Many young women in the Mekong Delta are taking short courses to learn about South Korea before deciding to get married.
Training class for brides
This training centre in Can Tho City has around 25 students in each class held for the soon-to-be brides. The lecturers from the city’s Women's Union provide key information that the women need to know before they go overseas. The class-goers can also view documents and pictures to learn more about South Korea such as common foods, clothing or ways to communicate in the family. The classes also provide emergency phone numbers for the women.
However, many of the women lack high levels of education, rarely completing 10th grade, and only a few of them have graduated high school so they sometimes encounter difficulties learning a new culture. When asked, they said they only knew about South Korea through television series.
The girls often want to marry South Korean men because of the improved lifestyles. They are often introduced to their husbands via brokers and only get to know them for three to five days before the wedding. After they register their marriage, the men will return to South Korea and the girls will follow after having their visa completed.
Trinh Luong Hoang, a lecturer said, "There was one case when the bride called me and asked to return home in tears. When I talked to her husband, he said she had met her Vietnamese ex-lover, who came to South Korea via a labour export programme and he had caught them dating."
H.T.M.T, a 20 year old bride said she married a 42 year old South Korean man because she loved the country, and an older husband was not a problem as they more mature. "I think they must be rich to come here looking for brides. Having good finance support, I can’t take care more of my family. Meanwhile Vietnamese men go out to drink all day long. I don't really like it."
N.T.K.T, another bride shared, "I stopped going to school at ninth grade and became a seamstress. I wanted to marry a South Korean man a long time ago and have a happy family."
Won Sun A, a representative of the training centre for brides in the Mekong Delta said most of the girls get married via brokers. In South Korea, a man must pay USD10,000 to 15,000 to a broker company. The South Korean men have chosen Vietnamese women because they share a similar culture and the women are happy to do the housework.
"The training centre has gone into operation since October 2011 and has educated for over 1,000 brides." Won Sun A said.
According to Can To Women's Union, from 1997-2007, 180,000 Vietnamese women have married foreigners in more than 50 countries, of which 38% are married to Chinese men, 29% to Taiwanese and 8% to South Koreans.
Between 2002 to 2010, 40,000 Vietnamese women married to South Korean men, 79% of them originating from Dong Thap, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Ben Tre and Hau Giang Province.
Studying about South Korean foods
Basic lessons
