“Tự nhiên” và “nữ giới” trong văn xuôi nữ việt nam đương đại nhìn từ nữ quyền luận sinh thái TT TIENG ANH

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

HOANG LE ANH LY

“NATURE” AND “WOMEN” IN VIETNAMESE
WOMEN'S CONTEMPORARY PROSE FROM
ECOFEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

Major: Vietnamese literature
Code: 62 22 01 21

THESIS’ SUMMARY OF VIETNAM’S LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Ho Chi Minh City – Year 2022


This thesis is completed at Ho Chi Minh city University of Education

Supervisors: Associate. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Thi
(name, position, and degree)

Reviewer 1: Associate. Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen

Reviewer 2: Associate. Dr. Tran Hoai Anh
Reviewer 3: Associate. Dr. Tran Thi Phương Phương

This thesis is defensed at the University’s Evaluation-Thesis Committee:
………………………………………………………………………………
at …………hour………. Date ………. Month ……… year ……….

This thesis can be collected at:
- National Library of Vietnam
- Library of Ho Chi Minh city University of Education
- General Sciences Library of Hochiminh City


1

INTRODUCTION
1. The necessity of this research
Applying the theory of ecological feminism is a significant and meaningful way to
research Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose. Writers and criticists start to understand
and follow popular literary trends in the global context. That studying women’s ecofeminist
literary criticism will therefore provide more theories of literary criticism to help writers and
poets to have more experience, improve their skills and professional abilities and beyond that
to promote the development of Philology from ecofeminist perspective. From social
viewpoint, that researching literary criticism will create remarkable points to promote global
societies to aware and understand deeply the interaction between ecology’s damage and
gender discrimination; and then build harmonizing and equal treatments towards both ecology
and women. Beyond that, this creates a harmonious and promissing society between human –
nature – men – women; and a liberation of artistic ideology of female subject in contemporary
prose.
Aiming to investigate the characteristic, similarity between “nature” and “women” in
Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose; to present men-central ideology and its inequality
and prejudice, and unnatural behaviors towards both nature and women, I choose the research
titled “Nature and women in Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose from ecofeminist
perspective” as a thesis’s research. This research is expected to promote society’s attention to
global and urgent news, and to fill the gap of researching ecofeminist literary criticism in
Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose.
2. Researching aims

This study discovers and applies theory of ecological feminism to investigate the
parallel and similarity of both emblems of nature and women in beauty, healthy, and defense
in Vietnamese women’s contemporary proses. From then, this research argues the role and
position of nature and women in artistic consciousness and female subjects’ viewpoint in
Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose. Moreover, via narrating feminine discourse of
contemporary Vietnamese female writers, we research their harmonizing styles and ways to
create discourse to partly improve society’s awareness about gender equality and human’s
treatment towards natural environment and women.
3. Research’s objects
In this thesis, term of Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose is used to show the
fact of female writers’ scholarships from the period 1980s to present in comparing with
general Vietnamese prose in recent years. However, its meaning is quite relative as the
conception is still developing and changing in around 40 years and Vietnamese women’s
prose is still influenced by many external and internal factors.
As the previous clarification, the research’s object in this thesis are nature and women
in Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose under the ecofeminist perspective. In detail, this
research focuses on showing evidence of ecofeminism via artistic consciousness, and
viewpoint of female subject (women writers), and ways of autobiography in Vietnamese


2

women’s prose. All investigating objects (writers and scholarships) are presented detail in
Appendix 1.
4. Research’s scope
Researching scope is all contemporary proses of Vietnamese female writers, in which
mostly are on short-story and novel. Basically, all issues of ecofeminism have presented
deeply in Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose from the early 21st century, and this
research pays attention to investigate all the scholarships published in this period (Appendix
1).

5. Researching methods
The thesis is completed by applying the theory of ecological feminism, and the bellow
methodologies:
– Historical and social methods to discover origins and developing process and
evidence of ecological feminism in Vietnamese women’s prose.
– Structuring method to clarify all fundamental characteristic of different, and even
contradict theories about ecological feminism and ecofeminist literary criticism.
– Comparative method to compare Literature between different periods, between
different nations, and between male writers and female ones in order to discover how social
situation, cultural background, historical factor affected female writers and their scholarships
under the perspective of ecofeminism. Besides, this research also applies systematic method
to find general characteristic, similarity of all evidence of ecofeminist prose, and then
generalize all criteria and specific characteristic and effect of this literary branch.
– Method of archetypal criticism to discover and analyze all natural archetype-emblem
to present long-lasting, universal meanings original from national culture, religion, and
history.
Moreover, we apply interdisciplinary approaches to clarify similar theories
systematically to explain different perspectives of ecofeminism. Other supplemental skills are
applied in this research such as: skills of collecting and analyzing to examine and evaluate all
similar figures of female and natural conditions in Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose
and to show typical evidence of general discourse about ecofeminism. Statistical skill to
collect important emblems, pictures, artistic evidence in Vietnamese female writers’
scholarships to present precisely ecofeminism in each prose.
6. Research’s meanings
– In theory: from 1986, Vietnam has joined in the globalization, and Vietnamese
Literature has connected, interacted, imported and chosen new, humanity criticism theories of
poetic, autobiography, post-modern, post-colony, feminism, ecologism. However, ecofeminist
literary criticism still lacks of research in Vietnam. This thesis, therefore partly systematizes
all theories relating to ecofeminism such as its origins, characteristic, and influences to literary
discourse in Vietnam.

– In practice: by applying theory of ecofeminist literary criticism, we try to explain
noticeable characteristic of Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose:


3

+ The similarity between women and nature in both beauty, vitality, and their position
in Vietnam women’s contemporary prose.
+ Creating new opinions about nature, the relation between nature and women in
deconstructing anthropocentrism to establish new standard of morality in people’s treatment
towards nature, and men’s response towards women.
+ Clarifying and confirming an important role of artistic texts towards human’s
awareness about their destruction towards ecology, the situation of gender inequality, and
beyond that, the maintenance and development of future humankind.
7. Thesis’ structure
Besides Introduction, Conclusion, References, Appendix, this thesis has four main
chapters
Chapter 1. Ecofeminism and previous studies about Ecological Feminism in
Vietnamese Women’s contemporary Prose
Chapter 2. Issues of Feminism and Ecology in Vietnamese Women’s Prose: A
Historical Perspective
Chapter 3. Nature and Women via Art’s Ideology and Women perspective in
Vietnamese Women’s contemporary Prose
Chapter 4. Nature and Women via Narration Method of Vietnamese Women’s
contemporary Prose
CHAPTER 1. ECOFEMINISM AND PREVIOUS STUDIES ABOUT ECOLOGICAL
FEMINISM IN VIETNAMESE WOMEN’S CONTEMPORARY PROSE
1.1 Ecological feminism and potential of ecofeminist literacy criticism in studying
Literature
1.1.1. Conceptions of feminism and ecofeminism

Ecofeminism, or ecological feminism is the combination between feminism and
ecology. Ecology studies the independence and connection of all livings in the world.
Feminism is original as a political-social movement to require educational equality for
women. As such ecological feminism examines the connection between women and nature. It
can also be a value-system, a social movement, an awareness and practice of that considering
nature and the connection between nature and women as foundation for further analysis and
meaning.
1.1.2. Sub-branches of ecofeminism
Spiritual Ecofeminism/Cultural Ecofeminism
It is a main branch of ecofeminism with popular writers such as: Starhawk, Riane
Eisler và Carol J. Adams. Cultural ecofeminists argue that women have a more intimate
relation with nature than men’s connection. The linkage between women and ecology is
explained clearly by gender role (as women as family nurturer, and provider of supplies for all
members) and their biological characteristics (menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation).
Cultural ecofeminists believe that such associations allow women to be more sensitive to the
sanctity and degradation of the environment. They consider that this sensitivity out to be


4

prized by society insofar as it establishes a more direct connection to nature with which
humans must coexist.
Social ecofeminism
Social ecofeminism has opposite opinion with cultural ecofeminism. Social
ecofeminists claim that there is no essential (biological natural, innate) nature of women
(contra cultural ecofeminism’s essentialism), no homogenous women experience or women
way of knowing (contra cultural ecofeminism’s universalism), and no ahistorical concept of
women (contra cultural ecofeminism’s ahistoricism). Rather, women’s identities are socially
constructed, historically fashioned, and materially reinforced through the interplay of a
diversity of race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, age, ability, marital status, and geographic

factors (social constructivism).
Materialist Ecofeminism
Materialist ecofeminism is middle ground of ecofeminism. Materialist ecofeminists
argue that working, power and property are original of control to both nature and women. As
a result, they try to remove social classes advantageous for producing commodities under
men’s control. Materialist ecofeminism claims that women-nature connections are both
socially constructed and biologically predisposed. Women’s biology (bodies, reproductive
capacities) has played a key role historically in the oppression of women and the
identification of women with nature, but women’s biology is not destiny. Rather, it is the
social, material, and political relationships between women and nature which are important.
Radical Ecofeminism
Radical ecofeminists contend that the dominant patriarchal society equates nature and
women in order to degrade both. Radical ecofeminism builds on the assertion of early
ecofeminists that one must study patriarchal domination with an eye toward ending the
associations between women and nature. They also focus more on women’s reproductive
function, especially on the relationship, culture. This theory exploits the term “household
head” to explain all women’s issues and patriarchal model as the most important theorical tool
to analyze ecofeminism. Radical ecofeminists argue that human is not central, but only a
factor of all larger community including nature, animals, plants, ecology, planets and those
factors have similar rights to develop.
1.1.3. Characteristic of ecofeminism
1.1.3.1. A connection between nature and women
Connections of different types of domination
That oppressing women and exploiting nature has similar logic of domination. If
natural domination mentions natural world’s unfair independence on humans, the female
domination means women’s unreasonable independence on men. At level of conception,
ideology of ranking values and dualism have created the high development of culture in
comparing with nature, of human in comparing with animals, and of men in comparing with
women. Ecofeminists determined that solving the predicament of either constituency would
require undoing the social status of both nature and women. Rather than a movement and an

issue, that liberation of all oppressive groups have to complete together.


5

Experimental Connections
It means that the connection between women and nature can be presented via
experimental evidence. It is the most practical and lively connection about the integration of
both exploiting of environment and oppressing women. Ecofeminists provide detail evidence
to show that natural domination, especially environmental destruction has more largely
affected to women and their relating than to men.
Symbolic Connections
This type of connection between women and nature can be seen in arts, theology,
religion, and Philology popularly. For example, ecofeminist theology considers Gaia as
Goodness and provide an opinion about “Gaianism”. As a result, discovering symbolic
connections and the loss of women and nature in religion, theology, arts and philology is a
compulsory part of total ecofeminism to declare the liberation, and the linkage between real
living and spirituality.
Historical Connections
In Western history, some periods are original and fundamental factors to create a
connection between domination on both nature and women. Ecofeminists provide some
evidence and events to show a logical order such as the Industrial Revolution in the 16th and
17th centuries; or the Greek classical Philosophy, the establishment of rationalism and
dualism.
Political Connections
Both feminism and ecology are political and social movements to require an equality.
This political movement was promoted by human’s interest in urgent and important issues of
healthy, women, environment, scientific development, technology, world peace, anti-nuclear,
anti-dictator. Ecofeminists’ opinions about environment are serious attempts to practice their
political concerns and aims.

Feminine Connections
The connection between nature and women in ecofeminism is quite complex although
in historical perspective, both of them witnessed domination. While social ecofeminists argue
that the connection between women and nature is completely a result of the process of
building society, spiritual ecofeminists argue that this connection is deeper than the similarity
of domination. It means that it is not necessary to view this connection from historical and
social perspectives, but women-nature connection has its own characteristic namely
unconscious connection, or naturalizing women and feminization of nature.
1.1.3.2. Characteristic of deconstruction
Deconstruct dualism
Ecofeminists argue that the division of world under dualism is a reason for all
domination. Human always respect higher level in the comparison between reason and instinct,
human and animal, men and women. As a result, human is central in comparing with natural
world, and women are always lower rank than men. This logical order causes men’s domination
over both nature and women. In order to deconstruct dualism, ecofeminists create a new
discourse about position of people in comparing with nature, men’s role in comparing with


6

women to provide a new understanding about people’s alienation, domination, and to highlight
nature’s free, pure and generosity.
Deconstruct anthropocentrism
Ecofeminists recognize serious problems in the concept of humancentrism and
androcentrism (a small branch of humancentrism). They are reasons for gender inequality and
environment damage. Val Plumwood argues that both human-centrism and androcentrism
create illusions on their standpoint and belief. As a result, nature’s role is low, unusual,
unrespectful, and disorder. They also create new script for the relation between women and
men. In fact, men or women always have dissimilar things and both of them do not follow any
origin assigned for their gender blindly. People can destroy and go through this gender-barrier.

Accordingly, ecofeminists propose to deconstruct humancentrism deeply and completely to
reduce damage and hurt of both nature and women.
1.1.4. Potential of ecofeminist literary criticism in studying Philology
1.1.4.1. Ecofeminist criticism
Ecofeminist criticism is a combination between ecological criticism and feminist
criticism to propose solutions relating to issues of ecological problems and gender inequality.
It applies a multi-viewpoint of nature, environment and gender to criticize Philology; and also
combines those factors to create an internal power to deconstruct dualism, to disagree
humancentriism and patriarchal (male-center) culture to liberate the role of periphery and
distant subject of both nature and women, to awake people’s consciousness of ecology and
gender equality, to build an equal, harmonious society between gender, animal, between
human and natural world. It means a prosperous world with cultural and biological diversity.
1.1.4.2. Characteristic of ecofeminist criticism in studying Philology
Ecofeminist criticism combined previous theories of multi-disciplines with specific
researching methods and targets to create their identifications:
– Clarifying the relation between women and nature, clarifying ways to establish and
develop this relation in Philology;
– Criticizing forms of dividing classes and domination;
– Exploiting inter-viewpoint of both ecology and feminism to research Philology;
Impressing the urgency of that transforming ideology in the context of environmentdamage and gender inequality because social and ideological systems are original for both
issues of nature and women.
– Clarifying ecofeminism with multi-connection.
1.1.4.3. The possibility to apply ecofeminist criticism in researching Philology
Recently, both issues of protecting environment and liberating women’s rights are
becoming serious and urgent. As a result, ecofeminist criticism partly contributes to affect
people’ consciousness and adaptation of opinions, response towards both natural world and
women. This theory is becoming a popular trend in writing Philology as it can combine the
protection of environment with development of feminism. Beyond that, this theory also
contributes to develop Vietnamese writers’ theory and literary criticism in order to improve
their professional skills.

7

1.2. Literature Review of studying Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose under
ecofeminism
1.2.1. Regarding theories importing
In 1996, translators Nguyen Trong Dinh, Doan Ngoc Thanh translated “The second
sex” of the French writer Simone de Beauvoir. It is the most important book of all ecofeminist
criticism. This book provides not only theory for literary criticism but also relations and
similarity between nature and women. This theory partly explains the interaction between
women and nature for later ecofeminism.
In 2008, Trinh Y Thu translated Virginia Woolf’s book namely “A room of one’s
own”. This book is a collection of Woolf’s lectures about female writers and literary
occupation. This book not only describes the situation of female writers in the patriarchal
model but also tries to re-identify their role in leading issues.
In 2011, Lê Hong Sam translated a book namely “La Domination masculine” of Pierre
Bourdieu which partly contributes to create a revolution in human’s consciousness about
world logical order.
In 2013, Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan published a translation of “Text, theory, Methods”
edited by Tess Cosslett, Celia Lury & Penny Summer Field. This book introduces central
issues of feminism. In this book, autobiography is considered as a method, a type, and an
action.
In 2015, Nguyen Van Ha translated Betty Friedan books of “The Feminine Mystique”
to provide more information about re-describe, re-locate role and position of women in order
to deconstruct their shape.
Ecofeminist criticism in Vietnam has transformed gradually as several types and
perspectives of this theory has translated and introduced in Vietnam although the above works
are completed individually and unconsciously.
In 2006, Nguyen Ngoc translated Jacques Dournes’ book of “Forest, Woman,

Madness”. In this book, Jacques Dournes explains that Gia-rai people live in matriarchal
model as they have a close connection with natural environment, and because women have
both natural inside origin and external factors during their development and domination over
nature. This book explains the relation between women and nature from social perspective,
ethnicity and partly contribute to support ecofeminism.
In 2011, in a lecture at Vietnam Institute of Literature about Ecocriticism, Karen
Thornber from Harvard University introduced generally contents, meaning and developing
process of researching environment’s prose. She not only provides basic terms of ecofeminist
criticism but also evaluates the potential of women in the ecological revolution.
In 2014, Tran Thi Anh Nguyet translated a part of the collection “The Ecocriticism
Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology” edited by Cheryll Glotfelty and Harold Fromm.
This book can be seen as introducing material in module of ecofeminist criticism as it
provides general and precise value about theory of ecofeminism. This book also raises
questions about conception of ecofeminist criticism relating to both women and nature.


8

In 2016, Tran Manh Tien translated 3 chapters of Vien Linh Hong’s book namely
“Researching type of morality of ecofeminism” as a support for theory about feminism in
Vietnam. Those chapters focus on leading topic that “ecofeminism trends to liberate
morality”, meaning ecofeminism’s key ideology is to criticize humancentrism-based morality.
It also proposes ways to reconcile with nature by analyzing the comprehension of society, and
presenting advantageous characteristic of ecofeminism. As such, in this translation, Tran Tien
Manh provides ecofeminism’s characteristic, origin and philosophy systematically.
In 2017, Hoang To Mai edited a book namely “Which is ecofeminist criticism?”. This
book is a collection of translations and summary of many scholars such as Pham Phuong Chi,
Dang Thi Thai Ha, Le Quoc Hieu, Tran Ngoc Hieu, Hoang To Mai, Nguyen Truong Sinh. By
introducing international experts’ theory, this book provides fundamental knowledge of
ecofeminist criticism to help readers to have general background of this researching problem.

1.2.2. Regarding practice of ecofeminism
In 2016, Pham Ngoc Lan in an article “Coming back to mother nature: Nguyen Ngoc
Tu’s Endless field from ecofeminism” mentioned the practice of ecofeminist criticism in
Vietnam’s urban philology. The author also clarifies the connection between ecologist and
feminist criticism and their typical characteristics.
In 2016, Tran Thi Anh Nguyet, Lê Luu Oanh published a noticeable work about
ecofeminist criticism with “Human and nature in Vietnam’s prose after 1975: from ecological
perspective”. This paper presents systematically the establishment and development of
ecologist criticism in the world and Vietnam; and the appearance of feminism is a turning
point during the development of ecologism.
In 2017, Nguyễn Thi Tinh Thy introduced a book namely “Dried Forest, dried Stream,
pernicious sea and Philology – Ecofeminist Criticism”. It is an important and good book
about ecofeminist criticism in Vietnam. The author presents key points about ecofeminism in
this book and then proposes various methods to criticize Vietnam’s prose under ecofeminism.
In 2018, the book “Ecofeminism with Southern Vietnam’s prose” edited by Bui Thanh
Tuyen analyzed theory of ecofeminism as a branch of ecologism. Although discourse of
ecofeminism is not completed and immature, it is still a turning point and development in
comparing with separate ecologist and feminist criticism.
1.2.3. Applying ecofeminist literacy criticism in studying Philology
There are many proses, articles and books analyzing literary characteristic under the
ecofeminism perspective:
In 2016, Pham Ngoc Lan provides unique and creative explanations about ecofeminism
in a specific prose namely “Coming back to mother nature: Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s endless field
from ecofeminism”. It is also presented in the article of Tran Thi Anh Nguyet, Le Luu Oanh
in 2016.
In 2017, the national conference: “Ecofeminist criticism – Local and global voices”
organized by Vietnam Institute of Literature. This conference agrees the expansion and
influence of ecofeminism in Vietnams’ researchers. The conference proceeding with a
collection of 84 papers shows the application of ecofeminism in researching prose.

9

In 2018, Nguyen Thuy Trang’s PhD dissertation namely “Vietnam’s novels in the
period 1986 – 2014 from ecologist criticism” applied ecofeminism to describe and evaluate all
results assigned in women due to the damage of environment.
In conclusion, the above studies show a fact that there is a trend of ecofeminism prose in
Vietnam’s philology and it is becoming more important in both art and society. Theory of
ecofeminism has both scientific and practical meanings due to urgent demands of improving
natural environment and of liberating women, of creating equality between human and wildlife.
Conclusion
By applying ecofeminist criticism in Vietnam’s original culture to discover and
evaluate values of Philology in human perspective, this theory can present Vietnam’ cultural
and social characteristics and national cultural ideology original from Confucianism culture
under the patriarchal model. This culture is also facing problem of environment’s degradation.
As such, it is possible to apply methods of ecofeminist criticism in Vietnam’s literary theory
by investigating culture in texts and literary characteristic to discover and evaluate inside
spiritual culture.
CHAPTER 2. ISSUES OF FEMINISM AND ECOLOGY IN VIETNAMESE
WOMEN’S PROSE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
2.1. Women’s rights in Vietnamese women’s prose: a history perspective
2.1.1. The establishment of feminism in Vietnamese women’s prose from the early 18th
to late 19th centuries
- “New Collection of Legendary Tales” and the change of women’s role in family
Via investigating main female objects in “New Collection of Legendary Tales”, such as
concubine Bich Chau, Giang Kieu, Lieu Hanh, we recognize that Doan Thi Diem created a
revolution about role and position of women in Vietnam fedualism’ families. Ways to build
female shape are a combination between describing both their face, beauty and their
intelligence to create an equal emblem of women in comparing with men. Even, in some
cases, women obtained positive and higher position as they were more intelligent and became

men’s instructors.
- Ho Xuan Huong and a liberation for female instinct
With Ho Xuan Huong, Vietnam’s mediaeval prose witnessed a developing point of a
process of liberating women because she was the first woman of Vietnam’s prose history to
use sexuality in poems recklessly. In Ho Xuan Huong’s works, sexuality is not only men’s
issues but it also central discussion of women. It is specific that she wanted to use prose and
poem as tools to struggle for gender equality positively rather than assigning women for
patriarchal model. It means that female shape in Ho Xuan Huong’s works is still have their
own and traditional essentialism.
2.1.2. Feminism in Vietnamese women’s prose from the early 20th century to 1975
In the period early 20th century to 1945
In the early 20th century, the interaction with Western literacy caused a new period of
Vietnamese women’s prose. Western freedom ideology integrated into Vietnam’s society,
especially at urban areas. As a result, women were not stable on their homework. They started


10

to transfer to other jobs including writers, journalists with noticeable poets and writers such as
Nguyen Thi Kiem, Phan Thi Bach Van, Huynh Thi Bao Hoa, Tran Thi Nhu Man, Ai Lan,
Dam Phuong, Mong Tuyet, Anh Thơ, Ngan Giang, Van Dai, Cam Tam, and Hang Phuong.
They can have power and rights to work as male writers. Accordingly, Vietnamese women’s
prose in this period obtained higher results and characteristic in comparing with men’s works.
Their voice is a remarkable attempt to establish their own shape, timbre from female subjects.
In fact, in women’s prose, they can create deep and mild voice as showing their empathetic
sex that male writers cannot present. Moreover, feminism in this period is not only presented
in poem and prose but also reflected in social activities such as journal, paper, presentation
and establishment of female organization. That creating female own discourse caused the
development of ideology about female rights in the early 20th century.
From 1945 to 1975

There were several popular female writers in this period with high quality in
comparing with male writers. In northern Vietnam, we can see the appearance of poets such
as Hang Phuong, Anh Tho, Thuy Bac, Cam Lai, Phan Thi Thanh Nhan, Ngan Giang, Xuan
Quynh, Y Nhi, Lam Thi My Da; and other writers as Duong Thi Xuan Quy, Nguyen Thi
Cam Thach, Bich Thuan, Vu Thi Thuong, Nguyen Thi Nhu Trang, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu,
Le Minh Khue in prose. In southern Vietnam, female writers were Trung Duong, Tuy Hong,
Nguyen Thi Thuy Vu, Nguyen Thi Hoang. It is noticeable that, their feminism was not
presented by requiring equal role in comparing with men’s position in society, but by created
a second world of female prose. They not only confirmed their profession but also attacked
old and traditional ideology with creative consciousness. Feminism discourse in female prose
in this period is a way to confirm role and characteristic of women, their positive ways in
society and their challenges to prejudice, and their rebellion on marriage and family.
2.1.3. Feminism in Vietnamese women’s prose from 1975 to present
The 1986 innovation in Vietnam created democratic ideology in innovate and develop
Vietnam’s Literature. This situation created opportunities to establish and improve
individual’s consciousness; and female writers obtained equal role in comparing with male
ones in their writing styles. They were confident to present “female personality” and focused
on their writing occupation. Both private emotion and world empathy were women’s general
characteristic. They presented thinking about gender, their struggle and their own personality
independently, positively and strongly. The popular trend of Vietnam’s women prose in this
period was to present women as an independent subject, a private and interesting world.
Being confident to identify their own personality
After 1975, a group of female writers had consciousness to present their personality
strongly and independently. They created their own voice to present female status, opinions,
and desires as a way to fight against and overthrow traditional and old opinions and values. By
showing individual’s opinions with specific voice and way, female writers presented their
personality with a series of female subjects who always self-decided independently and it
therefore gradually destroyed the role of men. Feminism in female writers in this period is also
presented with the appearance of female subjects who tries to overthrow social prejudice of

11

three obedience and four virtues. That is individual’s power, defense to fight against genderprejudice and therefore it shows personal desire of confirm their values.
Consciousness about female body
It means that in contemporary prose, writers focus on describing women’s natural body
to show their beauty. That is the way to deconstruct men’s art ideology in the previous period.
Women’s body becomes a notation with feminist arts to fight against long lasting men’s
opinions.
Consciousness about liberation in sexuality
Sexuality is not only a self-demand but also a tool to confirm gender equality. By
understanding and writing this subject, female writers overthrew forbidden things and taboos
to liberate women from prejudice and men’s domination to come out and live with their own
demands. Via investigating sexuality, female writers deeply confirm feminism, their proactive
approach in a sensitive object. Their bravery helps to confirm their position and role in
discourse about sexuality.
Deconstruct men’s emblem
Men’s emblem is considered in various perspectives and therefore it is deconstructed
by female writers. The term “strong sex” is completely deconstructed in many proses of
female writers. It means that in those proses, men’s emblem is presented not only strong and
brave, but also weak and impotent as they also have no power and ability to address private
and social problems.
2.2. Ecology in Vietnamese women’s prose: a history perspective
2.2.1. The establishment of ecological ideology in Vietnamese women’s medieval prose
The relation between human and nature has mentioned in prose of female writers in the
medieval period. Famous and intelligent writers such as Ho Xuan Huong, Ba Huyen Thanh
Quan, Doan Thi Diem, Ngo Chi Lan, Truong Thi Trong, Nguyen Tinh Hoa played their key
role in the development and improvement of Vietnam’s prose in general and of Vietnamese
women’s ecological prose in particularly. Social position and gender-feature affected heavily
their works, especially in topics relating to ecology and nature. Female writers therefore partly

created a new voice, recognization around human’s treatment towards environment, and the
role of nature in human’s emotion and awareness.
2.2.2. Ecology in Vietnamese women’s prose from the early 20th century to 1975
Several female writers in the early 20th century were sensitive with changes of
environment and presented their status in prose. For example, Dam Phuong with “Travel in
mountain in the spring”; Huynh Thi Bao Hoa with “A journey to Ba Na hill”; Phan Thi Nga
with “Going to Cu Lao Yen”, Nguyen Thi Kiem with “Under the Ca pass”. They
demonstrated writers’ love towards natural beauty, and also their worry about environment’s
risks because of human’s activities which violated ecological rules.
Poems in the period 1930-1945 also had their evidence of ecology, especially the
sorrow with the urbanization. Van Dai, Hang Phuong, Anh Tho, Mong Tuyet responded with
the urbanization by hiding in nature. In their works, village is not only a beautiful place but
also their home country with beautiful memories. Village becomes a peaceful place for them
to come back and avoid social pressures.


12

In the period 1945 – 1975, there were many prose mentioning human’s destruction to
environment. Xuan Quynh, Lam Thi My Da, Y Nhi, Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, Phan Thi Thanh
Nhan, Anh Tho, Viet Anh, Thuy Bac, Cam Lai, Hoang Thi Minh Khanh, Le Thi May
mentioned the negative effects of war towards nature as a way to denounce Vietnamese
rivalries’ crime and destructions. As a result, in their prose, nature is not only Vietnamese
proud with beautiful places but also a situation of damaging ecology under the effect of war.
Natural beauty is simple but it is national incarnation.
2.2.3. Ecology in Vietnamese women’s prose after 1975
Ecologism of Vietnam’s prose in general and of Vietnamese women’s prose in
particular after 1975 starts with the appearance of post-war literacy. By presenting results and
effects of war towards nature, female writers focused on ecological topics. Then after, this
theme was demonstrated deeply in urban literature. By reflecting the relation between human

and nature, writers raised questions about environment, induvial’ destiny in total ecology and
their warning about imbalance in nature after people exploited nature deeply and negatively
and unstably.
2.3. Trends of combining ecology and feminism
2.3.1. From importing and interacting with Western theory of ecofeminism
Vietnam is one of many countries deeply affected by the climate changes, the out of
resources, and gender inequality from historical results. As a result, when ecofeminist literary
criticism was imported in Vietnam in the 1990s, Vietnam’s literature quickly interacted and
connected with this sensitive theory. After 1986, many writers, researchers, criticists knew
and applied new approaches to connect Vietnamese prose with international subjects relating
to human’s responsibility for ecological crisis and gender inequality.
2.3.2. Origins of women’s characteristic and desire
From the internal factor, women’s characteristic and desire deeply influence the
combination of ecology and feminism because women are more sensitive with natural issues.
They are easy to find a way and factor to connect their status with nature; and therefore, in
female prose, the connection between domination to environment and control to women is
quite clear. This combination is avoidable and it presents the development of both ecologism
and feminism.
2.4. The establishment of discourses about ecofeminism in Vietnamese women’s
contemporary prose
2.4.1. From “hypothesis” to “discourse” in Literature
Ecofeminism is a political - social issue and we apply Foucault’s social approach to
research this project. Feminist discourse or ecological discourse, ecofeminist discourse can be
seen as a presentation way of ideology and history; and they develop together with the
improvement of history and society.
From feminism to the appearance of feminist discourse in literature
Problems of feminist literature start from women’s role and position in family and
society. Traditional opinions such as “the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam” or
“one man is important than ten women” are main reasons for lower rank of women in world

13

society. As such, as woman tries to identify yourself, re-confirm their identities, that can be seen
as a begin, an attempt to clarify feminism. The process is noticeable as women recognize their
own discourse with the appearance of three waves of feminism to require gender equality in
both political, economic, literary and artistic issues. In literature, female writers build ways and
methods to write and read women’s own literature. In which, they find suitable ways for
women’s writings, clarify female characteristic to compare with male prose. This status points
the establishment of feminist discourse.
From ecology to the appearance of ecological discourse in Literature
The key content of ecofeminist criticism is the relation between human, nature and art.
In this relation, nature is dominated by people in various methods. The establishment of
ecofeminist discourse is therefore an unavoidable result. Changes of ecological environment
and social values created an adaptation of discourse. By re-evaluating, re-identifying pass and
present values, re-locating human’s position via deconstructing dualism, female writers in
contemporary prose have created a new environment with high power to affect and change
human’s awareness and consciousness in their policy and treatment to nature.
From ecofeminism to the appearance of ecofeminist discourse in Literature
Because the reduction of the quality of living environment and the increase of serious
issues of gender inequality, Vietnamese female writers in contemporary prose start to improve
their consciousness about ecological and female issues in Literature. From the inside essential
of women, female writers also view their connection with nature, and gradually establish
ecofeminist discourse. It can be seen that, all works with feminism have specific identification
and figure, as writers link closely environment and their spirituality. Ecofeminists call this
status as the close connection between environment (both natural and social environments),
women and literature. In which, art becomes a way to transfer voice and language of
ecofeminism. Beyond that, Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose try to change human’s
treatment towards nature and women.
2.4.2. Factors caused the establishment of ecofeminism discourse in Vietnamese

women’s contemporary prose
Changes of historical and social contexts and conditions of culture and ideology can be
seen as main factors to create the adaptation of Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose. In
which ecofeminist discourse is established and developed to struggle for feminism and to
protect environment. Besides the above reasons, inside factors of female subjects’
consciousness also play an important role for the establishment of ecofeminist discourse
(more detail in section 3.1).
2.4.3. Its early results and limitation
There are both potential and challenges for ecofeminism in Vietnamese contemporary
prose. Vietnamese female writers start to create a harmonious discourse as a combination of
both female and ecological issues. Their texts can provide inspiration and evidence for the
establishment of ecofeminist discourse. From then, there is a formation and improvement of a
new literary branch with characteristic of ecofeminism in order to partly address human’s
contemporary crisis by focusing on living harmoniously with nature and sharing new and


14

suitable living values. This branch therefore provides more evidence for both literary theory
and practice. Theories of ecofeminist literary criticism and of ecofeminist literature are
blending all criteria of ecology and feminism to deal with global risks in order to create
natural and social balances.
However, while international ecofeminist discourse has completed with literary methods
and fundamental theories, this branch in Vietnamese literature is still at beginning level, and all
works mostly describe the connection and similarity between nature and women; and present
authors’ attitude about natural degradation and gender inequality. It means that by applying
multi-arguing method to discover and analyze ecofeminism in Vietnamese texts, it can create a
huge concern about theory of ecological feminism. Vietnamese contemporary proses have little
text with satisfactory criteria of both ecology and feminism. We can only find some noticeable
examples with parts of criteria of ecofeminism in Vietnamese contemporary texts.

Conclusion
In brief, issues of ecology and feminism appeared quite early in Vietnamese traditional
prose and its maintainance is continuous with different levels and evidences in different
periods. Contemporary proses develop ecofeminism from traditional foundation of traditional
texts. As a results, the settlement of ecofeminism in Vietnamese contemporary proses is
unavoidable as it is a result of the combination between external and internal factors,
traditional and modern factors. Besides influence of Western ecofeminism, the appearance of
Vietnamese ecofeminism is also under the domination of agricultural civilization and national
tradition to worship Goodness. Those factors develop and affect Vietnamese proses deeply
and promote to the establishment of ecofeminism in advantageous conditions of both society,
culture and literature after 1986.
CHAPTER 3. NATURE AND WOMEN VIA ART’S IDEOLOGY AND FEMALE
PERSPECTIVE IN VIETNAMESE WOMEN’S CONTEMPORARY PROSE
3.1. Artistic consciousness, viewpoint/perspective and female subject
3.1.1. The increase of female subjects’ artistic consciousness
With the innovation of 1986, Vietnamese proses changed and developed strongly and
obtained high results in Vietnamese literature. Women compose prose and poem and they
play a role of subject to self-create their gender. They are subjects of discourse (female
discourse) but not discourse’s objects. Rather than evaluating female emblem from men’s
perspective, they self-consider their shape in their eyes. Their female identity is presented
sharply via their attempts to liberate women, settle a consciousness about female beauty,
about individual’ personality, and instinctive behavior and demands in many texts. That
discovering feminism of female subjects show the rise of “artistic consciousness”.
3.1.2. Changes of perspective of female subject in contemporary prose
There are many changes of viewpoints as female writers compose about their gender
and nature. Building female character is the main content and forte of women’s contemporary
proses. Women play the key and central position in comparing with men’s position of
periphery in Vietnamese women’s prose. As a result, nature also has new shape as it can be
seen as independent things with their own destiny, figure and living. That creating new

15

perspective about women and nature in Vietnamese women’s contemporary proses is one of
main methods to atone for human’s guilty and to recover natural beauty, vitality and to
impress central position of both nature and women.
3.2. The similarity of beauty in “nature” and “women” in female subjects’ viewpoint
3.2.1. Beauty of women fertility
From female subjects’ viewpoint, nature and women have a similarity of beauty,
vitality, and their characters are described by specific highlights with feminist writing
methods. Famous female writers such as Do Hoang Dieu, Y Ban, Vo Thi Xuan Hoa focus on
describe women fertility including beauties of breasts, back, leg and hair as a way to show
their consciousness of female body. In which, bare-chest motif is applied as a way to praise
female beauty and vitality and a suggestion of the hamornious interaction between nature and
women. In a pure and peaceful environment, women can live without any cloths because they
seem to be protected by mother nature. That creating and describing women with fertility can
be seen as an approach to praise a living close with nature in order to build human’s ecology
and female writers’ blending perspective. By doing so, writers awake human’s consciouness
of ecology and gender equality; and maintain the hamornious and equal relation between
society and wildlife.
3.2.2 Feminine beauty
Female subjects under contemporary female writers’ perspective in works Old Trees
of Do Hoang Dieu, Pyre of Vo Thi Hao, Endless Field of Nguyen Ngoc Tu have feminine
beauty from both their soul and their body, from their willing to protect, support small and
weak things. By contract, in Enstranged River of Do Hang Dieu or In the rime-water of Vo
Thi Xuan Ha, nature contains mother’s characteristic as those writers describe women’s
journey to come back home. It means that both nature and women have a similarity of
feminine beauty. This status is original from women’s essential, identity and feminine; and
from natural equanimity. By discovering feminine beauty of both nature and women,
Vietnamese female contemporary writers create a discourse with their own gendercharacteristic. Different from men’s demand and desire of controlling and conquering,

female writers always want to confirm feminine beauty to prevent human’s pain, and awake
their benevolence. Towards nature, this beauty is crated in feminine emblem of female
tenderness and generosity.
3.3. The suitability of nature, “the second sex” and the “peripheral position”
3.3.1. Periphery
In discourse of culture and literature, conception of periphery or marginalization
presents a sympotic part of formal and main culture. However, in this thesis, the author does
not discuss political and cultural peripheries but only apply this term as an opposite side of
dualism in the structuralism.
3.3.2. Men as central power
3.3.2.1. Men’s central and monopolistic position
Steady fort of anthropocentrism is a hypnosis of controlling power and the smug felling
of ruled people. It means that logic of this domination is admitted by both rulers and ruled


16

persons unconsciously and as a result, all people cannot recognize any inequality and feel
satisfactory with the maintenance of anthropocentrism. With female perspective, works
Landlords, Oak’s Shadow of Do Bich Thuy or Rice and Land, Dream of Vo Thi Xuan Ha
demonstrate a fact that both nature and women are suffering men’s desire, patriarchy, and
domination. It is more remarkable mountainous and rural areas without civilization’s influence.
At those places, men’s power covers and dominates all women.
3.3.2.2. Men’s conquering and controlling abilities
Mostly men in female subjects’ viewpoint want to confirm their power and influence
by dominating strength over other people. This status is presented not only by their violent
behaviors but also literary discourse. This culture is supported by traditional and oldfashioned ideology and promoted by independent position of women in various periods, of
their tasks as mother and of their bloodless felling. This discourse becomes an informal power
to bind and force women to act under men’s rule and domination. With this discourse, men
become central of the world, while women and nature are peripheries with unfair and inequal.

This status therefore causes the connection of both nature and women.
3.3.3. Women and nature – representatives of slavery and peripheral position
3.3.3.1. Women and nature – slavery
Applying Daniel. P. Marina’s denial instrument to analyze the relation between men
and women in Val Plumwood’s anthropocentrism, we recognize that many women’s
contemporary prose denied values of women. They are only identified in the relationship with
men and stood behind men’s living. They sacrificed their love, youth, strength for their loving
men but in fact their contributions and their jobs are not admitted, even are despised and
neglected. Both women and nature are tools and methods to serve men’s demands and
interests. Beyond that, they become slavery under the control and domination of male power.
3.3.3.2. Women – sacrificial objects for men’s controlling nature
With their peripheral position, women and nature become tools and sacrificial objects
to help men in urgent vacations. Nguyen Ngoc Tu’ River; Vo Thi Hao’s Pyre, Smile; Vo Thi
Xuan Ha’s Sea’s Message or Bo Bich Thuy’s Oak’s Shadow all condemn men for their rush,
selfish and cruel treatments towards women. Although men take control the world, they often
sacrifice women in difficulty situations.
3.3.3.3. Women and effects of men’s controlling process
Women and their pain from wars
A series of works such as The remain of a happy forest, World’s cable, Leave’s blood
(Vo Thi Hao); Sparrows in the forest, In the rime-water, Living out of society (Vo Thi Xuan
Ha); On the women’s roof (Da Ngan); Until the end (Doan Minh Phuong); A such night
(Pham Thi Minh Thu), Forest’s voice (Hien Phuong); Proud wings (Đo Bich Thuy) show that
female writers deeply recognize effects and pains of wars towards women, especially their
loss and scarifices. Theme of wars in Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose also
demonstrates the relation between women and nature, their destiny and their connection in
and post-war. Nature is not only scene background of war but it has its own destiny,
characteristic and soul. As a result, women’s pain and natural pain are combined. Female


17

writers understand their hurt, treat them with love and tenderness; and find peaceful feeling
from nature to prevent their own pains.
Women and effects of urbanization
Women and effects of natural disasters
The urbanization affects negatively to environment. It degrades natural resources,
reduces trees’ influence and therefore creates negative problems towards ecology and nature.
Women often play the role of feeding all family’s members and preparing foods.
Accordingly, women are directly affected by urbanization and they become key victims of
this development as it is more difficult for them to earn money and prepare food. They more
and more become peripheral persons. This status is presented clearly in Oak’s Shadow, Red
Pebble, Sages on the mountain, Voice of lip fiddle behind the stone fenceo of Do Bich Thuy;
Loss in the city, Memmory station of Phong Diep; Paris – 11 August of Thuan; Endless field
of Nguyen Ngoc Tu.
Women and their tragedies
Changes of living under the urbanization, changes of economy, spirituality, morality
cause women’s pains and this fact is deeply demonstrated in women’s contemporary proses.
Urban regions are potential for women to change their living standard, to connect with
civilization although this place often relates to social evil and awful things. Those terrible
things are serious traps to push women on bad metamorphosis. This loss, degradation appears
in each small family in rural areas. Many famous works of Phong Diep (Loss in the city,
Memmory station), Nie Thanh Mai (After the death), Nguyen Huong (Avocado), Do Bich
Thuy (Oak’s Shadow), Nguyen Ngoc Tu (Endless Field), Nguyen Thi Thu Hue (An absent
city) show female writers’ insecurity, and worry about social crisis during the process of
urbanization and industrialization.
Women and tragedies of peripheral migrants
Desiring to escape their poor and backward living, many women decide to move out
their villages, destroy their traditional connections to go to urban areas to find opportunities
for their life. Being migrants at overseas countries or different places, women are more and
more peripheral without family and close relations. They are existing “second sex” with lower

rank in society and they are easy to be hurt due to the urbanization. This status is clarified in
Chinatown, Paris 11 August, Made in VietNam (Thuan), and Until the end (Đoan Minh
Phuong).
3.3.4. Empathy and understanding of women and nature from peripheral position
Empathizing and sharing “pain” with animals
Respecting with natural equality, female writers in the contemporary period raise
questions about the relation between human and nature. They are shown in Stone’s adaopted
children – Vo Thi Hao; A dog and a divorce – Da Ngan; Bamboo’s flower, Where is my child,
Sun’s terrace – Que Huong; Isolated Wind, Endless Field – Nguyễn Ngọc Tư. From ruled
position in the connection with men, both women and nature have similar empathy to share
their pain. The innocent and honest characteristic of animals helps to share women’s painful


18

felling. In the anthropocentrism, women find their peace and love from natural environment
and therefore, they consider animals as close friends and are willing to protect them.
Respect, love and connect with living environment
Women are willing to protect their living conditions and environment as they love their
ecology. Women respect and love enviroment speficically. In short-stories of Vo Thi Xuan Ha
(Rice and Soil, Happy Rice, Dream, Festival of Rice, Peaceful Soil), female subjects always
have innocent love and close relationship with nature. Female subjects of Ha Thi Cam Anh
(Scabrous origins), Hien Phuong (Forest’s Voice) only find their peace-mind and love as they
treat humorously with nature and they try to protect forest – human’s green lungs. In those
prose, female subjects are isolated with society and they have nature as a way, a friend to
recover their soul. From women’s instinct and feminine characteristic, women can listen and
understand natural voice, empathize with nature and consider environment as a close friend.
3.3.5. Nature and women’s bravery and defense
Escaping slavery by arguing discourse
Women’s defence is pesented in their transformation from peripheral position to

central role to re-locate their values with arguing and discussing discourses. Daring and
understanding to argue old-fashioned model is a result of an equality in discussion and of a
development in women’s awareness. Feminine discourse in female writers’ prose will be
sharp, serious as female subjects dare to argue old and stable anthropocentrism.
From feminine discourse to the raise of nature
From female writers’ viewpoint, nature is not a speechless world. Non-human world
can raise its voice, argue and struggle to fight against human’s invasion and expansion. With
arguing discourse, female writers awake the voice of nature and help people to recognize and
understand the degradation-situation of environment under humans’ effects. Understanding
nature, viewing the world by nature’s perspective, female writers partly contribute to raise
argument to promote natural equality, and to protect nature and society (Tran Thi Anh
Nguyet, 2016).
Conclusion
Ecofeminist discourse is organized by a parallel expression of nature and women.
Firstly, it shows the similarity of feminine beauty. Nature is considered as origins to feed
humanity, and women have function of producing and feeding/take caring. Moreover, the
relationship between nature and women are presented as both of them are easy to become
victims of climate changes, environment degradation and the urbanization. With position of
a victim, both nature and women empathize and share ideology in the journey to argue and
fight against anthropocentrism. Many texts show the relation and combination of gender
inequality and nature’s risks in the human-centered model or dualism. Creating new voice
of both nature and women in Vietnamese women’s contemporary proses is a way to atone
for human’s crime, to recover natural and female beauty, vitality and to confirm their
subject-position.


19

CHAPTER 4.
NATURE AND WOMEN VIA NARRATION METHOD OF VIETNAMESE

WOMEN’S CONTEMPORARY PROSE
4.1. Discourse of women narration – an approach to present ecofeminism in
Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose
4.1.1. Discoure of female narration
In autobiographic works of female writers, narration discourse demonstrates feminism
with voices of speakers or via female subjects’ language. They appear as independent subjects
with strong voice and attack anthropocentrism by specific methods in their narration. In this
thesis, the author considers that feminine narration is a narration with close connection with
perfuming a story and it is clear with language of speakers in literary works.
4.1.2. Characteristic of discourse’s female narration
Its figure is discovering human’s inner depth, presenting their soul and showing their
self-love. If discourse of male narration considers individual with social targets, historical
events, discourse of female narration focuses on emotion, feel, and thinking about daily life. If
male discourse wants to expand male role to discover and declare their position by conquering
and controlling natural world, female discourse has inside viewpoints to show their feeling
and behaviors and to narrate their own life and gender’s destiny. Discourse of female
narration can be seen as a way for women to perform their dreams of showing their feminism.
By applying art as a method to transfer ecofeminist discourse, Vietnamese female
contemporary writers build a specific narration method with characteristic of feminism to
warn and awake human’s treatment towards both nature and women. In which, nature and the
second sex become a famous and popular content of narration with inside viewpoint of female
writers.
4.2. Self-narration as a form of a popular skill of autobiographical writing
4.2.1. Conceptions about self-narration
The author use this term with broad meanings, as a way of thinking arts, as a specific
composing approach of female writers. Their works are results of self-telling their life, and
each event has close relation with their own lifetime. Because of historical influence with
anthropocentrism and the unique figure of women, narration becomes a characteristic in
women’s works and autobiographic motif covers both contents and forms of their works. This
method is a way for them to self-discover, to present their desire of empathy and to confirm

their characteristic in men’s world.
4.2.2. Women-style of self-narration – a unique characteristic
Autobiography is a popular method in both male and female writers’ works.
However, because of individuals’ demands and of the aims of severing gender, narration in
female literature becomes a specific autobiographic type in women’s prose. Their own life
are real materials to compose, but they do not only copy simply their life but use them in a
creative way. As a results, their main works of women is autofiction (combining two
inconsistent narrative forms, autobiography and fiction). From viewpoints of human and
real society, autobiography has transferred ecofeminist discourse in various ways:


20

Autobiography – present nature’s beauty in women’s recollection
By using their own real life as materials to compose, female writers always reminisce
and find information in historical events to understand deeply their personality. In their
memory, nature always plays a key role of a signal to help women to find their own figures
and position. Nature recovers women’s life in the complex and difficult society; and coming
back to Mother Nature is an approach to understand their life. Famous works in this branch is
I came back to the mountain (Đo Bich Thuy), ABCD novel (Y Ban) and Flower inside
human’s soul (Da Ngan).
Autobiography – reflective viewpoint of periphery
Autobiography is female writers’ awakening and discovering their own life and
personality in the complex society. Presenting real society is also women’s internal desire and it
promotes them to compose and expound. Facing gender inequality and anthropocentrism,
women compose to narrate and show unfair reality and to raise a voice to fight against
imbalanced society.
Autobiography – forms to show individual’s figure
Via autobiography, female writers analyze, explain, re-examine to find their own truth.
It is not only recollection but also new viewpoint to awake in new living conditions. They

compose to explain, or to admit their mistake and require others’ understanding and sympathy
or to remove all misunderstanding or unjustified things imposed on women. Female writers
understand deeply pains, fragility and periphery of the second sex in a complex and unfair
society. Beyond that, those works present women’s worry about human crisis in the
development of urbanization and the industrialization as they also create negative effects of
environment degradation, a society without nature. Autobiography is therefore a way for
women to present themselves to examine human life and to protect feminine figure.
4.2.3. Autobiography from presenting approach
Autobiography of the first subject and the self-experience
Telling approach of the first subject gets a large number ration in women writer’s
proses. Speakers self-call “I” and in most cases, they are ‘self-experienced” which is different
from the subject of witnessers to tell other’ stories. Speakers are female subjects with many
experiences and they want to tell, to explain their stories from inside soul and private felling.
In this type of autobiography, by creating a way of feminist method of presentation, speakers
have chances to chat and discuss with audience and readers. This presenting model is quite
popular in Vietnamese women’s contemporary proses and it is effective to narrate and
describe the connection between nature and women.
Autobiography of the third subject with female perspective
In this type of autobiography, the personality of speakers does not appear popularly in
the first subject, but in another subject – the third one with female viewpoints. It means that
this subject is considered and told with female outlook – the main figure of the prose. From
female perspective, real society and the third subject’s life are told with feminist approach and
experience.


21

4.3. Styles of second sex’s discourse’s harmonization
4.3.1. Harmonizing between monologue and conversation
It is necessary to harmonize both monologue and conversation to present female

observation, feeling and empathy towards nature. It is an effective way for female writers to
describe precisely and truthy the connection between women and nature. That conversation
intervenes into the process of monologue helps readers and audience to understand the natural
– female relationship deeply. The way and characteristic of conversating with nature in
ecofeminist prose is quite different from other ways of conversation in writing about only
animals. Writers do not create questions and answers between human and non-human worlds
or do not follow the ways of parallel speaking. The understanding and empathy in the prose
are mainly performed via inside monologue, recollection, self-inquiry of women and nature.
Talking with nature in the inside monologue helps female subjects to listen and understand
the voice of nature. This conversation is quite special as it does not include talker and listener,
but it happens in female subjects’ soul and ideology. Talking with nature is a way to put
yourself in the position of nature and helps people to recognize their treatment towards
environment and challenges and risks from nature in the next decades.
4.3.2. Harmonizing between speakers’ discourses and figure’s self-discourse
This type is a combination between speakers’ language and subjects’ voice. This
conversation is not combined with inside monologue but most of discourses have indirect
connection with monologue’s voice and subjects’ thinking. The combination of those
discourses in Vietnamese women’s prose helps to obtain the most effective results in
autobiography. That speakers’ language interleaves with subjects’ language, the combination
of various types of discourses expand the story’s amplitude and create conversation. It is also
creative way to compose proses and to build Vietnamese women’s contemporary writers’
polyphony in their autobiographic discourses.
4.4. Ways to create “sign space” and symbol of nature and “second sex”
4.4.1. Sign space of second sex as victims of urban-space code
In order to create sign space for women and nature, female writers build codes for both
female subjects, urban-space, and natural wildlife. As a results, that describing victims in
ecofeminist literary criticism is to order people understand naturalism and build spirit-ecology
and the ideology of equality in society. All those codes are settled in a sign-space systems with
time-code, structure-code, language-code; and in a symbol system about nature and the second
sex to have a comprehensive text relating to ecofeminism.

4.4.2. Nature and its archetype’s emblem
Being a metaphor of the second sex, natural emblems in Vietnamese women’s
contemporary writers are not silent and insensitive but lively and real things with multimeaning art symbols and with highly representative value. From other perspectives, those
natural emblems are considered as examples and evidences of archetype. In which waterarchetype, land-archetype and flower-archetype in female prose are obsessive emblems.
Regenerating archetypes in culture and folk customs, in national myth ideology, contemporary


22

female writers try to show their consciousness about their personality with characteristic and
unique identity of ecofeminism in Vietnam.
The archetype of water
From ecofeminist viewpoint, the archetype of water in women’s contemporary proses
is valuable in recover women from men’s dangers because water can clean, and recover their
body hurt and soothe their painful soul. Water has many similar characteristics with women
such as they are negative, origins of world’s life, a factor of regeneration, and emblem of
pregnancy. In the journey to find the origins of anthropocentrism from myth, Simone
discovers the connection between nature, especially water and women. Women are soil and
men are seeds, women are water and men are fire (Beauvoir, 1996). Accordingly, water is
women’s home and they come back with water to be protected, shared and soothed their
pains.
The archetype of flower and grass
The archetype of flower and grass is applied by women’s writers to build female
subjects to respect their feminist beauty. This emblem relates to fragile, pure but powerful
beauty of women. From the ecofeminist viewpoint, flower and grass are mainly applied as
natural emblems of feminism, vitality, desire of freedom and power to recover women. As
such, that using this archetype presents the close relationship between women and nature.
The archetype of soil
Via investigating presentative meaning of soil-archetype in Vietnamese women’s
contemporary prose, we recognize that although there are different variants, both soil and

feminist are similar in figure of pregnancy, feeding and protection. From ecofeminist
perspective, that applying those archetype-emblems can open many level-meanings of the
relationship between women and nature.
Conclusion
With consciousness about ecology and gender equality, Vietnamese women’s
contemporary writers create a specific method to present ecofeminism. In which,
autobiography is one of the most popular and effective method to transfer gender’s
democracy and freedom and rights. They compose to self-explain, self-narrate in order to
show and confirm their role and position on modern society, and to demonstrate their ability
to create own discourses. They also apply skills and technics of harmonizing different
discourses such as between discourses of monologue and conversation, of telling and
describing language. This combination has truth and lively effects to awake natural and
female voices. In order to transfer ecofeminism, female writers settle a system of sign-space
about the second sex, natural emblems with archetype (soil, flower, water) to open meaning
about the connection and similarity between women’s destiny and nature’s situation.
Beyond that, women’s contemporary writers establish their own organization of language
and voice to have effective results in applying ecofeminism.
CONCLUSIONS


23

1. The appearance of ecofeminist literary criticism in Vietnam is a signal for an
asymptotic development of Vietnamese literary theory in a general post-modern trend of
global literature. In order to prepare necessary and required theories for building an ecology
and feminism suited in Vietnam, many researchers start to translate and study ecofeminism.
The combination between the gender revolution and green revolution therefore partly
contributes to develop and improve Vietnamese writers’ thinking about environmentprotection and gender equality. However, via investigating the above works of Vietnamese
contemporary prose, we recognize that the establishment and application of ecofeminism in
Vietnam is just at beginning level.

2. Traditional Vietnamese proses exists both feminism and ecologism before
importing the new trend of ecofeminism in the contemporary prose. In recent years, the
changes of democracy and Vietnam’s development and connection with international world
create opportunities for Vietnamese prose to import new literary theories, including
ecological criticism and feminist literary criticism. Our investigation shows that although
ecological feminism just appeared and developed after the Innovation of 1986, but its
origins and signals always existed in Vietnamese prose, from folk literature to contemporary
literature. It means that Vietnamese women’s contemporary prose is influenced both from
Western theories of ecologism and ecofeminism; and the figure of Vietnamese Mother
worship and a way of living close with nature of an agricultural civilization. It is noticeable
that some writers’ ideology of ecofeminism has no signal or influence of Western theory,
but their own demands of showing and presenting. Moreover, advantageous condition of
history, society, culture and ideology partly contribute to promote the increase of
ecofeminism in Vietnamese contemporary prose. Combining all the above reasons,
contemporary Vietnamese female writers build their own discourse to blend female issues
into ecological problems to create a branch of ecofeminist literature. Firstly, this ideology is
quite faint besides other theories. Later, with the involvement of many young female writers
who is sensitive with social problems and ecological risks, ecofeminism in Vietnam obtains
more results as writers can connect their own felling with peripheral position of both nature
and women. Ecofeminism becomes an important trend of Vietnamese contemporary prose.
From the late 20th century, this theory is applied popularly and Vietnamese writers exploited
this ideology with various composing styles.
3. By investigating Vietnamese contemporary proses, we evaluate standard of
ecofeminist morality with the bellow evidences: Investigating deeply ecofeminist beauty of
both nature and women as feminine beauty and fertility; Discovering the loss of nature and
women from peripheral perspective and others’ viewpoint; Confirming potential struggling
consciousness of both nature and women and natural voice in the modern period;
Deconstructing humancentrism and the gender inequality and prejudice in both human
society and natural world. Being an independent creator, female writers tend to establish
new own value and standard to build a “female writing style” with own discourse in

applying ecofeminism. This discourse is original from nature and women’s similarity of
peripheral position. From female subjects’ viewpoint, writers discover and describe the