Vietnamese in Mekong Delta have high rate of marriages with foreigners

Six out of the top 10 Vietnamese localities with the highest rates of residents marrying foreigners are in the Mekong Delta, according to a report from the Consular Department.

The October immigration report noted that Can Tho, Dong Nai, Quang Ninh, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Tay Ninh, Bac Lieu, Dong Thap, Hai Phong and Soc Trang recorded the most marriages involving foreign nationals in 2023.

In most cases, Vietnamese women married foreign men.

Six of these localities. Can Tho, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Dong Thap and Soc Trang are located in the Mekong Delta.

In the first 10 months of 2023, over 18,200 Vietnamese residents married foreign partners, with women accounting for approximately 90% of these cases.

Financial factors were identified as a significant driver, with marriage to foreigners often seen as a route out of poverty and a way to access employment opportunities. Some women reportedly marry foreigners due to family pressure or through introductions by friends or acquaintances.

Foreign countries with significant gender imbalances are common destinations for these marriages. In South Korea, for instance, around 800,000 individuals born in the 1980s face challenges finding marriage partners. In China, 30 million men are similarly affected by gender imbalance.

South Korean statistics from 2023 revealed that out of 19,700 international marriages, 4,900 involved Korean men marrying Vietnamese women, accounting for 33.5%. Additionally, 792 cases involved Korean women marrying Vietnamese men, making up 16%.

Between 2017 and 2022, approximately 84,600 Vietnamese residents married foreigners, a 27% decrease from the 2011-2016 period, a drop partly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Hong Chieu – VnExpress.net – October 31, 2024