Parenting in Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnamese society is built around the family structure. Families tend to have clearly defined and hierarchical roles and there is a lot of emphasis placed on valuing them. Fathers tend to be central in the family and are responsible for providing for their family, disciplining their children and making family decisions. Mothers are traditionally responsible for monitoring children’s health, self-care and nutrition, and are expected to engage in domestic work and child bearing. The extended family and the community play an important role in individuals’ lives and there is much more multigenerational interaction than is commonly seen in western families. A lot of corresponding values such as harmony, duty, honor, respect, education, and allegiance to the family are derived from Confucian ideas and are emphasized heavily in childrearing. However because of economic reforms and more access to western cultures and beliefs, there have been new trends in parenting such as less enmeshment with the extended family, less use of corporal punishment and more acceptance of some individualistic values.