@article{ART003218657},
author={Phan Huong Thao and Kim Eun-sung},
title={The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities},
journal={The Journal of Multicultural Society},
issn={2005-2553},
year={2025},
volume={18},
number={2},
pages={5-51}
TY - JOUR
AU - Phan Huong Thao
AU - Kim Eun-sung
TI - The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities
JO - The Journal of Multicultural Society
PY - 2025
VL - 18
IS - 2
PB - Research Institute of Asian Women
SP - 5
EP - 51
SN - 2005-2553
AB - This paper investigates the process by which Vietnamese migrant women married to Koreans reconstruct their identities through small business ventures. Based on in-depth interviews with a total of 16 Vietnamese migrant women, the study analyzes the impact of economic independence on their identities and social roles. The study found that, first, in order to reconcile the conflict between cultural and normative values between Vietnam and Korea, migrant women voluntarily chose small businesses, which enabled them to realize their aspirations for economic independence. Second, as their contribution to household income increased, their voice and decision-making power within the family expanded, allowing them to actively circumvent patriarchal pressures. Third, their position as business owners allowed them to transcend the negative stigma of international marriage, maintaining their Vietnamese ethnicity while enabling cultural integration in areas such as food culture, child rearing, and language use. Finally, as their business activities strengthened ties between the two countries, the migrant women developed a transnational identity that encompassed a sense of belonging and mobility, designing fluid lives at the boundaries of multiple identities.
KW - vietnamese migrant women;transnational migration;hybrid identity;small-scale business operation;economic independence
DO -
UR -
ER -
Phan Huong Thao and Kim Eun-sung. (2025). The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 18(2), 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao and Kim Eun-sung. 2025, "The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities", The Journal of Multicultural Society, vol.18, no.2 pp.5-51.
Phan Huong Thao, Kim Eun-sung "The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18.2 pp.5-51 (2025) : 5.
Phan Huong Thao, Kim Eun-sung. The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities. 2025; 18(2), 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao and Kim Eun-sung. "The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18, no.2 (2025) : 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao; Kim Eun-sung. The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities. The Journal of Multicultural Society, 18(2), 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao; Kim Eun-sung. The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities. The Journal of Multicultural Society. 2025; 18(2) 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao, Kim Eun-sung. The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities. 2025; 18(2), 5-51.
Phan Huong Thao and Kim Eun-sung. "The Business Operations of Vietnamese Migrant Women and the Formation of Transnational Identities" The Journal of Multicultural Society 18, no.2 (2025) : 5-51.
