WATERING THE NEIGHBOUR'S GARDEN: THE GROWING - CICRED

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G. HUGO –NGUYEN THI H. X.
wives and not in the workforce is the highest (33.6 percent and 30.2
percent respectively) in the country (GSO, 2005).
Table 2 Poverty rate in the five studied Vietnamese provinces, 2002 (In percent
of the total population)
N Province Poverty rate (%)
1 Tien Giang 30
2 Vinh Long 36
3 Can Tho 40
4 Dong Thap 42
5 An Giang 46
Note: Income threshold is 1,789,871 VND (120 USD) per person per year.
Source: Tran 2004.
To escape poverty and avoid the impact of natural disasters, many
people (particularly the young generation) move out of their villages to
more prosperous regions. Some migrate to cities such as Ho Chi Minh
and others become involved in international migration. The outmigration
rate in the Mekong Delta region was the sixth highest in the
country (GSO, 2005) and it has the highest level of international marriage
migration in Vietnam.
Another factor may be that the Mekong Delta region has multicultural
characteristics. Besides Vietnamese culture, this region also has
been influenced by Khmer, Chinese and Indian cultures and in the
second half of 20 th century, French and American influences were
added (Tran, 2004). These diverse cultural influences have resulted in
the people of the region being able to adjust to changes and integrate
into new environments. People in this area have more freedom in
decision making and experience less social pressure compared with
those in the North and in Central Vietnam. Consequently, interethnic
marriage has a long history in the area.
Another factor influencing marriage migration may be that Vietnam
and Taiwan share common Confucianism which assigns different
roles and responsibilities to men and women in the family. Males
always have more power than females both in the family and in the
society and when a woman gets married she is forced to obey and
serve her family-in-law (Do et al., 2003). Although this tradition has
changed over time, it has been maintained by the Vietnamese especially
in rural areas and among people with low levels of education. Hence,
there is a perception of similarity in terms of culture among the Taiwanese
(Tsay, 2004).
Another element has been the substantial transnational linkages
which have developed between Taiwan and Vietnam. Taiwan is one of