Recognition of same-sex unions in Vietnam

Vietnam does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, unregistered cohabitation, or any other form of recognition for same-sex couples. Article 36(1) of the 2013 Constitution of Vietnam states that "marriage must adhere to the principles of voluntariness, progressiveness, monogamy, and equality between husband and wife."

Legal history

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Vietnam, despite attempts at legalisation in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, the Government of Vietnam announced it would no longer fine people who carry out public same-sex wedding ceremonies; however, these unions have no legal recognition, and as such same-sex couples are unable to access the rights and benefits of marriage, including with regard to social security, inheritance, adoption, common ownership of property and goods, tax benefits, and others.

Background

Attempts to hold unofficial same-sex marriages in the late 1990s were met with mixed reactions from the government. A male couple held a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City in 1997. One official said "it should be publicly condemned." However, the police said that there was no legal framework under which the two men could be charged. Another attempt in 1998 by a lesbian couple in the province of Vĩnh Long, however, was officially sanctioned. The Ministry of Justice later intervened and ordered the annulment of the union, stating it was "illegal and runs counter to the morals and traditional customs of the Vietnamese nation". A law was passed three months later officially banning same-sex unions in Vietnam. Previous laws against all forms of cohabitation were repealed by a new marriage law approved by the National Assembly in 2000.

On 28 July 2014, British nationals, Yein Kai Yee and Sutpreedee Chinithigun, were married at the British embassy in Hanoi, in what the media described as the "first same-sex marriage in Vietnam". The marriage was performed under British law and lacks legal recognition in Vietnam.

Restrictions

Laws regarding homosexuality in Asia
Same-sex sexual activity legal

  Marriage performed

  Marriage recognized

  Other type of partnership

  Legal guardianships or unregistered cohabitation

  Limited foreign recognition (residency rights)

  No recognition of same-sex couples

  Restrictions on freedom of expression, not enforced

  Severe restrictions of association with arrests or detention

Same-sex sexual activity illegal

  Prison, not enforced

  Prison

  Death penalty on books, not enforced

  Enforced death penalty

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Article 64 of the Constitution of Vietnam adopted in 1992 stated that: "The family is the cell of society. The State protects marriage and the family. Marriage shall conform to the principles of free consent, progressive union, monogamy, and equality between husband and wife. Parents have the responsibility to bring up their children into good citizens. Children and grandchildren have the duty to show respect to and look after their parents and grandparents. The State and society shall recognise no discrimination among children." Article 36(1) of the 2013 Vietnamese Constitution is similar, reading:

Men and women have the right to marry and divorce. Marriage must adhere to the principles of voluntariness, progressiveness, monogamy, and equality between husband and wife.

Article 10(5) of the Law on Marriage and Family (Vietnamese: Luật Hôn nhân và Gia đình, pronounced [lwə̀kʔ hōŋ ɲə̄ŋ vâː jāː ʔɗɨ̂n]) contained an explicit ban on same-sex marriage. In 2014, the National Assembly removed that ban and enacted the following provision in article 8(2): "the State shall not recognize marriage between persons of the same sex".

Attempts at legalization

In May 2012, a same-sex couple in Hà Tiên held a traditional, public wedding at their home, but were stopped by local authorities. The event was widely reported on Vietnamese media and started a heated public debate on the issue. Two months later, the Minister of Justice, Hà Hùng Cường, said that the government was considering whether to legalise same-sex marriage, stating that "in order to protect individual freedoms, same-sex marriage should be allowed". The matter was expected to be debated in the National Assembly in spring 2013. However, in February 2013, the Ministry of Justice requested that the National Assembly avoid action until 2014.

In June 2013, the Ministry of Justice submitted a bill to remove the same-sex marriage ban from the Law on Marriage and Family, and provide some legal rights to cohabiting same-sex couples. On 24 September 2013, the government issued a decree abolishing the penalty for holding same-sex marriage ceremonies. The decree took effect on 11 November 2013. The National Assembly debated the bill in October 2013. On 27 May 2014, the National Assembly's Committee for Social Affairs removed the provisions giving legal rights to cohabiting same-sex couples from the legislation. The bill was approved by the National Assembly on 19 June 2014, promulgated by President Trương Tấn Sang on 26 June, and took effect on 1 January 2015, but without provisions recognizing same-sex unions. The law removed the same-sex marriage ban in article 10(5) of the Law on Marriage and Family and enacted a provision in article 8(2) that Vietnam does not "recognize marriage between persons of the same sex". Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, the head of a gay tourist agency in Hanoi, told NBC News, "It's not perfect… It's not completely there, but it is a great step in the right direction."

At Vietnam's third Universal Periodic Review on 22 January 2019, Iceland, the Netherlands and Canada recommended the government to legalize same-sex marriage. On 4 July 2019, the government "noted" (rejected) these recommendations. On 10 August 2022, activists began the "I Do campaign" calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage and gathering signatures in support. As of 20 November 2022, the organizers' Facebook page confirmed that they had collected about 40,000 valid signatures.

Public opinion

Opinion polls conducted since 2012 have reported a rising trend of support for same-sex marriage in Vietnam, making it one of the most supportive in Southeast Asia, and Asia generally.

A survey carried out in December 2012 by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE) showed that 37% of Vietnam's population supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 58% were opposed. A March 2014 poll conducted by the iSEE found that 33.7% of Vietnamese people supported same-sex marriage, while 52.9% were opposed. 41.2% of respondents supported recognizing same-sex cohabitation or civil unions, and 72% believed that legalising same-sex marriage would not negatively affect their families. The sample size was 5,000 respondents.

An online survey carried out by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) from December 2015 to January 2016 found that 45% of respondents supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 25% opposed it. A 2017 survey by the Social Life Research Institute in Ho Chi Minh City showed that 50.9% of respondents aged 15 to 35 thought same-sex marriage should be allowed in Vietnam, while 26.3% were undecided and 22.9% disagreed.

A June–September 2023 Pew Research Center poll showed that 65% of Vietnamese people supported same-sex marriage (30% "strongly" and 35% "somewhat"), while 30% opposed (14% "strongly" and 16% "somewhat"). Support was highest among Buddhists and Christians at 71%, but lowest among the religiously unaffiliated at 59%. When divided by age, support was highest among 18–34-year-olds at 79% and lowest among those aged 35 and above at 57%. The survey was conducted face-to-face with a sample size of 2,255 respondents. This level of support was the highest among the six Southeast Asian countries polled, ahead of Thailand at 60%, Cambodia at 57%, Singapore at 45%, Malaysia at 17%, and Indonesia at 5%.

See also

• LGBT rights in Vietnam
• Recognition of same-sex unions in Asia
• I Do campaign