VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES
AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES
--------------------------------------------------

DO THI THUY

IMAGES OF WOMEN IN VIETNAMESE
TRADITIONAL FOLK POETRY

MASTER’S THESIS
Major: Vietnamese studies

Hanoi - 2015


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES
AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES
-----------------------------------------------

DO THI THUY

IMAGES OF WOMEN IN VIETNAMESE
TRADITIONAL FOLK POETRY

Master’s thesis of Vietnamese studies
Code: 60 22 0113

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Thi Viet Thanh


Despite my best attempts and efforts, there are many the inevitable
limitations and shortcomings. I look forward to receiving comments from the
readers and professors for a better dissertation.
Sincerely,
The author

Do Thi Thuy


TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 5
1. Personal motivation .................................................................................. 5
2. Research problems and tasks................................................................... 7
2.1. Research problems………………………………………………….........7
2.2. Research tasks ………………………………………………………......7
3. Literature review ...................................................................................... 7
4.The objectives of the thesis, and research areas .................................... 12
4.1. The objectives of the thesis ................................................................... 12
4.2. Research areas...................................................................................... 12
5. Research methods ................................................................................... 13
6. Contributions of the thesis ..................................................................... 14
7.Thesis structure ..................................................................................... 155
Chapter 1: THE IMAGE OF VIETNAMESE WOMEN IN THE CONTEXT
OF TRADITIONAL SOCIETY ................................................................. 166
1.1. Vietnamese traditional society .......................................................... 166
1.1.1. Natural, productive and economic situations .................................. 166
1.1.2. Social and political situations .......................................................... 166
1.1.3. Fundamental ideologies and religions ............................................ 211
1.1.4. The structure of the Vietnamese traditional families ...................... 233
1.2. Cultural attitudes toward the women in Vietnamese traditional

behaviors within family scope.................................................................... 90
3.1.1. In the spousal relationship ................................................................ 90
3.1.2. In the relationship of the daughter and her mother – in – law ......... 96
3.1.3. In the relationship of parents and their children .............................. 97
3.1.4. In the matter of love and marriage .................................................... 98

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3.2. The reactions of Vietnamese traditional women toward the unjust
behaviors in social relationships .............................................................. 100
3.2.1. In the relationship of the king as well as feudal lords and ordinary
people......................................................................................................... 100
3.2.2. In the relationships of landlords and peasants ................................ 101
3.3. Sub-conclusion ................................................................................... 103
CONCLUSION....................................................................................... 1055
REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 1088
APPENDIX .................................................................................................114

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LIST OF ACRONYMS
Assoc. Prof. PhD: Associate Professor, Doctor of Philosophy

P.
M. A.

: Page
: Master of Art

because they are very close to their thought and soul, with words of daily

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voices of workers. Therefore, one of the key features of a traditional folk song
is richly expressed thoughts of human emotions in general, including in
particular women. The image of traditional women is expressed not only
through the songs about them specifically the ones which are composed by
the people to portray the image of the woman but also through narrative
songs, the reader can feel all the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, their perceptions
of their own identity.
The folk poems having content of the image of women in traditional
societies, has been the interest of many researchers who has had many
valuable posts. However, the researchers only focused on reflecting each
aspect, individual elements of the image of women. In addition, most of the
studies were taken as research objects of folksongs with monophyletic
research methods of literature, but not focusing on getting the woman is the
object of study. With this starting point, we hope that this research will help to
clarify the image of Vietnamese traditional women with resource-based
survey was carried out as a wealth of traditional folk poems of the Vietnam.
Also follow all policies and guidelines of the Party and State, Vietnam
is in the process of building an advanced culture imbued with national
identity. Along with the momentum of integration and quintessence of world
culture, its needs to look back, to preserve the cultural traditions of the
peoples is extremely important. Therefore, the study of the image of
Vietnamese women through traditional folk poems by portraying more clearly
the cultural values of traditional practices to serve the country's development
is a critical job.



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folk by different concepts. We would go through some basic concepts as
follows:
In the book “Major literary history of Vietnam”, Duong Quang Ham
explained the concept of folk poems: “folk is short songs; the songs are not
divided into chapters, etc.” [15, P.20]
It is also about the concept of folk poems , in “The Literary History of
Vietnam”, Volume 2 of the authors, Bui Van Nguyen (chief editor) stated:
“Folk is the songs with or without the chapters created with the nation's
prose (usually in traditional way of 6/8 words per sentence one after another)
to describe, narrative, implied and express feelings.” [45, P.38]
The author of the book “The collective folklore of Vietnamese people”
by Nguyen Xuan Kinh (the chief editor) has clearly defined folk poems in
relation to folk poems : “Folk poems include the words (sentences or
articles), melody (voice or intonation), and methods of environmental
oratorio, singing scene. Folk poemss were formed on folk poems.” [28, P.20]
After the revolution in August 1945, researchers have used water
collected from “modern folk” (or new folk) to distinguish them from
“traditional folk” (also known as the ancient folk). Researchers generally
consistently considered traditional folk (or ancient folk) is the only
component conceptual language arts (poetry section) of folk (not including
accompaniment, redu-language, and voiced sounds) and composed mainly
collected from the previous August Revolution.
In terms of content reflecting the folk poems, folk poems is the subject
of many research literatures as well as the culture. There were so many great
works, have been published values, represented by the following works:
Folk poems reflect the lyrical content: Ma Giang Lan in research

women in the folk poems, the proverb works, folk poems, folk Vietnam, Vu
Ngoc Phan said, “Life woman has to endure suffering and disadvantaged.

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Although contributions to society and the family is not inferior to men, but in
reality women do not have power. The author also asserted reasons pushing
women into inferior status, because marriage regime was built based on the
old social economy” [49, P.245].
In 1969, the collective monograph “Popular poetry of Vietnam”,
Nguyen Tan Long and Phan Canh analyzed very carefully and deeply about
the suffering of women folk. They insisted on the contents “Woman
disadvantaged and downtrodden in the society. They were dependent on men
and stripped of all power, they react to the injustice in many different ways.
They dared to resist harsh laws, to follow the call of true love”. [38, P. 118]
1974, in the research “The study of the process of Vietnamese popular
folklore”, Cao Huy Dinh affirmed that “the human problem, first of all, the
fate of people and the slaves are all working women the main topic of folk folk
Woman's life is a chain of suffering long hours in line. Live Alone and
suffering, pain and suffering marry well as do more if perhaps”. [12, P. 89]
1978, in The study of the historical process folklore Vietnam, folklore
researcher Do Binh Tri said that “the image of women which is the most
common of the two forms the song of family activities and lyrical song about
love - marriage (loving folk)”. The contentz authors mentioned in this work
are “songs about family activities mainly expressed profound grief of the
women in the family and society”. The authors asserted, “Violent protests
stemed from conflicts with severe oppression of patriarchy. On the other
hand, it was also the basis of looking at the issue of love and marriage
insider: For a woman, marriage based on love is a scenario in which the

However, the majority of studies on this research are being carried out by
specialized knowledge, mainly using analytical methods, description, imagebuilding methods of literature to reach the works of folk poems . Unlike the
above studies, in my research, we define the object of study of the thesis is the

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traditional Vietnamese woman, not the traditional folk poems and the
approach is associated method industry instead of monophyletic method. We
hope you will be able to achieve the purposes of the study as stated above.
4. The objectives of the thesis and research areas
4.1. The objectives of the thesis
The main research object of the thesis is the image of Vietnamese
women in traditional societies. The research document is based on a
traditional Vietnamese folk to highlight the image of Vietnamese women in
the context of feudal society.
4.2. Research areas
Theme revolves around a woman with a lot of things need to be
clarified, however, within the framework of the thesis we focus only clarify
the characteristics of traditional Vietnamese woman, but not the women of
other ethnic minorities.
The Vietnamese women will be approached from two angles objectivity
and subjectivity noted in the research purposes. Specifically, in order to
clarify the characteristics of the traditional woman by objective perspective,
besides clarifying the characteristic appearance, personality assessment
recognized under the purview of his contemporaries. We also learn
Vietnamese woman at the relationship between their families (spouses,
parents and children, brothers, cousins) and the social relationships in which
there is close interaction directly traditional Vietnamese woman (men and
women, kings, ministers, landowners, etc.), which are the typical relationship

gender as well as the definition of society during the feudal society. Objective
oriented approach using interdisciplinary methods; specifically we will
approach the subject from the following research directions. The first is from
the perspective of history because they are the subjects of history; to measure

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the angle of the object is anthropology because Vietnamese woman, from a
regional perspective to study localized Vietnamese women and people women
of other ethnicities. Study subjects are seen through folk so indispensable
combination of methods that are strong in folk studies such as analysis of
literature, linguistics, cultural learning.
In addition to the above research method, the research process we
combine statistical methods, analysis, synthesis of research during the
Vietnamese folk treasure. The method proved very useful to study the nature
of data sources harboring small but large numbers, and content rich folk.
6. Contributions of the thesis
- Vietnamese woman was the truth of the nation’s cultural values. The
in-depth research is very necessary that we also look for the real images of
women in traditional society as well as promote traditional values in a modern
society.
- The thesis is the references for those who wish to learn and have
further research on the images of Vietnamese women in traditional societies.
- The thesis initially uses interdisciplinary methods to approach the
subject of Vietnamese women in traditional societies. With this approach, we
want to avoid unilateral comments of the research subject. Interdisciplinary
research methods proved very effective in this case when we can not access
the object of study directly because specific objects are Vietnamese woman in
a historical period which has passed, insteads, we must approach the object in

the production takes place in a tropical climate with unusual events (droughts,
floods, pests, etc) always happens to make life precarious, heavily dependent
on natural course.
- Commercial: domestic trade mainly with rural market system (village
markets) and small trade flow. Vietnamese society based on Confucianism,
considered as degenerate art and craft wholesale traders considered the last
class of the “Four classes” (Cholars - Farmers - Manufacturers - Traders).
In the above conditions, the traditional Vietnamese woman has a very
important position in the maintenance and development of the economy
reflected in the family to team up with her husband and other members of the
production workers and the unique role of the wife in trade.
1.1.2. Social and political situations
Factors that greatly affect the lives of women in society and the
traditional Vietnamese families:

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1.1.2.1. Village institutions
Important social factors first, strong dominant position in the
Vietnamese women’s traditional village institutions. Vietnamese village - as
the study indicates, the traditional settlements of the Vietnamese people in
rural areas, there are local private sector, organizational structure, process
rules, dialect, psychological and personality complete individual and stable
over the course of history. The village has features:
- As a self-governing institution with many organizations based on the
collection forms, with many overlapping relationships, taking as a basis
village conventions associated with the management of public opinion, the
concept of morality, religion, and the law, creating a very tight management
style.

unmarried, security, encouragement, worship organizations, security meet the
obligations of the state) is adjusted by conventions. Every member of the
organizing institutions shall be obliged to comply with the provisions set out
in the convention, if the violation or failure to comply will be subject to all the
different sanctions. Conventions directly sanction violators, but many cases,
the family and the family of the offender shall also be jointly responsible.
With the above rules, conventions are “rules of lifestyle” communities of each
Vietnamese group that every member of the family as well as other
institutions, organizations must comply.
Besides the general rules of social organization and social life in the
village, and the conventions are also specific provisions for women in the
village:
- Article 14 of the convention of Huu Le Village, Muc Son commune,
Thanh Hoa mentioned clearly: “Those who conjugal discord, disharmony
brothers cursing my eyebrows, a fine of 3 offices. If it is caused by the woman,

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adding: tied to a short rod segments, located at the crossroads of a day to
quit unless unruly”. [58, P.128]
- Article 65 stipulated: “Get to the virtuous wife, not marry
indiscriminately, making routine sex style, if someone does not stop your
heart desires that whisper so awkward together wedlock births, the village
began serious crime. And as another boy wooing girl, bad rumors around,
just penalize people discovered the first 10 buffalo worth relating, to bring
out the bad beats, do punish guilty to the following form to leave”.[58, P.128]
- Conventions of Thien Ky village, Hoang Mai commune, Quynh Luu
district, Nghe An established in 1844, of which Article 7 states: “Women
uncovered wild sex if unmarried daughter is fine and shaved 20 views parents

of poor women. Many public opinions and the actual had stronger effect than
the customary penalty or law. In this case, folk also contributed a significant
part in shaping public opinion. Numerous folk poems sung not by reasons of
coal bearing bodies that purpose admonition, brought high permeability.
1.1.2.3. Factors of historical situations
Besides the internal factors of the organizational mechanisms of
Vietnamese traditional society, historical contextual factors also affect the
country directly to the life of a traditional Vietnamese woman. From 179 BC
to 938 BC, during 1117 years invaded by the North and 30 times our nation
had rebelled against the domination of the North (including two uprisings led
by women: uprisings of Trung’s sisters and Ba Trieu). In the period of our
nation regaining independence and sovereignty (938 to 1884), our people had
two time against the Force of Tong (981, 1074-1075), three times against the
Mongol-Yuan (1258, 1285 and 1288); against re-colonization

the Ming

(1407 - 1427); one against the Qing (1789); one against the Siamese, then the
anti-imperialist France, Japan, the United States invaded, etc. The
Vietnamese, including many Vietnamese women were heroic, indomitable,

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sacrifice, happy couple happy family in order to protect the nation's
independence. Context of national construction, defense of our nation, our
people must require heroic, indomitable resilience against natural disasters,
sabotage to community cohesion, cohesion individual - family - village nations made up the strength to survive, fight and win. In the process, women
have contributed greatly forming qualities and ethics of the nation, has tried to
preserve, transmit and promote the quality and ethics that.