March 8, 2007

Hanoi - Hai Phong, Vietnam

It's International Women's Day! Pretty much ignored in the United States, this event is a big deal throughout much of the rest of the world, such as here in Vietnam. We are leaving Seattle's sister city, Haiphong, enroute to Hanoi where we will catch a flight back to Ho Chi Minh. It's still cool and overcast here in the northern part of the country--about the same temperature as in Seattle right now, I heard. The dreariness, however, is brightened by the eye-popping flower stalls. Haiphong is known for its flower industry, but on this special occasion--International Women's Day--flower sales are especially huge. The route back to Hanoi this time takes us past one of Vietnam's most spectacular areas: Ha Long Bay. Sheer limestone escarpments dramatically jut out of the sea and coastline, creating a surreal landscape that tourists flock to explore, mostly by boat. No trip to Vietnam is complete without visiting this spot.

Back in Ho Chi Minh City, rain clouds threaten and the temperatures are cooler than when we were here a few days ago. Waiting for a cab at the airport, it's fun to watch the young men meeting their moms or girlfriends, shyly presenting them with a little wicker basket of roses or some other flowery gift. I like this idea--a day set aside for an entire country to pause and honor its women. How that's done in Vietnam runs the gamut from prestigious national awards given to women of achievement to something much simpler--like a sparkly heart on a stick presented to a sweetheart. The Vietnam News, the national English daily newspaper, features several articles today about the progress of Vietnamese women. Vietnam passed its own version of the Equal Rights Amendment called the Law on Gender Equality last November. It goes into effect this July. The paper also quotes reports by the United Nations and the World Bank that claim Vietnam is a leading nation in SE Asia in terms of equality of the sexes. During my short time here, I've been pleasantly surprised to see that two orphanage directors, a school principal, plus the director of the Agent Orange rehab facility were all women. And powerful ones, too. No one here denies, however, that females still have a ways to go here in terms of access to education, medical care and their overall social standing. Gender-based violence remains a problem, too, according to the Vietnam News, in domestic situations, in prostitution, and in the trafficking of women and girls. In this regard, globally, Vietnam is hardly alone. The oppression of women is a plague that still haunts the world, from Asia to Africa to the Americas. And most experts on the eradication of poverty believe that developing nations will never reach their full potential as long as half of their population is marginalized and ignored. When women have equality, everyone benefits--men, women, children, and even the economic status of entire countries. I can't think of a better time than on International Women's Day to call for the end of violence and discrimination against women, once and for all.