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On December 4, 2021, a 20-year-old female hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at a zoo in Hanoi, Vietnam, was treated for lethargy, depression, and reduced appetite. Veterinary staff initiated antimicrobial drug treatment [...]

This article investigates the gender role attitudes and domestic division of labour of young couples in northern Vietnam. Based on separate interviews with 30 couples living in rural and urban areas, it explores young people's thoughts about the roles of a wife and a husband and how these translate into their allocation of housework. Analysis of the interviews indicates that the perceptions and expectations of young people remain influenced by traditional gender ideology, in that wives are still considered mainly responsible for housework. However, in practice, gender roles are highly flexible and demonstrate significant mutual support. In addition, the similarities or differences between spouses in terms of gender role attitudes contribute to levels of relative satisfaction regarding the current division of labour in households., Housework is said to endorse the relationship between femininity and masculinity and create a symbolic sense of gender. (1) Diverse theoretical perspectives have identified a variety of factors that shape [...]

Empowerment projects and research have focused on marginalised women, but often with less attention to the intersectional and relational conditions affecting their marginalisation. Ethnic minority women in Vietnam have multiple marginalising conditions, and they are targeted by government programmes to increase their participation in labour markets, their income, and their empowerment. Yet what the empowerment process looks like and achieves for these women is an important area for further study. This paper draws on a mixed-methods longitudinal study of an economic empowerment and livelihoods project that involved Hmong and Dao households in Vietnam. The quantitative data showed differences in women's and men's empowerment as measured on the A-WEAI, and among the different ethnic groups. Given these differences, we explored how power relations in the household and in the community affected Hmong and Dao women's empowerment differently. We used a relational capabilitiarian approach to analyse the relations between men and women as well as the community structures that affected empowerment and wellbeing. The analysis shows that women's and men's sharing of information, resources and workload are critical for improving women's livelihoods and wellbeing, but these processes look different for Hmong and Dao women, and they are affected by different social structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article illuminates the transition to companionate marriage of young couples in respect to love, romance and intimacy, while at the same time identifying conflicts over the realisation of emotional labour in marital practices. What do young Vietnamese men and women expect regarding intimacy in their relationships? What do they do in order to realise their emotional desires, and how does this influence their spousal relationships? Based on in-depth interviews with 30 couples aged 30 and below in one urban area and one rural area in Vietnam, the article shows the differences between men and women in their desire for love and mutual disclosure, and their involvement in emotion work. There is likely a power imbalance in gender relations because women have to adjust their demands and accommodate their husbands' lack involvement in emotion work. Women show a greater desire for love and intimacy, and engage in more emotion work, but their desires are not always satisfied in daily practice because men seem to be conservative, suppress their feelings and emotions, and hide their inner thoughts. These issues are not likely to adversely affect the young couples' long-term marital sustainability, but they do influence their marital quality because they cause dissatisfaction and disagreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vietnam’s deepening sociocultural exchanges with foreign countries over recent decades have influenced the thoughts, lifestyles, and marital expectations of young people, who grew up in a rapidly changing social context. The opening of Vietnam’s borders, both economically and culturally, has given rise to concerns that the sanctity of the institution of marriage in Vietnam as well as the longevity of individual marriages may be weakened as a result of the detraditionalization and/or modernization of marriage in Vietnam. This article investigates the meaning of marriage to young people in Vietnam, by drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with 60 married people aged not over 30. It addresses the questions: What do young people in Vietnam think about marriage? Is it important to them? If so, why and in what ways? The findings reflect two main facets in the young people’s thinking about marriage. The first identifies marriage as an essential institution, one that is supported by social norms of family and marriage in Vietnam. The second emphasizes the rewards that marriage potentially provides to individuals. While there was general consensus regarding these two claims, there were nevertheless some differences of opinion between men and women, and across rural and urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of Afatinib as first-line treatment of advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting., Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study of Vietnamese patients  with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with first-line afatinib at the National Cancer Hospital from 1st January 2018 to 31st October 2020. Patients' demographic, clinical and treatment data were captured. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), time to treatment failure (TTF) and tolerability were evaluated. We used Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test for survival, and Cox regression model for multivariate analysis., Results: A total of 44 patients were included. Common EGFR mutations (Del 19/L858R) were detected in 61% patients. Fifty percent of patients with uncommon mutations had compound mutations of G719X, L861Q and S768I. The ORR was 75% while DCR rate was 98%. The median TTF was 12.3 months (95% CI: 7.2-17.3); the mTTFs were 12.3 and 10.8 months for patients with common and uncommon mutations (p = 0.001), respectively, and 14.0 and 7.5 months for patients with Del 19 and L858R mutations (p = 0.067), respectively. Afatinib 30 mg once daily was the most common starting (77%) and maintenance (64%) doses. The mTTFs were 12.3 and 7.5 months for patients with 30 mg starting dose vs 40 mg dose (p = 0.256), respectively. Diarrhea, skin rash, paronychia and fatigue were observed in 32%, 30%, 25% and 9%, respectively. There was no grade 4 toxicity except three patients with grade 3 paronychia., Conclusions: First-line afatinib is beneficial for Vietnamese patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC with a good response rate and prolonged TTF with manageable adverse event profile. Baseline brain metastasis status and starting doses do not significantly impact TTF., .