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Between 2000 and June last year, there were nearly 34,000 marriages involving local men and foreign women.
Vietnamese brides were the most popular, followed by women from China, Indonesia and Thailand.
“As far as the Vietnamese Government is concerned, we neither encourage nor discourage our citizens from marrying Malaysian men,said Le Van Gang, counsellor for the Vietnamese embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
But to ensure that the women are not exploited, the Vietnamese Government actively conducts awareness campaigns in Vietnam, he said.
“The picture painted by matchmaking agents, who come to Vietnam, is always a bright and happy one, but we want the women to be aware that that is not always the case,he said.
“Ultimately, the decision to go is theirs, but at least we make sure that they know the risks.
The majority of Vietnamese women who marry Malaysians come from the southern part of the country and they are mainly women from rural areas with little or no education, he explained.
They are between 20 and 30, and have never lived outside the country, he said.
“The perception is that Malaysian men make good husbands and will also be kind and caring to their families in Vietnam.
The embassy does not have figures on the number of Vietnamese women married to Malaysians because its role in the process is only to certify that these women are single, said Le.
“When the women come to the embassy, our duty is to confirm or authenticate their status as single women when they have intentions of marrying Malaysians, he said.
This is compulsory and done in agreement with Malaysian authorities, he said.
“In the last three years, we have certified more than 1,000 women.
But these women may or may not end up marrying Malaysians.
We just confirm that they are sing l e, he said.
The majority of Vietnamese women who wed Malaysians are happy with their spouses and their lives in Malaysia, said Le.
But a small number face problems and some end in divorce.
These women are those who have been forced or compelled into marriage for some reason or another or their husbands may be much older than expected.
When they divorce, Vietnamese wives may have little choice but to return to their country and if they have a family by then, this can be difficult, he said.
“We had two cases where the women came to us after they had been beaten by the agent.
We took them to hospital.
But the Vietnamese Government works with Malaysian authorities to resolve these issues and with the awareness campaigns in Vietnam, they hope to reduce the number of failed marriages, said Le.
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