The impact of marriage-based international migration of young women on sending communities of Vietnam

Danièle Bélanger, University of Western Ontario

The Government of Vietnam promotes temporary international labor migration as a development strategy. In contrast, it condemns and portrays in a negative light the outflow of young women who emigrate internationally to Taiwan and South Korea after marriage to a foreign man. This paper examines the impact of marriage migration from Vietnam to East Asia on sending communities. We analyze the potential for local development of this type of permanent migration and challenge state’s assumptions of its negative consequences. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2007 in three communes of Southern Vietnam. We collected survey data from 400 households and conducted interviews with a sub-sample. Our results indicate high returns for households through rapid reception of remittances that enable them to improve their economic and social status. A negative impact of marriage migration is the tight marriage market for local men. We conclude by discussing policy implications.