The Role of Parents in University Choice: Evidence from Vietnam

Abstract

This paper reports on the ways in which a selected group of parents in Vietnam decided which university one of their children should attend. Drawing upon narrative accounts provided by 16 parents of recent graduates from three universities in Hanoi, the paper seeks to elucidate the kinds of considerations taken into account by parents in their decision-making and the nature of the parent–child relationships that were evident in the process. The paper presents a classification of parent–child relationships concerning the matter of university choice in Vietnam.