Vietnamese Women's Day, 20 October

Vietnamese history records many women who rose to defend the country from very early times. In the year 40 the Trưng Sisters raised the banner of revolt in Mê Linh, drove out the Eastern Han and took the throne. In 248 Lady Triệu rode an elephant into battle in the mountains of Thanh Hoá. These stories have been passed down through generations and remain a source of pride for Vietnamese women.

Beside the women generals stood millions of unnamed women who farmed, traded and raised children while also shouldering village and national duties when their husbands and sons were far away. The image of the hardworking, enduring mother and wife entered folk songs and old tales and became part of the Vietnamese soul.

When the enemy reaches the house, even the women fight.

Vietnamese proverb

On 20 October 1930 the Central Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party decided to found the Vietnam Anti-Imperialist Women's Association, the first organisation to bring together women from across the country in the struggle for national liberation. For the first time Vietnamese women had an organisation of their own, aiming both to win independence and to demand equal rights for men and women.

Over the years the organisation took several names, such as the Democratic Women's Association and the Women's National Salvation Association. On 20 October 1946 the Vietnam Women's Union was founded, with Lê Thị Xuyến elected its first President. In 1950 the women's organisations merged under the single name of the Vietnam Women's Union, which it still bears today.

In 1965, on the 35th anniversary of the association, President Hồ Chí Minh bestowed on Vietnamese women the eight golden words "Heroic, indomitable, faithful, capable". They sum up a tradition of resilient struggle as well as the loyalty and devotion women bring to their families, and they are still recalled every 20 October.

That same year the association launched the Three Responsibilities movement in the North: taking on production and work in place of men who had gone to fight, managing the family so husbands and sons could leave with peace of mind, and standing ready to serve the war effort. In the South, the "long-haired army" and thousands of women guerrillas and liaison officers contributed to great victories.

The 1946 Constitution, the first of independent Vietnam, declared women equal to men in every respect. In 2006 the National Assembly passed the Law on Gender Equality, setting out the principle of equality in politics, the economy, work, education and the family.

The 2019 Labour Code devotes Chapter X to women workers and gender equality, covering maternity leave, time off for mothers of young children and a ban on gender discrimination in hiring and pay. Today women work in every field, from factories, hospitals and schools to the leadership of companies and state agencies.

8 March is International Women's Day, rooted in the struggles of women workers around the world and marked by many countries. 20 October belongs to Vietnam alone, recalling the birth of the country's first women's organisation. So 8 March carries a global spirit, while 20 October is tied to the history and traditions of Vietnamese women.

Today flower shops are packed on the morning of 20 October. At work, male colleagues prepare a small party, flowers and cards for the women of the office, and many companies reward outstanding women staff. At home, the most meaningful gift is often a meal that mothers and wives do not have to cook, along with thanks said out loud.