This paper first reviews the rural de-collectivization and economic integration in Vietnam and their effect on
gender relations among ethnic minorities in Northern Vietnam. We also develop a theoretical framework to measure factors affecting the intra-household gender relations in ethnic minority groups in the Northern Mountainous Area of Vietnam. Based on this theoretical framework, we estimate the important factors that affect
women’s decision-making within households. The household survey of 480 households living in Thai Nguyen and Son La provinces is uniquely designed to measure the intra-household gender relations. The survey includes questions that measure household decision-making, such as making of decisions related to healthcare, household purchases, childcare etc., and other individual and household characteristics. The regression analysis tell us that women’s decision-making in the household is affected by factors such as women’s years of schooling, income contribution to the household, assets given when getting married, and whether there is a male family member working far from home. These factors are also positively related to the economic integration and de-composition in Vietnam. The results of multiple regression analyses also indicate that husband’s years of schooling, gender of household head, the household’s current assets and the husband’s granted asset as major factors deterring women’s autonomy in Northern households