The Australian Volunteers Program strives to provide a safe, supportive and equitable environment for LGBTQIA+ volunteers, approved accompanying dependents, partner organisations and all program staff. The Australian Volunteers Program has supported queer volunteers in all program countries and has ongoing connections with community organisations in many countries and regions in which the program operates.
This guide introduces a snapshot of the local context for queer and gender diverse people. LGBTQIA+ program participants must be aware of the country context before undertaking an assignment. If you are an LGBTQIA+ volunteer, you will need to:
- do your own research and understand what the local law says you can and can't do when in-country
- follow the local laws, even if you disagree with them
- be aware of the legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people in your destinations
- consider if you’re comfortable living and working in a place where you may not be able to live as openly as you can in some parts of Australia.
Language
Terminology may differ across urban and rural contexts, provinces or ethnic and cultural groups. Information sourced online can be outdated or inaccurate. For current and accurate information, please confirm with an appropriate civil society organisation (CSO) or ask your in-country team.
It is most appropriate for those outside the queer community to use the acronym LGBTI.
Legal and policy context
Same-sex sexual acts have never been criminalised in Vietnam, however an exclusionary national legal framework denies the equal rights and protections of LGBTQIA+ people. CSOs are starting to raise awareness of legal rights issues in the country, opening dialogue between queer communities and national legal bodies.
In 2013 the Vietnamese Government removed same-sex unions as a forbidden category of relationship, however they are not legally recognised. In 2016, at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Vietnam voted in favour of a resolution to protect against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite some advances, there are several national legal provisions that harm LGBTQIA+ communities. For example, doctors are permitted to perform genital modification surgeries on intersex children to resemble typical male or female genitals.
In 2022, the Health Ministry declared that being same-sex attracted and/or transgender was not a mental illness, banned ‘conversion therapy’, and instructed medical professionals to treat LGBTQIA+ people respectfully. Since 2015, trans people can legally change their name and gender after undergoing surgery but a full legal framework that was put forward in 2023 and accepted has been delayed indefinitely.
Discrimination
No legal protections exist for LGBTQIA+ people in Vietnam. This includes a lack of constitutional protections and national laws that protect against discrimination, laws that protect against discrimination in employment, and laws that protect against hate crimes, incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination based on someone’s gender and/or sexual identities. There is no legislation that references inheritance, taxation or family rights for LGBTQIA+ people. Queer communities face difficulties obtaining work and often experience workplace harassment and discrimination. Bullying causes many young LGBTQIA+ people to leave school prematurely, with at least 85% of trans women dropping out of school due to bullying or violence.
Cultural and societal attitudes
Vietnam is made up a variety of ethnically and spiritually diverse groups, many of which are accepting of people who do not conform to traditional binary gender roles. The major religion is Buddhism (7.9%) but most of the population are atheist (81.8%).
As a result of strong LGBTQIA+ advocacy, public opinion has improved and government officials have supported the rights of some in the LGBTQIA+ community. However, families of LGBTQIA+ people and the public do not always have access to accurate information, and many still hold the misconception that diverse sexual and gender identities are a curable ‘disease’. Families are also shaped by patriarchy and, to be accepted, LGBTQIA+ people are expected to conform to gender roles. Family violence is not uncommon, including suppressing gender expression, ‘conversion therapy’ and forced marriage. As a result, some LGBTQIA+ youth live on the streets of major cities to meet other people like them, and to access LGBTQIA+ resources and spaces.
In bigger cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, LGBTQIA+ life is increasingly visible and accepted. For example, Hanoi has been celebrating Pride since 2012 and a growing vibrant queer social scene in cafes, drag shows, and bars. While there is significant acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people by youth in urban areas, stigma persists in schools, rural areas and among older demographics.
Health and wellbeing
There is a strong network of CSOs supporting the health of Vietnam’s LGBTQIA+ community. Sexual health and HIV-related services are accessible to everyone, including trans people. Hormone therapy is legal and there’s a growing number of clinics in major cities. Some hormones can be purchased at pharmacies without prescription. However, therapy is unregulated and self-management is risky. Gender reassignment surgeries are also technically legal, thanks to a 2017 Civil Code amendment, but access is limited and highly regulated.
There are limited mental health services that are well-informed about LGBTQIA+ issues. Intersex people face barriers to healthcare as they are grouped with the transgender community and face stigma and discrimination.
Schools in Vietnam lack non-discrimination policies to protect and support their LGBTQIA+ pupils, and sexual education is not mandatory.
Media
Social media plays an important role as an advocacy tool and as a means for Vietnam’s queer community to connect. The Vietnamese Government prohibits independent and privately-owned media outlets and strictly regulates print media, radio and television stations. Privately-owned blogs and websites are frequently shut down, and the government has pressured social media platforms like Facebook to restrict access to pages that go against the political views of the Communist Party.
Vietnam’s media landscape has made remarkable progress in recent years, from underground web content to national TV, film and policy advocacy. TV, web series and films now feature relatable LGBTQIA+ characters and there are documentaries, talk shows and photo essays that humanise queer experiences.
The Pride Guides were developed in 2022 and updated in 2025 by consultants and experts based in countries in which the program operates.
