Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital and second largest city. It is located on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is ancient, with architecture going back to a time when it was a part of China. You will find incompariable shopping and dining in this cosmopolitan city. The World Heritage site of Halong Bay, just a few hours from Hanoi, is one of the most spectacular places to see in Asia. Hanoi’s reputation for hostility to foreigners is long-gone now. It’s changing fast as it balances its Communist past with the French influences and rapid modernisation.

The law about homosexuality in Vietnam is vague to say the least! Homosexuality is not a crime provided that it involves noncommercial acts between consenting adults in private. Male prostitution and public sex are illegal and establishments or people found to be involved in such behaviour can be sentenced to long prison terms. LGBT citizens are not treated as criminals, although homosexuality is widely frowned upon. There is increased public acceptance of homosexuality and more gay people coming out of the closet and setting up support groups is on the rise. Vietnam has no exclusively gay venues. Hanoi has a few mixed bars and discos that attract local gay people. The scene seems to move around every night, prompted by a flurry of texting, so unless you know someone it will be difficult for you to find out what’s going on where! Most Vietnamese are very friendly and are probably your best chance of getting to know what’s going on.

A warning is offered that most Vietnamese are narrow minded about gays, and many Vietnamese gays tend to be very closeted, most especially in the north. Most ‘gay’ venues keep quiet about their existance for fear of police raids etc. so be careful!  The government recognises that it must work with the gay community to fight against AIDS/HIV. No place that we list here is exclusively gay. Our thanks to Claude and Hung for their valuable help in compiling this page.

Has no exclusively gay venues that we are aware of. Visitors are warned to be careful of young men cruising around the city’s lakes who may not be what they seem; and of young men on motorcycles offering visits to karaoke bars. You may end up getting badly ripped off, or even assaulted. You are more likely to encounter other visiting gays rather than local gay men.