I don't want to judge, but does anyone else find this really odd and sad? In Vietnam, authorities are planning to set up an official matchmaking agency to arrange marriages between Vietnamese women and foreign men: Vietnam state to run bride agency.
The goal is to regulate the sector, which is currently run by illegal groups, with many women falling prey to unscrupulous brokers and sold into prostitution, or forced into marriages they don't want.
In Vietnam, overseas marriage is seen by some women -- many from poor backgrounds -- as a way out of poverty to a better life. So they're paraded before potential suitors, men on short "marriage holidays" from South Korea, Taiwan and beyond.
The government says it hopes to the plan will help prevent the abuse of Vietnamese women by criminal organizations, or by their new husbands. But I have to ask, will state-run matchmaking really be much better? Or less exploitative?
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