Vietnamese Women’s Day

Observed every year in Vietnam on October 20th, Vietnamese Women’s Day is a holiday that expresses love and appreciation for women. This holiday can be traced back to the 1930s and has been celebrated ever since. On this day, society shows their love and respect for women and helps advocate for women’s equality. It’s a day to recognize the achievements of women as well. And, as is common with many holidays, it’s also a day to enjoy some good food.

The History of Vietnamese Women’s Day

This holiday dates back to October 20, 1930. This is when the Vietnam Women’s Union was officially established, and the holiday was created to mark that event for the public. Vietnamese Women’s Day thereby not only became the traditional holiday for this organization but also a day when women all over Vietnam could be honored and celebrated.

The History of Women in Vietnam

During our research for this holiday, we came across a lot about the history of women in Vietnam. Although we can’t go into detail about this entire history, we can cover some of the major points that we think everyone observing Vietnamese Women’s Day would want to know about.

We think one of the best ways to highlight the history of women in Vietnam is through the Vietnam Women’s Union. This organization was founded under the Vietnam Communist Party and was created to promote the importance of gender equality. This organization has pursued the advancement of women in many different areas of society, but they also fail to fully support true equality between men and women. This is due to the organization stressing the importance of Confucian doctrine—a doctrine that maintains a male-dominated hierarchy.

Over the years, women’s rights have continued to expand, and women have accepted an ever-increasing role in Vietnam. Nowadays, Vietnam has some of the highest numbers of women working in the workforce in the world and the second-highest number of women in senior management positions among Asian countries. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in Vietnam before there can be true equality between men and women.

Observing Vietnamese Women’s Day

This holiday is observed in various ways. For one, women receive gifts from their male counterparts and/or relatives on this day. These gifts could be anything from flowers to food. Another aspect of this day is that women’s achievements throughout history are remembered and honored. And finally, it’s a day that people use to continue the fight for women’s equality in Vietnam. People observing this holiday or those wishing to spread the word about it can use the hashtag #VietnameseWomensDay.

Where is it celebrated?
Vietnam (Observance)
When is it?
This year (2024)
October 20 Sunday
Next year (2025)
October 20 Monday
Last year (2023)
October 20 Friday