Equality between men and women is set out in the first lines of the UN Charter, which was adopted 75 years ago. Vietnam actively pursued the goals of the United Nations when gender equality was prioritized early on. Speaker of Parliament Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, the first female President of the National Assembly in Vietnamese history, affirmed that the promotion of gender equality and women's rights is a consistent policy of the state of Vietnam, which is enshrined in the constitution and guaranteed in practice:

“In Vietnam, promoting gender equality and empowering women is always a consistent policy of the state. The first constitution of 1946 and subsequent constitutions always affirmed: Men and women have equal rights. Based on the provisions of the Constitution, the Vietnamese Parliament has established a system of legal documents to protect and promote women's rights. Parliament also closely oversees the implementation of government, ministry and industry policies in this important area. "

In 2006 Vietnam passed the Gender Equality Act, which called on government agencies and people's committees at all levels to assume their responsibility in state administration of gender equality. Nguyen Thi Ha, the deputy minister for labor, war invalids and social affairs and at the same time the vice-chair of the National Committee for the Progress of Women, said:

“With regard to gender equality, the first thing to notice is the positive changes in the awareness and behavior of managers at all levels, as well as civil servants, employees and citizens. This helps to improve the role and position of women in the family as well as in society. Some improved development indexes have raised Vietnam to a higher rank. The international community has also recognized Vietnam's efforts to implement gender equality. ”

In the Vietnamese parliament, the rate of female MPs is 2672 percent. That's a high percentage compared to other countries in the region and around the world. Vietnam is also one of the countries that has signed many international documents on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Vietnam is considered to be one of the countries where the gender gap has been closed the fastest in the past 20 years. Vietnam also makes an important contribution to promoting global gender equality. Naomi Kitahara, head of the UN Population Fund, in Vietnam:

“Vietnam has become one of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region that has made great strides in terms of gender equality. We have seen considerable success in promoting women's rights and leadership, particularly in the health and education sectors, in Vietnam. Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful and prosperous society. "

Vietnam is currently facing many new challenges in terms of gender equality due to the impact of the global economy, the strong development of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 natural disasters and climate change, as well as demographic changes. These challenges call for concrete strategies and actions to maintain the successes achieved while at the same time addressing existing and emerging problems.

Thu Hoa