Expectations for marriage of young people in Vietnam

Abstract

Rapid social and economic changes in Vietnam has considerable influences on young people, including on their perception of and expectation for marriage. This paper investigates the expectation for marriage of young people basing on in-depth interview with 60 people aged not over 30 in a rural area and an urban area in Vietnam. The paper addresses the question: What do young people in Vietnam today expect to marriage? The findings show that in one hand, young people's marital expectation is influenced by market economy. They expect economic fulfilment in marriage and consider this a requirement for a good marriage. On the other hand, young people are influenced by traditional values, reflected in their desires to have harmony in marriage. They not only expect to have harmonious relation between spouses but also respect good relation between wife and husband's family.