ABSTRACT
This study examines marked changes in marital and familial viewpoints of the Chinese Cantonese community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Chinese people dwelled in Saigon in the seventeenth century, established several busy areas for trade exchange, and made a considerable contribution to municipal economic and cultural development. Possessing a rich immigration history, the Chinese Cantonese people not only carefully preserved their culture but also fostered modern culture. This research was conducted using a qualitative and quantitative design with the assistance of eighty-two Cantonese participants’ interviews and a questionnaire survey along with previous research to fill a lacuna of literature. The first conclusion is that the Cantonese Chinese people adopted new perspectives on marriage aims, gender equality, sexual division of labour, and family models. This highlights the importance of real love and mutual understanding when establishing a family. The Chinese Cantonese women hold a favourable social position and maintain gender equality in family income and child upbringing. When managing a family, the Chinese Cantonese show a strong inclination toward a nuclear family model, while putting their parents’ role in high regard. Second, I justify three key reasons that caused such changes; they are: (1) globalisation and acculturation; (2) urban lifestyle; and (3) the post-Đổi mới rising commercialisation of Vietnam.
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