"We can't expect much": Childbearing women's 'horizon of expectations' of the health system in rural Vietnam.

Highlights • Responsiveness centres on understanding peoples' ‘legitimate’ expectations of their health system.

• Healthcare-related expectations are shaped at the intersection of social, temporal, and spatial ‘locations’.

• Expectations are also shaped by social norms, and market-driven practices and forces in the health system.

• There is a need for health system actors to consider the impact of market forces on responsive care provision.

• Active citizen participation and contestation is also needed to establish ‘legitimate’ expectations of care.