To be a man, one must take four important steps.

First, he must know how to cultivate himself (Tu Than). In order to achieve this step, he must meet five requirements:

1) He must adhere to rites and ceremonies.
2) Strictly observe the family and social hierarchies (Le).
3) He must help the need and desperate (Nghia).
4) He must have strong will power and determination (Chi), and
5) He should consistent and loyal so that people can trust and have confidence in him (Tin).

Then he must govern or run his own family properly (Te Gia). Without these two prerequisites he might not be able to rule the country (Tri Quoc). And after fulfillment of the three above required steps might hie pacify the whole world (Binh Thien Ha).

The Vietnamese man or more accurately the husband is the boss, or he claims to be one. In traditional conditions, he is breadwinner and decision-maker for his family. He is supposedly the most important member of the family and definitely has a higher status than his wife. He has the power to control all the things in the family. When the decisions must be made regarding important issues such as the mirage of his children. He usually consults not only his wife and the children concerned but also other members of his family, such as his parents, his parents in-law, his brothers and sisters, his uncles and aunts, etc. But the final decision is still his, and appropriate actions are taken.