Trends In Vietnam: Young People Reluctant To Marry And Choose To Rent A Partner

Illustration of young people in Vietnam (Freepik/pressphoto)

JAKARTA - More and more young people in Vietnam are delaying marriage, because they focus on careers or have difficulty finding a partner that fits the criteria. However, the pressure from parents to get married immediately makes them look for an unusual solution, namely renting a partner.

Dozens of groups on social media offer the services of certain couples. One of the admin forums with more than 20,000 members recorded an increase in demand from women who hired boyfriends to please their parents.

Reported by VOI from the South Morning China Post page on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, one of the women who tried the service was 30-year-old Minh Thu from the province of Nam Dinh, northern Vietnam. He has never dated in the last five years because of his busy job.

However, his parents asked him to bring his girlfriend if he wanted to go home for the Chinese New Year celebration. In fact, parents pretend to be sick to reinforce their desire to have grandchildren.

Minh spent several million Vietnam to hire a five year older man than him as a rental girlfriend. They exchanged family background information and created 'chemistry'. This was done a week before meeting his family.

Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man named Huy Tuan from Hanoi, has worked as a fake boyfriend for more than a year.

"I have to go to the gym regularly, learn to sing, cook, take photos, and improve communication capabilities to meet clients' expectations," explained Huy Tuan.

To maintain service quality, Tuan only receives three to four clients per month. The rates vary, ranging from a few hundred thousand Vietnam (around USD 10-20 or IDR 159-319 thousand rupiah) for short dates.

Then for the family meeting, Tuan set a price of around 1 million Vietnam (USD 40 or Rp628 thousand rupiah). Rental contracts usually have strict conditions, such as the prohibition of love and sexual harassment.

On the other hand, experts warn of the risk of renting a fake partner. Nguyen Thanh Nga, researchers from the Vietnam Academy of Journalistics and Communications, responded to the phenomenon.

"If exposed, the family could suffer heavy emotional losses and lose confidence. In addition, renting a partner is not legally protected in Vietnam, so women must be careful." he said.