Hello, thank you for joining us in the Together Newsletter. To begin with, I would like to refer to a famous English quote that is “Men make houses, women make homes”. What do you guys think about this statement? 

Hoe (Bac Kan Office): In my opinion, the quote “men make houses, women make homes” bears no relevance to contemporary society. It is conceivable that physical strength (due to biological structure) only makes men more suitable for laborious work. It does not determine whether they will be the breadwinners or have exclusive decision-making abilities . 

Linh (Hanoi Office): I think this is a meaningful quote; however, people may have various ideas about what it means. The main message from this quote to me is the cooperation of both husbands and wives can build up a happy family.

Hien (Hanoi Office): From my point of view, I think this statement contains some gender-based prejudices. The responsibility of building a house or a home should not be placed solely on anyone; instead, they require joint effort. If one spouse only “builds” homes or houses without the participation of the other, it will inevitably lead to conflicts.

Thanks, everyone. So in your own family, are you confident that you have a deep understanding of your beloved women?

Hoe (Bac Kan Office): It sounds a bit confident, but I’m pretty sure I deeply understand all women in my family . Sometimes they don’t need to act, but I have somewhat guessed what they will be doing .

Linh (Hanoi Office): I am not confident . This is because each individual will always changes in their thinking or personal perspectives over time. I feel that to understand all the women whom we love is a process of constantly learning about them. The important thing is that we need to make efforts and persevere with the process, along with adapting to their changes. We should consider it a motivation for both sides to strive for self-improvement.

Hien (Hanoi Office): I am also unconfident . Even though I have close relationships with them, I still feel that there are still facets that I do not fully understand. I hope that in the future, I and many other men will soon become more confident in understanding our women. 

In your daily life, what do you usually do to lend a helping hand to your women?

Hoe (Bac Kan Office): I’m usually the first member who wakes up in the morning and the last one going to bed. I never think that household chores such as cleaning, cooking, or doing laundry are obligatory for my wife. I also teach my son how to cook and do gardening. Whenever I have time, I am willing to do these things. I think saying that “to lend a helping hand to women” is not very appropriate, because inherently these are not things that women are obligated to do .