As published on VnExpress on 8 March 2026

During a trip in Viet Nam, I had a chance to join my tour guide’s family for dinner. 

The table was lively and warm. At one point, I noticed the table seemed to split into two halves.  At one end, the men were speaking loudly and animatedly. On the other, the women chatted quietly among themselves.

Curious, I asked what the debate was about. Public affairs and politics, the women told me, explaining “that’s men’s business”. 

That brief exchange stayed with me. It was at once very relatable to interactions in my own extended family, while at the same time reflected something larger: the quiet, often unspoken ways societies decide who is seen as knowledgeable about public affairs, and, ultimately, who is considered fit to lead. 

As elections approach and candidate lists are announced, familiar questions rooted in gender norms are re-emerging in everyday conversations:

“Politics is complicated; why should women get involved?”

“If a woman is always attending meetings, who will take care of the home and the family?”

These are questions that reflect a long-standing assumption: that politics is a space implicitly reserved for men. 

The results of the 15th National Assembly elections, with women accounting for more than 30 percent of delegates, place Viet Nam among the countries with the highest proportions of women parliamentarians in Asia. Yet the perception persists in Viet Nam as it does across societies all around the world. 

Part of the explanation lies in the tendency to associate effective leadership with traits traditionally considered “masculine” — such as decisiveness, authority, and influence. This pattern has been widely documented in research on role congruity between gender and leadership norms.

When a man enters politics, it is considered a career choice. 

When a woman does the same, her decision may be met with doubt.

Is she competent enough? Does she have enough time? Does she possess the authority to lead? And can she successfully “balance” the demands of family and work?

The standards applied to women often seem double: strong enough to lead, yet gentle enough not to disrupt traditional family expectations. Even when not expressed openly, these assumptions quietly shape choices long before voters step into the polling booth. Viet Nam has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting gender equality in political leadership. The country was one of the first to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and has adopted national strategies, legal frameworks and ambitious targets to increase women’s participation in elected bodies.

Yet, targets set by Viet Nam on women’s political leadership and representation have not been fully achieved. 

A 2023 UNDP report found that nearly 70% of respondents nationwide fully or partially agreed that men make better leaders, while the UNDP Global Gender Social Norms Index 2023 showed the consistent trend:  over 65% of people in Viet Nam believe men are better suited for political leadership. 

Such perceptions do not necessarily stem from explicit bias against women, but from expectations about what politicians are assumed to deliver. 

When effectiveness is defined by influence, patronage networks, and access to resources to address local challenges, the “ideal” leader becomes unconsciously associated with masculine norms. As a result, women candidates are viewed as less capable of securing benefits for constituents, notwithstanding of the lack of evidence supporting such assumptions.

The barrier operates quietly but powerfully. Voters may not intentionally reject women candidates, yet assumptions about who appears more capable of exercising political influence can tilt electoral choices in favor of men.

Viet Nam’s own history can tell a different story.

From the Hai Ba Trung Sisters and Lady Trieu to recent figures such as General Nguyen Thi Dinh and Madame Nguyen Thi Binh, women have repeatedly assumed leadership roles at decisive moments in national history.

The question, therefore, has never been whether Vietnamese women are capable of political leadership, but why contemporary perceptions do not always recognize this. 

When leadership opportunities remain shaped by narrow assumptions about who is suited to lead, the nation risks overlooking capable contributors at precisely the moment they are most needed.

As Viet Nam advances toward its aspirations to become a high-income country in 2045, its leadership system needs to mobilize the full potential of the entire society. The question now is no longer whether women can lead in politics, but how best to recognize the full potential of their leadership.