Originally a French colony, Vietnam was briefly occupied by Japan until the end of World War II. Vietnam gained its independence from France in 1945, but the following year entered into a nearly 20-year war officially fought between North and South Vietnam. Women played a vital role during the armed conflict with millions serving in the military and as healthcare workers, and others leading the anti-war campaigns for peace. Women were also the target of extreme discrimination and gender-based violence during those two decades, despite their integral role in returning stability to the region. At the war’s end in 1975, and facing extreme economic instability, Vietnam set out to reform. The new constitution ratified in 1992 was seen as a step toward reducing the power of the Vietnamese Communist Party and unifying the nation. Under Article 26 in the country’s current constitution, “Male and female citizens have equal rights in all fields. The State has a policy to guarantee equal gender rights and opportunities. The State, the society, and the family create conditions for women’s comprehensive developments and promotion of their role in the society.” Several laws have been enacted over the past two decades to protect and promote the rights of women including the 2006 law on Gender Equality, the Social Insurance Law (2006), the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention (2007). Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh became the first female vice president of Vietnam where she served from 2016-2021, and briefly held the role as president in 2018 making her the first woman president in Vietnam and the first female head of state in a communist country since 1972. Despite progress made in Vietnam toward advancing the rights of women, patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes regarding gender roles continue to dictate society. Women currently make up only 27 percent of parliament, and according to the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, Vietnam was ranked 152 out of 156 countries in women’s health and survival. The country also has significantly high rates of human trafficking and gender-based violence, and in 2019 the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs conducted a National Study finding that 32 percent of women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner. Fortunately, organizations like the Cao Loc Women’s Club, the Vietnamese Women’s Union, and Fight for Dignity are providing support for victims of violence and advocating for policy change to protect the rights of Vietnam’s women and girls.
Despite Vietnam’s historically patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes around women and girls participating in sports, female athletes continuously outperform their male counterparts in international competition. Due to their successes, there has been a cultural shift in attitudes toward women’s sports participation. Women first participated in the Olympics in 1980, and 20 years later, Trần Hiếu Ngân won the country’s first Olympic medal when she brought home silver in Taekwondo. In 2016, Đặng Thị Linh Phượng became the first woman to win a Paralympic medal, winning bronze in powerlifting. The national soccer team is three-time AFF Women’s Champions, six-time SEA Games Champions, and recently qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup. They are currently ranked 32nd in the world. Boxer, Nguyễn Thị Thu Nhi became Vietnam’s first World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion winning the WBO mini-flyweight title in 2021.
Meet and support global leaders creating change in Vietnam:
Nga Le
Tra Giang Nguyen
How does Vietnam compare to other countries?
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Women in Leadership
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT AS OF 2020
27%
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY POSITIONS AS OF 2020
4%
Has a Woman Ever Been Head of State or Head of Government?
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh, 2018
HAS A WOMAN EVER BEEN SPORTS MINISTER?
Unknown
Title IX Timeline
1945
On September 2, Vietnam declared independence from France hours after Japan’s surrender in World War II.
1946
Women gained the right to vote (full suffrage).
1955
The Second Indochina War, a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, began with North Vietnam supported by the Soviet Union and China and South Vietnam supported by the United States.
1975
The Second Indochina War ended with communist forces controlling South Vietnam and unifying the country as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
1980
Eight athletes became the first women to represent Vietnam in the Olympics.
1982
Vietnam ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
2000
Trần Hiếu Ngân became the first woman from Vietnam to win an Olympic medal (silver- taekwondo). Nguyen Thi Xuan Anh became the first woman to represent Vietnam in the Paralympics.
2016
Đặng Thị Linh Phượng became the first woman from Vietnam to win a Paralympic medal (bronze- powerlifting).
2018
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh became the first woman to serve as president of Vietnam.
Women in the olympics
participation through the years
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0
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0
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0
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0
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9
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8
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15
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24
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10
Women in the Paralympics
participation through the years
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0
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0
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0
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0
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10
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9
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3
Elite Sports Participation
First Year Women Participated In The Olympics
1980
Year Women’s Participation In Olympics Was Equal To Men’s
1992
First Time A Woman Won An Olympic Medal
Trần Hiếu Ngân: 2000, Taekwondo (Silver)
First Year Women Participated In The Paralympics
2000
Year Women’s Participation In Paralympics Was Equal To Men’s
2000
First Time A Woman Won A Paralympic Medal
Đặng Thị Linh Phượng: 2016, Powerlifting (Bronze)
FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1997
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
FIFA is committed to the growth and development of women’s football around the globe.
For More Information
FIBA
Fédération Internationale de Basketball
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1970
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
Increasing the participation of women in basketball at all levels was named as one of FIBA’s eight strategic objectives (2019- 2027) and one of FIBA’s three strategic priorities (2019-2023).
For More Information
LOCAL
Sports
Initiatives
Major Regional Or Country Sport Initiatives
UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture Sport and Tourism hosted Sport for Development with Football for All Vietnam, a program focused on developing community goals, increasing employment opportunities, and bringing people from different backgrounds together.
