Regulating Same-Sex Marriage in Vietnam: Negotiations between Legalisation and Social Recognition

Vietnam’s ban on same-sex marriage, which was instituted in 2000, was finally removed in 2014. Since then, wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples are allowed, even though their conjugal union is deemed legally void. The article holds that this peculiar position may be attributed to the fact that recognition of marriage in Vietnam has both legal and social dimensions. In granting same-sex couples an informal venue for their relationship to be accepted, the 2014 Marriage and Family Law may offer a temporary solution to the contentious question of same-sex marriage. It follows that the strategy in the name of social recognition helps the state to gain more time for further deliberations.