This seminar shares the first systematic study of femicide in Vietnam, based on 6 years of media reporting. Of the 346 reported cases nearly nine in ten women were murdered by current or former partners, often in their own homes, in rural and urban contexts. The discussion highlights media silences, accountability, and prevention.
This seminar presents Lethal Love: Femicide in Vietnam, An Analysis of Media Reports 2018–2024, the first systematic study of femicide in Vietnam. Drawing on 346 reported cases across major news outlets, the study documents how nearly nine out of ten victims were murdered by current or former partners, usually in their own homes.
While media accounts often framed these killings as sudden acts of jealousy or rage, the small number of reports that mentioned prior histories of abuse revealed long term coercion and control. These cases confirm that femicide is not a crime of passion but the lethal endpoint of ongoing gender-based violence.
Femicide in Vietnam is proportionally divided over rural and urban contexts with both multigenerational patrilocal and nuclear households. This means more people may be involved as witnesses, accomplices, or potential sources of support. These dynamics reshape how prevention, intervention, and accountability must be understood, challenging assumptions that modernisation or urbanisation alone will reduce violence. Most international research, particularly from the UK and US, has focused on intimate partner violence in nuclear families.
Media coverage shows striking omissions. Occupations of victims and perpetrators were missing in two thirds of cases, while ethnicity was absent in over 94 percent. When occupations were reported, victims were most often described as factory workers or in other precarious jobs. This may reflect not only who is vulnerable but also the ability of middle and upper class families to protect themselves from public scrutiny.
Reporters often receive only limited official information, face legal risks, and may encounter threats. Rather than being blamed, journalists need support and access to reliable data to report responsibly. Vietnam’s official homicide statistics are not publicly available, preventing journalists, researchers and the public alike from seeing patterns for prevention and response.
The seminar will present the research findings and discuss their implications for prevention, justice, journalism, and future research
Speaker
- Pauline Oosterhoff, Senior Research Fellow, IDS
Chair
- Sohela Nazneen, Research Fellow, IDS
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Accessibility
This event will take place in the IDS Convening Space which is on the 1st floor of the IDS Building. If you need to use a lift then press floor 1a.
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