Women's Rights in Vietnam: A Comparative Approach to Ho Chi Minh Thought and International Standards

This article examines the relationship between Ho Chi Minh Thought and international human rights frameworks on women’s rights through a structured comparative analysis. Drawing on qualitative textual analysis, the study compares selected writings of Ho Chi Minh with key international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, across three dimensions: subjects of rights, objectives of equality, and mechanisms of implementation. The findings indicate that both frameworks converge in their commitment to substantive gender equality and the elimination of discrimination. However, they diverge in their approaches to rights realization. International norms emphasize legal institutionalization and accountability, whereas Ho Chi Minh Thought foregrounds political participation, collective mobilization, and the integration of women’s rights within broader processes of national liberation and social transformation. The study argues that these differences are not inherently contradictory but reveal complementary strengths and limitations. While international frameworks provide enforceable legal standards, Ho Chi Minh Thought offers a context-sensitive perspective that emphasizes political agency and historical conditions. The article contributes to human rights scholarship by proposing a comparative framework that integrates legal and political approaches, thereby offering a more nuanced understanding of women’s rights in post-colonial and developing contexts.