Fear and regrets haunt Vietnamese brides in China

Hong Lin, 22, a migrant construction worker, shows his passport, in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Jan 24, 2010. He planned to go to Vietnam to seek a bride himself. [Photo/IC]

Except for smuggled or fake Vietnamese brides, other missing brides experienced a far more complicated situation than revealed by reports, which largely focus on the plight of Chinese men rather than on the suffering of their brides.

"Research shows that there are cases where Chinese men defrauded Vietnamese brides, but it is largely ignored," said Wu Yanhua, a PhD candidate majoring sociology at Xiamen University.

Due to the great distance involved and limited dating time, Vietnamese brides may be given misleading information," Wu added.

Among 20 interviewed Vietnamese brides, all underwent feelings of regret, fear and dissatisfaction the moment they entered their new home in China. They all quarreled with their husbands.

Besides the huge gap between expectation and reality, difficulty in getting a Chinese green card and the substantial growth in the visa fee, which reached 800 yuan ($129) last year from 168 yuan, the trend of Vietnamese women entering China for marriage has withered.

According to statistics provided by the Civil Affairs Department of Fujian province, the number of Vietnamese women entering Yanxi town through marriage last year was zero.