Kompeng Vannak

“Kompeng Vannak” is everything the title promises to be. Several women of various ages and social ranks, work, grow and live life together in a time where being a truly brave and strong woman was something that would instill distrust and disfavor in people who aren’t receptive to change.

From start to finish I was impressed by the Red Scarf women (female construction workers), who existed in real life (samsui women) and had to work twice as hard doing hard manual labor and still be belittled by the men on the construction sites. I did some research into the topic upon finishing the drama and it became quite clear that this drama feels so real because they decided to honor and represent these women.
The 40 episodes went by fast and I did not skip a single scene.
It’s multi-layered and covers many different types of people, from samsui women, to gangs and the upper class society as well as many different settings and circumstances. Just take a peak at the tags of this drama and you‘ll see what I mean.

Although it has two main characters, throughout the drama there are episodes where the focus shifts from character to character. I quite liked that it wasn’t just about the leads and their story. All supporting roles would easily pass the Bechdel test, as they each have their own story.

Ouygang Tingqing(FL), starts at the very bottom and grows into a leader of the samsui women by standing up for her sisters, making connections, wise decisions and bringing in ideas on how to improve their lives and careers. Among the red scarf women, no one is like the other and conflicts are dealt with and resolved. It’s quite surprising that none of these characters were villainized nor made perfect. It was a true pleasure watching the sisterhood of these women.

Another thing I loved is that, given its female centered plot, instead of having a rich, influential ML as a backer for the FL, we have Nan Lan. A rich, older lady that is deemed mysterious as she befriends people outside of her social circle and race.