When Nguyen Thu Hang was a child, h

When Nguyen Thu Hang was a child,
her mother was a housewife in a
small village whose women residents
had no say in decision-making, either
at home or in the community. Now a
mother herself, Hang not only shares
her husband’s burden of earning
money for the family and bringing
up children, but also has a career and
social ambitions.
‘Women are much happier than
before. They have a good education
and careers of their own,’ says the
39-year-old who lives and works in
Hanoi. ‘And, of course, they are more
respected in the family and society.’
Hang, who carries a sleek laptop in
her hand, gets out of an elegant black
Mercedes and enters a building where
she works as the General Director of
Viet Hoang Trade and Investment
Company, which specialises in
construction and real estate.
Like Hang, many other
Vietnamese women also pursue
careers these days and have stormed
the corporate boardroom to affi rm
their increasingly important roles.
Whether in remote farms or in
companies, they have become
much more self-confi dent and are
discovering their worth and fulfi lling
their potential.
Women account for nearly 52 per
cent of the workforce in the service
sector, 50 per cent in the agricultural