Different attitudes of local people and Chinese government towards Vietnamese brides (A case study of a hamlet in the Vietnam - China border region)

Abstract

This article explores different attitudes of the local people and government towards Vietnamese women who marry Chinese men. The Chinese government’s policies of cross-border marriage have created barriers to the social adaptation of Vietnamese brides in China. However, these Vietnamese brides still receive social acceptance in the local community and are treated the same as other ethnic community member due to their similar cultural traits. Facing the binary between the strict attitude of the Chinese government and the community acceptance of Vietnamese brides, the Chinese local government has been flexible to harmonize conflicts between policies of the central government and the expectations of local people.