LGBTQ in Vietnam: Heteronormativity and Resistance

Recent political, legal and social changes have served to illustrate shifting understandings of sexualities in contemporary Vietnam. Such changes have included pride demonstrations; the establishment of organisations working with LGBTQ rights; debates around same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights; new legislation; and increased openness about same-sex preferences among young people. Despite these recent shifts, however, established societal norms regarding the importance of the family and the patrilineage still loom large over the daily lives of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people (see also Asia Pacific. In this chapter, we explore the political, legal and social exclusion of LGBTQ people in contemporary Vietnam and consider the myriad ways in which LGBTQ people have navigated such exclusionary practices. In the first section of the chapter, we outline the heteronormative context and discuss the political, legal and social changes that have taken place. We then discuss how our informants explained their attempts to navigate the familial politics of pressure. Finally, we consider the ways in which they have resisted the heteronormative framework and how such resistance has sometimes served to co-opt the very framework within which it occurs