Navigating Changing Norms Around Sex in Dating Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Young People in Vietnam

Social and economic changes in Vietnam since the economic restructuring of the 1980s have caused a shift in norms about premarital sex. While expectations of female chastity remain, sex before marriage is becoming more common among young people. As the formative phase of a parent randomized controlled trial, the present study examined the normative context of sex in dating relationships from the perspectives of young women and men in Vietnam. Men (n = 12) and women (n = 9) studying at two universities in Hanoi participated in semi-structured interviews that explored perspectives on sexual relationships and sexual coercion among their peers. Thematic analysis synthesized participant narratives into broader themes. Our findings confirmed that, as social norms evolve in Vietnam, young women must navigate shifting, and often contradictory, expectations about sex and dating relationships. Women and men expressed the belief that competing sexual expectations often can limit young women’s sexual agency and contribute to the normalization of sexual coercion in dating relationships. However, some women were embracing greater sexual freedom and reframing norms in ways that reflected their sexual agency. Efforts are needed to address these conflicting expectations, to deepen young men’s understanding of this conflict, and to prevent sexual coercion in young adulthood.