Vietnamese Women’s Day

This day, October 20th, marks the the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam’s Women Union, or now we call Ngày phủ nữ Việt Nam—Vietnamese women’s day. On this day, we often call for the honoring and respect of the important women in our lives. However, a lot of people don’t understand the history behind the creation of this holiday, and the women behind it.

A Brief History of October 20th, Vietnamese Women’s Day

Under the oppressive feudal society and imperial regimes of early 19th century Vietnam, Vietnamese women were among the most oppressed and exploited social class. Yet, this only culminated in a growing sense of justice and resilience in the women of Vietnam, especially in the face of French invasion. Vietnamese women participated in mass revolutionary movements. 

After 1927, large organizations like the Red Farmers' Association, Red Labor Unions (the old name for Vietnam’s main trade union), mutual aid groups, and vocational training groups were formed and saw a great number of women joining. Some of the most prominent women from this era—such as Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Hoàng Thị Ái, and Tôn Thị Quế—remain inspiring figures to this day.

Realizing the prominent role of Vietnamese women in the force of the revolution against French colonialism, the Indochinese Communist Party declared that in order to achieve national liberation and class liberation, there must be “equality between men and women” in Vietnamese society. Thus, they set out to encourage more women to join revolutionary organizations, culminating in the creation of separate, women-only groups to encourage women of all classes to join the revolution. This ultimately led to the founding of the Vietnam Anti-Imperialist Women's Association, or now the Vietnam Women's Union, on October 20, 1930. This date was chosen as an annual day in Vietnam to celebrate and honor women, leading to what we now know as Vietnamese women’s day.

However, as a part of honoring the important women in our lives, it’s not only important to acknowledge the important women in our lives, but also listen to their wise words of advice. Here, we’ve compiled some words of advice for the younger generation from some important women, both Vietnamese and international, in our school community. 

Some of the advice are specific to the holiday, with Ms. Ruby offering advice on the types of gifts to get the important women in your life:

“If you want to buy something for them, buy something they can use. For example, the perfumes or makeup they can use. For decoration you can buy them flowers. Or food to fill their stomachs, to make them happy … you can buy some cookies, cakes, just small things … For me, I like to buy something that they can use in their life. For example, stationary or … a phone case. Pick something they can apply in their life, like something they usually use.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Sara offers some broader, more general advice:

“My advice for the younger generation is to find your people. Know who your allies are, know who’s going to stick by you, know who’s going to speak about you positively when you’re not in the room. And, learn how to navigate those who aren’t.”

And, in the spirit of the holiday, Ms. Huệ, one of our after-school Vietnamese teachers, have some words of advice more specific to young Vietnamese girls:

“Trong dịp 20 tháng 10, với tư cách là một người đi trước và cô cũng là người dạy các bạn, thì trong 15 năm đi dạy cô có quan sát, có tìm hiểu cũng như là có cảm nhận được các sự thay đổi với các thế hệ các bạn nữ. Các bạn nữ hiện nay có sự năng động, nhanh nhẹn, quyết đoán, dám dấn thân, dám thử thách để đạt được nhiều thành tựu hơn. Tuy nhiên, trong sự năng động và dám thử thách ấy, rất mong rằng các bạn vẫn sẽ luôn có những hoạt động thể hiện được việc giữ gìn bản sắc dân tộc, truyền thống và phát huy thêm nữa vẻ đẹp của người phụ nữ Việt Nam — đó là kiên cường, đảm đang và đặc biệt nhất là sự hiền hậu."

English translation: “On the occasion of October 20th, as a predecessor but also as a teacher, in my 15 years of teaching, I have observed, understood, and felt the changes in each generation of girls. The girls today are dynamic, agile, and decisive, daring to face risks and challenges to achieve more success. However, in that dynamism and willingness to take risks, I hope that they will always act to demonstrates the preservation of our national identity, traditions, and further promote the beauty of Vietnamese women—namely their resilience, resourcefulness, and especially kindness.”