How regional discrimination still divides Vietnamese people
Quoc Cuong had to change his accent and cover his motorbike license plate so people around him would not find out that he was from the central province of Thanh Hoa during six years of studying university in Hanoi,
« Even now, I can’t forget the time a landlord flatly refused me, stating, ‘I don’t rent to people from Thanh Hoa’ when I first set foot in the capital, » said Cuong, 24.
Not only was he discriminated against on the street, but Cuong was also often mimicked by friends in class. In order to fit in, he tried to correct his accent to a « standard Northern accent » to hide his hometown. When the Thanh Hoa students’ club organized a welcome party for new students, he refused to join, fearing his identity as a « Thanh Hoa person » would be exposed. After a traffic collision when he was cursed as « That guy 36 », Cuong started covering his motorbike license plate when going out because « 36 » is slang used to mock Thanh Hoa natives.
Sharing a similar experience with Cuong, Ms Nguyen Thu Hien, 42, from Thai Binh, first started working at a private company in Ho Chi Minh City 10 years ago. Among 15 employees, she was the only employee speaking with a Northern accent.
Every time Hien spoke, some colleagues burst out laughing and deliberately mocked her. Once, someone blurted out: « You look cute until you speak with that ‘Bac Ky’ accent », using a derogatory term for northerners. The whole group nodded in agreement. When Hien showed her frustration, the colleague said plainly, « That accent is unpleasant to hear. » The two had a flight, and other colleagues had to intervene.
Hien immediately went straight to her boss’s office to explain and submitted her resignation. « I came here to work, not to be mocked for where I am born, » she stated.
Regional prejudice did not occur merely at the workplace. When she and her Southern boyfriend were introduced to their families, both sides opposed the relationship. « My parents were afraid that I’d marry far away, while his family said northern girls were fierce and didn’t suit their lifestyle, » Hien recounted.
At the end, their relationship fell apart.
On the other side, Vu Minh Hang, 28, from southern locality of Binh Duong, faced discrimination when she moved to northern locality of Nam Dinh to marry. Her husband’s family criticized ‘Southern women for being lazy and only pleasure-seeking,’ but she and her boyfriend still decided to marry. The young couple had to move out to live separately to minimize conflict. « I was so suffocated and frustrated that I wanted to leave my husband and return to South immediately, » Hang said.
Victims of regional discrimination like Cuong, Hang, and Hien are not rare. This is a persistent issue in Vietnam, existing from daily life to social media. Numerous videos deliberately inciting and dividing regions are widely prevalent. Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department temporarily detained two TikTokers, Tang Keng Ong Trum and Du Bau Troi, for regularly posting videos with provocative, derogatory, insulting, and regionally divisive content.
A 2024 study by the author group Huynh An Nghiep from University of Information Technology, VNU-HCM, recorded that up to 40% of the 17,000 comments under videos related to regional issues contained insulting and derogation elements. The authors suggest that centuries of partition in Vietnam have left severe consequences, contributing to the formation of stereotypes.
This phenomenon not only happens in Vietnam but also appears in many countries, such as East and West Germany after unification, or the North and South regions in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Thi To Quyen, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Sociology and Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication, explains that the disparity in socio-economic conditions between regions significantly affects the development opportunities of different population groups, leading to social stratification and reinforcing prejudice.
According to her, this is a common social-psychological mechanism: people tend to simplify complexity by generalizing groups, leading to bias and discrimination in daily life.
Psychologist Dr Bui Hong Quan, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM, believes that regional prejudice often stems from the habit of overgeneralization or the need to assert oneself by putting others down.
Ban Thu Thao, a 26-year-old Dao girl (Dao is an ethnic group in Vietnam), also grew up facing regional prejudice. When she was eight years old, moving from Lang Son to Nghe An to live with her grandparents, neighbors immediately called her ‘Con dan toc’, a derogatory term for ethnic minorities. « Whatever I did or said, that person would sneer at me. I hated them so much I didn’t want to even look at them, » she recalled.
Moving to Hanoi for work, she faced new prejudices: being pressured to drink alcohol because they think ethnic people drink well, and being subjected to inappropriate remarks from male colleagues like « I’ll keo vo » (Keo vo, also known as the « bride pulling » ritual, is a traditional marriage practice of the Hmong people, rooted in mutual affection and genuine love but in some case, this ritual is distorted into « forced bride kidnapping » or « Can I ngu tham at your place? » Ngu tham is a traditional custom of the Mường people, in which an unmarried young man secretly « breaks in » into the house of a young woman at night to lie beside her, talk, and get to know each other).
Unable to endure this toxic environment, Thao quit her job.
Assoc. Prof. Dr To Quyen warns that regional prejudice can incite violence and weaken national solidarity. In the context of integration, a mindset of « Hanoi person – Nghe An person » or « the North – the South » will only cause society to fall behind.
Lawyer Nguyen Thanh Hai, Director of An Hoang Gia Law Co., Ltd. (Hanoi Bar Association), stated that acts of regional discrimination can be handled at three levels: administrative, civil, and criminal. In cyberspace, the act of posting or sharing content that insults or incites hatred can result in fines of 10-20 million VND. Victims also have the right to claim compensation for emotional damages under the 2015 Civil Code.
To prevent regional prejudice, he proposed three sets of solutions: strictly enforcing penalty regulations; requiring social media platforms to promptly remove violating content and cooperate with authorities under the Cybersecurity Law; and simultaneously enhancing education on the culture of respecting regional diversity, especially among the youth.
« We need to think before we type, » he emphasized. « Every statement online leaves a legal trace. » Debates should focus on the issue, not attack the origin or cultural identity.
Psychologist Bui Hong Quan believes that despite being influenced by local culture, every person has their own personality and values. Therefore, making an effort to learn and prove one’s worth through actions is the best way to break down stereotypes.
Upon graduating and starting work, Cuong gradually realized that his self-worth was not tied to his hometown. In his company, most of the top-performing employees were his regional fellows, contributing to the growth and unity of the business, and were highly valued by the manager. He also realized that not everyone discriminates or derogates based on regional differences.
Cuong now has friends from all over the country. Instead of feeling insecure, Cuong confidently communicates with everyone, including partners, using his regional accent.
After 10 years living in Ho Chi Minh City, Hien realized that not everyone discriminates against Northerners. She met many open-minded and kind Southerners, which made her decide to settle down in this city. Her current in-laws are also Southerners, have never held any regional prejudices.
In her husband’s hometown, Hang decided to open her own business. The couple has now built a house and bought a car. « Now my mother-in-law and neighbors praise my husband for being lucky, » she said.
By Pham Nga – VnExpress.net – November 23, 2025