This article analyses the nature of female activism within the context of the Vietnamese export‐oriented manufacturing industry. It highlights women’s potential as change agents within the industrial fabric of Vietnamese society and identifies how gendered perceptions shaped the nature of industrial action in the country. The three examples of industrial action presented here indicate that although the activism undertaken by female rank‐and‐file workers in industrial zones was informal, it played a crucial role in the progressive changes to labour relations in Vietnam. Further, it shows how women’s agency was shaped by their own gender perceptions, which in turn guided their industrial strategies and outcomes.