Singles are under increased pressure to get married and have children, in a society dominated by traditional standards around the family.
Women can marry from the age of 18 and men from 20, but official data shows that the first union occurs much later, at the average age of 29.8 years (in 2022). Vietnamese people are marrying later and later, state media noted, a trend reinforced by the better level of education and the rural exodus.
Pray, “it is a spiritual procedure which expresses theyouth insecurity to find their other half“, estimates Tran Thanh Nam, expert in educational psychology. The analyst points to new technologies and social networks, which have eroded young people’s abilities to maintain a serious romantic relationship.
Nguyen Van Duong, in his thirties, blames his work as a doctor, which took up his time. Like his parents, he is worried about his single status. “Mes parents are getting older day after day. They only want me to get married and have children“, he explains.