a member of the local organization the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, as well as active in international institutions like the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) and ASEAN Confederation of Women's Organizations (ACWO).[5] Annually, the VWU provides nominees and recipients for the award "For the Cause of Women's Emancipation/For the Development of Women in Vietnam" which may be awarded to locals and foreigners who have made noticeable contributions to the advancement of women in Vietnam.

The establishment and growth of the VWU is dependent on the state government, as the overwhelming ideas of womanhood are combined in intertwined narratives. Both the National Party and the VWU worked to promote the “fairy-bird narrative” a blend of Marxist ideology and the idea of traditional Vietnamese womanhood,[6] to create the current gender ideals and social priorities of the VWU. Development of a Vietnamese Woman has been the purpose of the VWU's involvement in state policies and laws, with VWU's Statutes and Resolutions focusing on educated in national tradition, moral lifestyle and gender equality, as well as training on the prevention of social vices and methods to nurture happy families.

  1. ^ Care International in Vietnam. "Vietnam Women's Union". Care. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. ^ (Smith and Newman, 2018)
  3. ^ "VWU leaders - Cổng Thông Tin Hội Liên hiệp Phụ nữ Việt Nam". vwu.vn. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  4. ^ Drummond, L. (2004). The Modern Vietnamese Woman: Socialization and Women’s Magazines. In L. Drummond & H. Rydström (Eds.), Gender practices in contemporary Vietnam (pp. 158–179). Singapore: Singapore University Press.
  5. ^ Vu, Tuong (1 August 2007). "Vietnamese Political Studies and Debates on Vietnamese Nationalism". Journal of Vietnamese Studies. 2 (2): 175–230. doi:10.1525/vs.2007.2.2.175. ISSN 1559-372X.
  6. ^ Chiricosta, A. (2010). Following the trail of the fairy-bird: The search for a uniquely Vietnamese Women’s Movement. In M. Roces & L. Edwards (Eds.), Women’s movements in Asia: Feminism and transnational activism. London: Routledge.