Vietnamese Men’s Definitions of Intimate Partner Violence and Perceptions of Women’s Recourse-Seeking

The Vietnamese government has made efforts to promote gender equality and to discourage intimate partner violence (IPV), yet IPV remains a common experience for married women in Vietnam. IPV leads to severe injury, poor mental health, chronic disease, and substance abuse among women; yet, little is known about why men perpetrate IPV. We explored how men defined IPV and perceived women’s recourse seeking following IPV in Vietnam. Using data from 10 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with Vietnamese men, taken from a parent study on attitudes about IPV in Vietnam, we found that men often viewed IPV against women as normal, and justified violence occurring when a husband was ‘hot-tempered,’ drunk, or when the wife was seen as at fault. Men interviewed were often reluctant to endorse recourse-seeking on the part of the woman unless the violence was both frequent and severe. While frequent and severe IPV was seen as warranting recourse-seeking, infrequent or less severe IPV was normalized and seen as a private family issue. For less severe IPV men felt that women could potentially engage in recourse such as running or hiding from a husband to avoid instances of IPV. Only when IPV was happening multiple times per week and was severe enough to warrant medical treatment was recourse, such as approaching family or neighbors for help, notifying authorities, and petitioning for divorce seen as appropriate. Interventions with men are needed to support recourse-seeking for women and to reduce IPV in Vietnam.