In Vietnam unmarried women, still living in their parents' home, are often compared to bombs that can explode at any moment. It is quite significant that the sexuality of unmarried women is compared to something as violent and destructive as a bomb. As the above quote demonstrates, such a view is also prevalent in the fastest-growing industry in Vietnam since the liberalization of the economy, namely, the sweatshops. In the eyes of many male managers and other male personnel, young unmarried female workers, most of whom migrate from the countryside, are deemed to be susceptible to “modern life”. This is a metaphor for sexual promiscuity. One of the important methods that sweatshop owners use to control the labour power of their single female workers is to police what is supposed to be their private sex life.

This focus on the sexuality of migrant labourers, as illustrated by the confinement experienced by the garment workers in Co Nhue, indicates the need for a new approach to the study of female workers' experiences of economic liberalization. In Vietnam, there are two loosely linked main types of literature on this topic. One concerns the impact of the economic reforms on the working conditions of women workers. The other explores the impact of the economic reforms on gender and the sexuality of Vietnamese women in general.