The Vietnam War, a major conflict in the second half of the 20th century, brought great disaster to Vietnam. The 20-year war has led to the destruction of national infrastructure, the paralysis of social facilities, and the loss of more than 8 million lives. After the end of the war, Vietnam was faced with the daunting task of rebuilding its homeland and restoring its population. However, the implementation of some policies has made Vietnamese women unable to hold their heads up so far.
The Vietnam War began as a civil war between North and South Vietnam, but later evolved into a local war involving international forces. Vietnam has paid a huge price in this brutal conflict, with heavy civilian casualties, destroyed homes, and displaced people. Men, in particular, were the main force of the war, and the proportion of casualties was extremely high, which led to a serious imbalance in the ratio of men and women in Vietnam after the war.
After the war, Vietnam faced the dilemma of labor shortage. To fill this gap, many women stepped forward to form a women's construction team and devote themselves to the reconstruction of their homes. These women have shouldered the task of rebuilding their homes on their weak shoulders, and have become a unique sight on the streets.
However, female construction teams alone will not fundamentally solve the demographic problem. Vietnam urgently needs to find a way to quickly restore its population. Drawing on Japan's experience in lowering the age of marriage after the war, Vietnam decided to adopt a policy to encourage childbearing. Similar to Japan, the Vietnamese government has also provided fertility subsidies to boost women's willingness to have children.
In order to quickly restore the population, Vietnam has also taken more radical measures, in which the polygamy system has caused widespread controversy, especially the impact on the status of women. The original intention of this system may have been to solve the problem of female marriage and at the same time promote rapid population growth. However, its implementation has had unintended consequences.
Polygamy gives men more power to choose their mates, which rapidly exacerbates inequality between men and women. Under this system, some men became lazy and dependent on their wives to support their families. This not only weakens men's sense of responsibility, but also further marginalizes women's status in the family and society.
Many women, not only have to take care of their children, but also have to go out to work to make ends meet, and they have no dignity and status in front of their husbands.
It is no exaggeration to say that in Vietnam in the 80s and 90s, it was normal for a man to marry 3-4 wives. With the rapid increase in the population over time, the government wanted to change the negative effects of this policy and decided to restore monogamy.
However, long-term oppression has humiliated the status of women, and even if the policy changes, it will be difficult to reverse this situation in a short period of time. In today's ordinary Vietnamese families, women are still the main labor force.
In addition, the presence of a large number of U.S. troops during the Vietnam War also raised a series of complex social problems. After the end of the war, it is said that nearly 200,000 mixed-race children were left behind, and these children faced the dilemma of identity and social integration. And their mothers, Vietnamese women who had contact with the U.S. military, also suffered from social criticism and discrimination.
It can be seen that the Vietnam War had a great impact on Vietnamese women. Whether it is the suffering of wartime or the side effects of post-war policies, they have been subjected to great stress and injustice. Today, while Vietnamese society is progressing, the scars of the war are still visible.
However, Vietnam does not seem to have learned the lessons of history, and its ambitions have been exposed again in recent years, actively opening its doors to welcome US troops, and leasing Cam Ranh Bay, the first Shenzhen and Hong Kong ---in Asia, to the United States. In Vietnam's small abacus, the United States can support itself, increase its deterrent power, and compete for more resources in the South China Sea. However, Vietnam could not see the ambitions of the United States, and the Vietnam War had only ended for decades.