Van Nhi was going to get married, but she stopped the wedding plans. She did not want to move to the US with her boyfriend.

Van Nhi wanted to stay in Vietnam to be close to her family. She thinks women should have their own jobs and money.

After that, Van Nhi fixed a restaurant in Hanoi and opened another one in Ho Chi Minh City.

Van Nhi is still open to getting married, but she does not think it is necessary. She does not listen to people who tell her to lower her standards.

Van Nhi says she will not get married just to make others happy.

Van Nhi is 38 years old and travels for work.

More women are making choices like Van Nhi's. The number of women who never get married is going up.

Women in cities are getting married later than women in the countryside.

Marriage is not disappearing, but it is happening later in life. Linh Trang, 36, has a daily routine of working and practicing yoga.

People sometimes think Linh Trang has a rich boyfriend, but she says that is not true.

Linh Trang says being single is like a duck swimming - it looks easy, but it is not.

Linh Trang has a job and also works on other projects to make more money.

Linh Trang used to think she would get married, but now she is not sure. She wants to make sure she marries someone who will make her life better.

Cam Tu, 33, has a similar way of thinking. She rents a nice apartment and invests in a startup.

Cam Tu has said no to marriage proposals from her boyfriend.

Cam Tu values her relationship, but she does not feel pressure to get married.

Cam Tu wants to focus on her work in AI. She wants to take care of her future child herself.

This is part of a bigger trend in Asia. More women are delaying marriage and staying single.

In Singapore, the government has tried to encourage marriage, but it has not worked.

Women's status in society is rising fast.

Vietnam has made progress in education and jobs for women, but women still do most of the household work.

When women have more opportunities, but still have to do all the household work, it is understandable that they think twice about getting married.

Linh Trang, 36, on a trip in 2022.

For modern women, marriage needs to be a partnership where both people respect each other's careers and share the household work.

These women are not against marriage, they just want to plan their lives carefully. Van Nhi wants to retire and start an animal rescue farm. Linh Trang wants to build her finances and social connections.