Gender research in Vietnam: Traditional approaches and emerging trajectories

SynopsisIn this paper we map the predominant interpretations and characteristics of Vietnamese research on gender issues. Through a review of recent articles from the Vietnamese-language journal Women's Studies, we profile the main topics, intellectual influences, methods, and conceptual approaches of women's studies and gender research. The academic orientations that we identify in Vietnam are linked to the country's legacy of relative isolation. However, major economic reforms and an open door policy since the late 1980s have led to increased international exposure for Vietnamese researchers, and contributed to a diversification of research themes on women and gender issues. The paper ends by identifying some of the challenges for enhancing the profile and quality of Vietnamese scholarship on gender.