US embassy cable - 05HANOI660

UNCLAS HANOI 000660 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
STATE FOR G/IWI L. KHADIAGALA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, KWMN 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: CHILD MARRIAGE 
 
REF: STATE 36341 
 
1.  The legal age for marriage in Vietnam, according to the 
Law on Marriage and Family, is 20 for men and 18 for women. 
There is no lower legal age for marriage even with parental 
consent.  In practice, most marriages in urban areas conform 
to the national law; however, in rural areas, underage 
couples may live together in a "marriage" accepted by the 
community, but not recognized officially. 
 
2.  Underage marriage is not a significant problem, but the 
practice persists among ethnic groups and in poor rural 
communities.  Forced marriage is a related problem where 
parents in some rural areas believe they have the right to 
choose a suitable spouse for their child.  None of the 
government offices or NGOs contacted by Post was able to 
provide statistics on child marriage. 
 
3.  Post is unaware of any U.S.-funded initiatives to reduce 
the incidence of or to address possible negative affects of 
child marriage. The Government of Vietnam recognizes the 
adverse conditions relating to underage marriage, such as 
lack of education and awareness, reproductive health issues 
and psychological immaturity. The Commission for Population, 
Family and Children sponsors Information, Education and 
Communication Campaigns (IECC) in rural areas.  The 
Commission is initiating a new three-year project aimed at 
reducing the incidence of underage marriage in the northern 
mountain provinces.  Currently this issue is approached most 
often in terms of legal awareness programs.  The 1999 Inter- 
agency Resolution Number 9, by the Ministry of Justice, the 
Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of 
Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ethics Affairs 
Committee and the Peasants Association, develops programs 
which educate the rural population about the laws and 
provide legal aid and training.  The Vietnam Women's Union 
and the Youth Union also sponsor programs targeting young 
people for education on legal affairs and pre-marriage 
issues. 
 
BOARDMAN