Duc, Pham Vu Thien and Vu Song Ha from the Consultation of Investment in Health

The historical convergence of various ideologies, particularly Confucian and communist/socialist doctrines, has fostered contradictory gender norms and attitudes that affect reproductive health in contemporary Vietnam. Patriarchal ideas rooted in Confucianism coexist with the concept of gender equality. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study and preliminary results from a structured survey. It examines how contradictory norms and attitudes affect women’s reproductive health by influencing reproductive decision making, family planning responsibilities, responses to reproductive health problems and couple communication. * The authors are indebted to a number of different organisations and individuals fo