Advertisement
LGBTQ
This Week in AsiaSociety

LGBT rights: Vietnam recognises transgender people, but there’s a flaw in its law

  • In 2015, the country enacted a widely celebrated law enshrining rights for transgender people, making it one of Asia’s most progressive countries
  • But the bill to enforce that law has still not been passed, continuing the legal and medical confusion as well as discrimination faced by the community

Reading Time:6 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Hanoi’s LGBTI community gathers in November 2015 to celebrate a law passed by the Vietnamese government enshrining rights for transgender people. Photo: AFP
Sen Nguyen

“Ever since I was a little boy, I knew deep down that I am a girl,” said Van, a transgender woman, at a public talk about transgender medical needs at the United States Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City last week.

Not too long before, she had gone to Thailand alone to have gender reassignment surgery. Van’s father did not tolerate the truth when she came out as trans, so Van – who did not reveal her age and last name – left home. Her mother gave her some money for the surgery, but was not at ease about it.

“I didn’t have enough money to hire a middleman to guide me there, only for the surgery and travel-related costs. Everyone had somebody picking them up after the surgery, I was all alone,” Van said.

I went to several hospitals but they all refused to help me, explaining that they didn’t understand the surgery
Van, a transgender woman

After leaving the hospital, the after-effects of the anaesthesia and the sharp pain she experienced caused her to vomit and collapse on the street. Luckily, passers-by helped her up and escorted her back to her hotel.

Recovery from gender-reassignment surgery is often difficult and frequently requires medical attention, which Van needed but found difficult to get back in Saigon. “My sexual organ was infected, I couldn’t pee after I returned to Vietnam. I went to several hospitals but they all refused to help me, explaining that they didn’t understand the surgery and what was involved so they didn’t dare to intervene.”
Luckily, Saigon-based doctor Nguyen Tan Thu – known as the unofficial doctor for the city’s LGBTI community – came to Van’s rescue. “It came to my attention in 2013 that transgender people were injecting themselves with hormones randomly so I started to do some learning to help them,” he said.
Trans women Jessica Nguyen (left) and friends inside her shop in Ho Chi Minh City. The 2015 law would allow people to legally and officially change their gender. Photo: AFP
Trans women Jessica Nguyen (left) and friends inside her shop in Ho Chi Minh City. The 2015 law would allow people to legally and officially change their gender. Photo: AFP

At the time of her convalescence, there were no public hospitals that dealt with trans medical issues or the LGBTI community at large. It was not until January this year that the first – and currently only – public medical facility for trans people was opened in Ho Chi Minh City, according to local media reports.

Advertisement