The Role Of Prostitution In Vietnam

It is debatable as to whether or not America won the war in Vietnam. While there were many factors that played a part in the success, or failure of the war one factor that affected the war greatly was the public opinion on the war. While the Vietnam War garnered a vast amount of hate from the American population that viewed the war as a battle that did not involve the American people, the war garnered hate in Vietnam for other reasons. The American view on masculinity, among other American ideals, created a great rift between the Vietnamese people and the American forces occupying the nation. The American views of masculinity and the interactions with civilian women led to a vast amount of prostitution throughout South Vietnam that proved difficult …show more content…
32). The reason that prostitution in South Vietnam was able to progress so far was that prostitution became a normal part of most soldier’s lives as it was viewed as a proof of masculinity. Because so many people satisfying their needs with prostitutes, there was a social pressure that encouraged everyone to do it. Prostitution was also widely accepted among the American military because it was seen as natural for a man away from home to be in need of womanly companionship. Having been separated from their girlfriends and wives, it was only ideal that the soldiers find other ways to satisfy their needs. Therefore, the idea that men innately needed prostitution as a means of survival was enough justification for the use of prostitutes. This is why patronage of prostitutes was not just limited to single privates, but also extended to high-ranking officers as well. However, while the average soldier could just walk into a brothel and locate a prostitute officers were forced to participate in prostitution in a more discrete manner.Ttherefore, the practice evolved into a more secretive process where a person could order a “subscription” and get a discrete prostitute in a confidential location. When the soldier’s fun was over, he could continue living his life as if …show more content…
While prostitution was not a new institution in South Vietnam, American views on masculinity propelled prostitution to new heights within the state. The American soldier’s widespread use of prostitution, and other cultural differences between the Vietnamese people and the American military, affected the war effort and clouded the way forward. The cultural differences led to the Vietnamese government focusing on protecting its culture from America, instead of focusing on the enemy, which was attempting to take even more from the South Vietnamese