HANOI
19 - 21/8/2016
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead -
Viet Pride movement
In 1970, following the groundbreaking Stonewall Riot, the United States saw its first Pride marches. Since then, Pride has become a global phenomenon aiming to raise awareness, embrace diversity, and empower the minorities. As important as a venue to counter homophobia, heteronormativity, and bigotry, Pride also serves as a global and common language through which people of diverse cultural backgrounds, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and political affiliations can unite and build a community of tolerance and respect for fundamental rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and queers.
The year 2012 marked the first Pride celebration in Vietnam, a country in which same-sex intimacy remains a taboo. Like Pride elsewhere in the world, Viet Pride advocates for an end of prejudice, discrimination, shame, and invisibility faced by LGBTQ people. In a society where the right to love, acceptance, and dignity is entitled to some and denied of some others, Pride is much needed because it is life-changing. Even life-saving.
Since 2012, Viet Pride has started and developed to become a movement with the participation and empowerment of a variety of actors, from informal LGBT collectives, online and offline networks, to formal organisations and transnational, inter-governmental entities. Such diversity of representation and forces has brought about significant changes for the LGBTQ community in Vietnam on several fronts, from laws and policies to conversations and dialogues of LGBTQ rights spoken in the local, everyday language and in places close to home – workplaces, classrooms, and families.
Since 2012, Viet Pride has started and developed to become a movement with the participation and empowerment of a variety of actors, from informal LGBT collectives, online and offline networks, to formal organisations and transnational, inter-governmental entities. Such diversity of representation and forces has brought about significant changes for the LGBTQ community in Vietnam on several fronts, from laws and policies to conversations and dialogues of LGBTQ rights spoken in the local, everyday language and in places close to home – workplaces, classrooms, and families.
As of 2014, Viet Pride celebrations have taken place in 17 cities and provinces across Vietnam, with the most prominent ones being in Hanoi and Saigon. This works to ensure that the untold stories will be told, the invisible faces will be visible, the silenced voice will be heard, and equal rights will be protected. This is happening, because of all the people who have chosen to stand on the right side of history and those who will, both in Vietnam and everywhere in the world.
Contact
Email: vietpride@vietpride.org
​Phone: +84 1266 147 551