Vietnam – Korea cooperation for women’s better life

At the reception, VWU President congratulated Mr. Choi Young Sam on being appointed Korean Ambassador to Vietnam. He said that despite taking the position of Korean Ambassador to Vietnam for only more than 2 months, he has learned and appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in general and the VWU in particular in promoting gender equality and addressing women's issues.

According to statistics from the Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, there are currently about 80 thousand Vietnamese - Korean families living in Korea and about 10 thousand ones living in Vietnam. "With these numbers, I think that our two countries’ relations are not just in politics and diplomatics but can be considered "in-laws", “a family.”, Mr. Choi Young Sam emphasized.

Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Young Sam (right) speaks at the meeting

To be able to maintain that good and harmonious relationship, the Ambassador said that first of all, it is necessary to maintain marriage in accordance with the law between citizens of the two countries. In order for couples to live together for a long time, the two countries need to have educational programs for them on the culture, history, and language of the other country. Currently, the Korean Ministry of Justice has its educational programs for Korean men who want to marry Vietnamese women. Therefore, the Korean Embassy in Vietnam suggested the VWU to pay more attention to educational orientation for Vietnamese women before marriage.

Along with that, Korea also has support programs for multi-cultural and multi-national families. Accordingly, about 80 thousand Vietnamese - Korean families as mentioned above can also benefit from these policies. Therefore, Mr. Choi Young Sam hoped that in the coming time, 10 thousand Vietnamese - Korean couples living in Vietnam will also receive support from the host country.

Also at the meeting, the Korean Ambassador to Vietnam said that besides those who have successful and happy lives in the "land of Kim Chi", there are still women who have to return home because of unlucky marriages. Many of them brought with them children of Korean nationality. Therefore, the Ambassador proposed that the VWU will connect more closely with the Korean Government through collaboration programs with agencies/organizations such as the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Vietnam - Korea Center: Join Hands to Care... to best support legal procedures, employment, social security, and community reintegration for migrant women and children repatriated from Korea, helping them quickly stabilize their lives. The Korean Embassy will also continue to propose to the Government and organizations in Korea to have more grants to support women and children and promote gender equality in Vietnam in the coming time.

VWU President Nga expressed her respect and appreciation for the concern of the Ambassador and the Korean Government for repatriated women and children.

Member of the Party Central Committee, VWU President Ha Thi Nga (center) expressed her thanks to the Korean Embassy in Vietnam and Korean Government for their support for Vietnamese women

Ms. Nga said that over the past few years, the VWU has proposed to the Party and Government of Vietnam many projects/policies that protect legal rights and benefits of Vietnamese women of all strata and for gender equality. The VWU has close cooperation with Korean partners in many activities to share experiences in building and integrating gender in policies and laws and supporting the women’s development.

The VWU has also coordinated with the Korean partners to organize development programs and projects on improving capacity for officials through long-term and short-term training courses, supporting women with their livelihoods, cooperation on international marriage and support for multicultural families, strengthening Vietnamese capacity for sustainable reintegration of returning women migrants and their households in vulnerable conditions in Vietnam”.

VWU President Nga expressed her joy that Vietnamese women in Korea are increasingly stable in life and developing. The year of 2024 is also the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Women's Union in Korea. This shows the close cooperation between the two Governments and creates favorable conditions for other Vietnam women's organizations and clubs to develop in Korea.

A souvernir photo

She proposed that the two sides will continue to push up visit and cultural exchanges, organize the annual Vietnam - Korea Women's Forum, connect and support Vietnamese brides and women in Korea as well as repatriated brides and their children.