This article is written by a singaporean journalist.

Whom must we blame ? The vietnamese for selling off their daughter or These chinese singaporean for treating Viets as mayterial goods ?



Viet brides in booth raise eyebrows

As men and women — and yes, children too — gawked and pointed, the women sat in a row quietly. They fidgeted and chatted with one another. But most of the time, they stared into space out of boredom.

The booth featuring the "ready brides", clad in jeans and tank tops, from Vietnam, stuck out like a sore thumb among the other booths at the "Shin Min Daily News Record-Setting Carnival 2005".
Marrying Vietnamese women reached trend status in Singapore two years ago, according to Singaporean press. Currently, there are 10 matchmaking firms providing this service in the country.

While the other booths featured home products, educational courses and beauty and wellness programs, this booth front read "Blissful Heart Marriage Centre".

One female onlooker said: They looked like they were on display in a "fish tank".

The "fish tank" happened to be at the most unlikely of places: A family-oriented three-day carnival aimed at providing "an entertaining and enjoyable platform for all in the coming school holidays".

Leaflets promoting "Luxury" packages costing S$13,800 and "Choose Bride on the spot S$9800" were distributed to those passing by the booth.

"Come, come, it's ok, come take a look," said one man distributing the leaflets.

First time human exhibition

The director of the company, Mr Francis Toh, said it was the first time the matchmaking company set up a booth at an exhibition.

He said in Mandarin: "The main reason why the company decided to set up a booth here is to publicize the company's service."

But because it was a public area, no transactions are allowed, he was quick to stress.

The booth was set up to promote the service and interested parties were not allowed to choose the brides there, he stressed.

The Vietnamese were there to give potential clients an idea of how Vietnamese girls look, and give them a feel of the on-the-spot selection process.

"This is not an auction. If they want to select the brides, they have to go down to the matchmaking centers," he said.

Other exhibitors at the carnival, organized by the Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese evening paper Shin Min Daily News, however, had their reservations.

A worker at one of the booths, who only wanted to be known as Simon, said: "It's inappropriate and out of place for the booth to be here because this exhibition is mainly for branding and setting of records."

Wrong impression

Businessman Lim Yu Seng, 45, who had brought his two young daughters to the exhibition, was taken aback to see the booth.

"It's fine if they promote it in newspapers," he said. "But it shouldn't be so open at a family-oriented exhibition where there are so many children. The children might get the wrong impression seeing all the girls sitting there."

When TODAY called the organizer for a comment, organizing committee chairman Ms Michelle Lim insisted that the women at the booth were not on display.

They "may be there to see the breaking of the records or to rest at the booth," she said.

She added: "We walk around frequently to monitor the booths. The company is aware that they are not allowed to showcase the women. It would be a breach of contract if the women were placed there like products."

She went on to say that as the women are "visitors", she "can't stop them from coming to the carnival or visiting the booth".

Repugnant

When the President of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) Braema Mathi learned about the booth, she said the method and the place are both wrong.

"I think putting women from any country up like this, almost advertising themselves as brides, is repugnant. It's a public display that presents the women in a one-dimensional way, that she's only good as a bride," she said.

"As a newspaper, I think the responsibility becomes a little bit stronger to look at who are the partners they're working with and what the partners are going to do."

According to matchmaking website www.catcha.com.sg, up to 5,000 Vietnamese brides are ready under the management of International Matchmakers, a Singaporean matchmaker.

The article Still looking for a Singapore Husband published on the Straits Times Mar. 3 quoted the Vietnamese ambassador in Singapore as saying that last year, 300 Vietnamese women married Singaporean men.

The article said each month the International Matchmakers attracts four to six customers, and all procedures for a wedding would be settled in only five days with S$14,888.

Source: RFA, Straits Times, Newstoday & Sunday Star.

Obviously, blame it mostly on the war, 80million litres of toxic wastes, 3 times WWII bombs.... and the 20yr of hard embargo .

Obviously, blame it mostly on the war, 80million litres of toxic wastes, 3 times WWII bombs.... and the 20yr of hard embargo .

thats really poor its really too bad things are as it is

These parents usually think their daughters are off to a better life. But they are wrong.

Blame it on the communists. If Vietnam was economically better, this wouldn't have happen and our women can hold their heads high. Vietnamese women are extremely pretty and our country is so underdeveloped right now --> this is a situation ideal for exploitation. Damn...it pisses me off, but you can't blame these girls. They're driven by hardship and circumstances. You can't blame it on the Chinese either. Right now they have a ratio of 120 male to 100 female, and they're horny like all males. Hmm...difficult situation.

There's a comparison in my Asian History class on how women are treated in SEAsia compare to the rest.

One European found that in China women are treated as second citizens, and in fact in Vietnam he noticed a Chinese merchant beating his Vietnamese wife. However the rest of SEAsia, especially in Malayan places, women have extraordinary roles and rights.

i feel bad for those girls , now girls in Vietnam are tend to marry Vietnamese overseas , noone wants to marry to taiwanese or whatever anymore. Well , maybe some uneducated , poor country side girls still !! and yes , blame it on the dumb communist party , cant do any good for VN, what a fuc-king corrupted goverment. Those mother fuc-kers are making VN look extremely bad to the whole world , i hope the day communist corrupt is the day those b!tches get their head blown to pieces. For god sake, this is 2005 and their are still people so .... to think that marrying to another foreign country will make their lives better without speaking the language (without real love) once again , blame on the govenment for taking all the money that should be spent to educate the people !! FUC-K THE COMMUNIST, fu-k YOU PHAN VAN KHAI

Yes, I would feel ashamed for vietnamese men for not being able to protect their daughter, sister or friend...

Nowadays, people have lost self esteem and national pride. My parents tell me that before the communist rule, in spite of extreme poverty the experienced in the northern countryside, it was a shame for a vnmese woman to have a relationship with a white man and even worse with a non assimilated chinese.. But today, virtual material happiness is prevails on top of the rest...

indeed, communism has destroyed the vietnam spirit...

Yeah it's all the commies fault. Let me see you create an economy that has had 20 years embargo even worse than Cuba?

But ultimately it is still the person's decision. So if they want to be foreign brides and treated as dirt, then it is mostly their own fault.

It's the environment that contributes to most of their decision. I mean have you seen Japanese or Vietnamese American females into these places?

There are also countries that are poorer than Vietnam that you don't see females from those countries in those places.

So I believe it's a combination of environment and the decision of Vietnaemse females to participate in this type of behaviour.

Such as ...?

^Well for starters Vietnamese women have had more freedoms than other countries, due to the stories of the Trung Sisters.

Look at Afghanistan or North Korea, which is more poor than Vietnam, but do you see their women doing stunts like this?

It's because Islam is more strict towards women.

I believe that if Vietnamese were more strict towards women, they might not go do embarassing stuff to us like this.

Shouldn't that be MY evidence instead of your evidence, society and enviroment shape people's decisions.

1. Afghanistan women are incredibly oppressed, so is North Korea. It is NOT their wills but because they have no other ways to choose.

2. You obviously have a completely DIFFERENT mindset with Vietnamese people in Vietnam that it's not even surprising anymore. Seriously, if you have read the Tales Of Kieu (the character's background is chinese, but the situation itself is very Vietnamese), you will see how Vietnamese women had been for years.

3. Finally, because of the oppression of women concept in Confucianism, Vietnamese peasents didn't absorb much of it until 8-9 centuries later (Early Nguyen dynasty).

double post

But I argued that it is ultimately their decision. Even if influenced.

hell yea fuk the communist... if i had a chance i'd b!tch slap anyone who did thta to the viet gurls.... juss bunch of f@g cmmunists..

Byron is right that there seems to be a big demand for Vietnamese women...why?, because they're pretty.
In Thailand and Cambodia human trafficking also thrive but they tend to be isolated to the domestic market.

And Byron, 2 decades of embargo doesn't help Vietnam, but there's been one decade of "free" trade (not wholly free since the Vietnamese govt still retains many draconian regulations)...still, the corruption and repression continues...and all the while Vietnamese women are driven to do this...when can I expect this to end? Why doesn't the Vietnamese govt use it repressive muscle for something other than crushing oppositions and criticism? It has absolute power within the country so it can take drastic measures right, so why doesn't it? Maybe because it doesn't care about the plight of Vietnamese women? As long as the communist officials are well fed, who cares what happen to the common folks right?

Why the lack of inaction?

Actually Vietnamese authorities have been working with Chinese authorities on trying to stop the trafficking of Vietnamese women on the border to China. It depends on how much money your willing to set up for this program. Vietnam being a poor country should waste too much money on this.

Remember these women aren't exactly starving to the point of having to do this to survive. They still have the basic necessities, just not luxary items like TV or the newest clothes. So again it's really their decision to do this.

The govt's responsee doesn't seems enough and is merely cosmetic. It's seems the groups in the US which should have less interest in the plight of Vietnamese women are doing more than the govt to help them, 20/20 did an expose on this very issue a couple of month ago. China and Vietnam working together when the chinese have a thriving domestic prostitution market themselves...definitely cosmetic.

Still, you hit on a sore point. The core of the problem is not just stopping the trafficking. It's attacking the conditions that conduce women to have to make such stupid decisions. The conditions are economic in nature, and economics is interwined with politics. The core of the problem is the system: communism--> its croynism, corruption, inresponsiness to the people, and political pressure.

You blaming the women is a perfect example of the communist mentality. It's not our problem, it's the women fault. If these were degenerate women, I would agree, but I see all to often these are uneducated, innocent girls from the countryside who are being exploited. Worst, the govt and communists supporter will try to cover up such a crime to present the impression that Vietnam is doing fine , our women are respected and law and order reigns. This was observed when I lived in Vietnam. All the positive news were reported and the negatives were ignored or slanted towards the govt favour or blamed on foreigners. The first step to tackling this problem is for the govt to recognize that it is its responsibility. Stop wasting its time cracking down religion and talking trash about "evil Western" influence such as dying your hair anything other than black, or wearing scanty clothings; that's all I seem to read in the official communist newspaper like "The Youth." Stop looking in other people's backyard, the problem is in your backyard. Vietnam is an immoral and corrupt society because the govt itself is at its core rotten.

I didn't blame the women 100%. But I do believe they are partially responsible.

Oh and not all the women are 100% innocent. I've heard that some of them would get married and once they got a green card, they would divorce and take the money and other crap they got from the divorce.

Oh and Vietnam isn't the only country that does it. There are websites out there selling Chinese brides, Russian brides, Filipino brides, etc.

I don't think Russia and the Phillipines are communist countries yet they do it too.

It seems quite odd that when there is an incident about Vietnamese people getting exploited, and you believe the Vietnamese government is involved, you waste no time in judging that these victims are 100% innocent.

But when an event that exploits Vietnamese people that goes against the US like the Agent Orange case, you defend Vietnamese in America who say that the victims are faking it to get money.

So does that mean Vietnamese victims are innocent if the situation can be made to make the communist government look evil, but the victims are guilty if the situation makes the US look evil?

The US intentionally used Agent Orange and knew they contained dangerous dioxins. While the Vietnam government never had plans to sell Vietnamese brides.

why always like that? i think people in america are very racist toward each other.

byron, there is still a trade embargo against Cuba today. Cuba will stay a poor house forever.

You cannot compare Cuba and Vietnam. Thanks to Bill Clinton, Vietnam had signed bilateral trade agreement with US and become a properous country. However, the poors are still poorer, the commies are richer. Despite their hoola baloo against the US Imperialists, 30,000 of their offsprings are staying here for good. There are only 300 went home after graduated from colleges. Core commies are buying real estates in US like no tomorrow.


Well, they are so poor they have no choice. They can only choose to go oversea and be fed than stay home and starve to death.



This is another idiotic argument from byron. You are so famous with this type of argument man. Women in North Korea cannot get out their country. They have to storm some foreign Embassy to gain freedom. And who would want to marry a girl who keeps her face covered all the time? It is not appealing.



byron, besides being an idiot, you are an ignorance little boy. US sprayed AO in South Vietnam but 2 of the plantiffs in the lawsuit were never set a foot down South Vietnam. The Vietnamese government don’t know how to lie, stupid a$$. They sued the chemical companies but were not dare to sue US government.



Thank you for sharing this with us byron. But we could do a better job get it from Google than you do. That’s where you got the information from. Right? How do you know they still have basic necessities? Have you ever been there to notice? I will be very ashame of you if I am your mother.

No Vietnamese authorities are working with any Chinese to stop this trading of slavery. This is how they make their money, you dumb a$$.

Look at most women in East Asia, some live like queens in their societies. Their governments do care about the well being of their citizens. Not in Vietnam, Viet government is the most corrupted government on earth, therefore majority of Vietnamese families are poor. Besides most Vietnamese men in Vietnam are pigs. Therefore majority of women and children have to carry the burden. Everywhere I go, I feel women and children are victims in the society. Most women would do the heavy work while men spend their time in bars or coffee shops. I just came back from Vietnam, and China. You can bullshiet most people here but me my brother.

If they put the Viet women in a booth and sell them in Singapore then I would blame it to the god damn goverment. It’s disgusting and dishonorable to the whole nation.

When have I taken a position on agent orange? Could you post some of my post on it if I had? The position I seems to hold is that I'm uncertain...I don't know how much is true and how much is propaganda--> the communists haven't really convinced me otherwise...find me a credible 3rd party source and change my mind...anyhow you're distracting from the topic.

I agreed with you that 100% of Vietnamese are not innocent. When have I asserted otherwise? Yet I will content that most are forced into this situation by circumstances. You take up the case of the Russian, Phillippines, and Thailand...Russian mail-order bride go to america and to other rich western countries...their plight is not as bad as Vietnamese women...in thailand and the philippines, they also for the most part go to western countries. Vietnam is particularly bad because are women are exported to places like Thailand, Cambodia, China to become prostitutes not just mail-ordered brides--> mail order bride I can deal with to some extent, yet even that is embarrassing esspecially when the women are put on display like meat in sigapore. Yet should Vietnamese women be put in this situation regardless? China is communist also, but are their women exploited to the extent of Vietnamese women? Vietnam is a failed communist state...our women deserve better...take some responsbility and do something about it instead of saying there are worst places...you want Vietnamese abroad to respect the communist govt --> stop b!tching, stop the lies, end the corruption, and protect our women; so far you have failed.

Moreover, if your comparative logic were allowed to stand everytime the Vietnamese govt commits a crime against humanity, all it has to do is point to NK and say they're worst than us. Do you see, someone being more stupid than you does not lessen your own stupidity .



Amen



This is a bit unfair to byron. He's stubborn no doubt, and I disagree with him all the time, but he for the most part is the only pro-govt man who tries to defend his position with logic, though if at times flawed logic. There are truly stupid, retarded Viet Cong on this site who deserves such titles more than Byron. They spit insults and propaganda at you and expects you to accept it like facts. It might work in Vietnam where you can't really argue back, but those b!tches can all go to hell in the free world.

This is what North Korean Commies done to women smugglers in their country.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Members of parliament from the main opposition Grand National Party and human rights activists screened two tapes at the South's National Assembly library that they say were smuggled from the North.

Activists say the tapes were made with a hidden camera and show thousands gathering at two separate events to watch public executions in and near Hoeryong, south of North Korea's border with China.

"Among all the horrendous things that have happened in the North, this is the most egregious," said Park Geun-hye, Grand National Party leader and daughter of assassinated president Park Chung-hee.

"The government of South Korea should investigate this and stop this," she said. Her party takes a harder line on North Korea than the ruling Uri Party, which has not publicly pressed the North on its suspected human rights abuses.

The videotapes were broadcast over three nights from last week on Japanese national network NTV.

In the first video, which activists said was taped on March 1, a propaganda van travels near a public market in Hoeryong as people in the crowd speak in North Korean accents about getting a good view.

Eleven people are shown. They are charged with being human trafficking brokers who smuggled North Korean women across the border for arranged marriages with Chinese men.

In an outdoor trial that takes less than 20 minutes -- where no defense is presented -- two of the 11 are sentenced to death. The Japanese broadcaster magnified the executions, which take place in the distance, so that they can be seen more clearly.

In the distance, one man is tied to a post by his head, torso and legs. Three soldiers fire one round each at the head, breaking the ropes as the man slumps forward, then the chest as the ropes break again and the man slumps forward more, and finally the legs, as the lifeless body falls to the ground.

The other person is executed in the same manner. The bodies are then stuffed into burlap bags and tossed into the back of a van as children run to the scene to get a glimpse of the action.

There is also a second video activists say was taken on the following day in the same general area that shows an execution of one other person in the same manner.

The total running time for the videos is 105 minutes and the Japanese broadcaster used satellite imaging and videotape taken from the Chinese side of the border to match features from Hoeryong with those shown in the video
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

^ Not something Vietnam should emulate ...but definitely the Vietnamese govt needs to do more.

okay guys...STOP SITTING THEIR AND BLAMING COMMUNISTS FOR EVERYTHING.
i really feel sad for this...i've read a lot articles like this...and i've even cried for those viet girls.
but guys...what can we do?...and what can the vietnamese government do?...vietnam is a poor country...very sad...and talented viet people have all gone oversea...no one's there to help our country...waht can we do?

The whole vietnamese nation is humiliated.

Blaming communists ist just right because they didn't make any move to protest. As Vietnamese citizens, these girls deserve to be protected agaisnt human traffickers. Neither The Vietnamese ambassy in Singapore nor the Vietnamese government has issued any protest against this shameful action.

The communist governement ought to withdraw profesional license or business certificate from these sinagaporean companies. It didn't.


What can we do ? Lawyers should investigate the case to fill a law suit against these matchmaking shops either at singaporean courts or at the United Nations Human Right Court.

Affluent people could finance information and prevention campaign in Vietnam about foreign matchmaking companies and real life situation abroad, aiming at bride wannabes !

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW? SITTING HERE AND TALKING? GOT TO DO SOMETHING.

I HEARD A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE WANTED TO OVERTHROW THE VIET GOVERNMENT. BUT IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME AND THE VIETCONG IS STILL THERE. YOU GUYS JUST TALK. YOU GUYS NEVER MAKE ANY ACTIONS.
AND EVEN IF AFTER YOU GUYS OVERTHROW THE VIET GOVERNMENT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT VIET-NAM-CONG-SAN AND VIET-NAM-CONG-HOA. AND PEOPLE THINK VIET-NAM-CONG-HOA AS HERO AND BETTER THAN CONGSAN. BOTH OF THEM ARE JUST BUNCH OF IDIOTS.

I hope someday people could overthrow the viet government. But for vietnam becomes a better country, vietnese has better life. NOT FOR THOSE STUPID VIETNAMCONHOA WHO ARE JUST GOOD AT TALKING AND BLAMING. THEY CANNOT DO ANY GOOD TO VIETNESE, JUST TALKING AND BLAMING.

Before acting, one must be informed. All I did in reporting these news is trying to keep people abreast of the social condition in Vietnam, because I've heard people saying VN is now a democratic country, where people enjoy freedom and equty...etc.

"Think globally , act locally !"

I understand you anger about these pure talks about the evil communists et caetera. I don't like those old guards either, they were the first to put down weapons and are the first to go back to vietnam to spend their dollars. A new VN will born without them.

But I believe that besides those vain talkative people, there are a few goodwill individuals silently working for the day when they will come to ovethrow the rotten communists.

no blame it on the corrupted gov of vietnam who is too stupid and greedy and cant think or seeee future growth.... for example i would love to go back to vietnam and do bussiness but the gov is so corrupted i wouldnt dare to take my money back there....


in the end it is stupidity and greed that is limiting the growth of vietnam

Dear friend, I am faced with this problem and sometimes that just makes my cry: I don't fear losing my money because of mismanagement or competition or failing to address the market because at least, I would have taken risk and helped some people earn money honestly.

But I don't want have my money wasted in bribing corrupt gov agencies in order to set up my business in Vietnam. it is just unfair and contributes to worsen the corruption plague.

some people treat dogs as women