Vietnam forum

I've never experienced any problems in Thailand or Laos, and in general the peoples in South East asia are very tolerant towards gays especially in comparison to many countries. I cant speak for the general attitude in Vietnam though as i have never been there.

When travelling with a partner i've had no problems when checking in or getting a room at a guesthouse, and a more formal hotel should never do anything to make you uncomfortable or feel offended in regards to this.

I only once experiences a problem whilst in Malaysia but that only extended to a more frosty attitude towards us nothing more - i considered this a one off in my experiences.

Few local people would have a problem when talking to them - its very common for people in Thailand and Laos to ask quite personal questions compared to say the UK or Australia and in my experiences one of the first questions i get asked is if im married or have a girlfriend. I either simply answer no or tell them that im with my boyfriend/partner if hes with me - the usual response to that is 'oh okay, are you hungry?' or some othetr such continuation of getting to know each other and when i've been alone virtually everyone has asked to see a picture of my partner.

Also, regarding the public affection im sure you already know its not encouraged in SE Asia (for gay or straight couples) but no one bats an eye at 2 men holding hands or hugging or out for a meal together. the preconceived ideas of what a 'man' can do out here are quite different.

Hope that helps.

The positive attitude they have towards all relationships in Thailand is somewhat unique in this world. Certainly I find the rest of the region to be far more conservative, and I suggest you cool it for a few weeks. There is a thriving Gay lifestyle in the Philippines, and to a lesser extent in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but Indochina is another world!

In regards to Madmac's post: The general attitudes within Malaysia seem to differ between peninsular Malaysia and Sabah & Sarawak. The latter being more conservative/traditional in regards to gays (from personal experience) and i often forget its part of Malaysia. A large part of the populations in Sabah and Sarawak are christian (mainly catholic i believe) and although i never experienced direct offensive behavior, i felt a much higher tension and was several times told about 'gods views on gays' within conversations.

I think a good way of putting it is in Thailand or Laos when people (staff) at a guesthouse knew we were a couple there would be smiles and giggles, and in Malaysia for the most part it was stares and whispering.

I prefer the giggling myself.

Theres an online resource somewhere listing gay friendly hostels/guesthouses/hotels in the region - i steer away from these places though, they often become hives of seedy activity but some people feel much safer being around like minded folks.

Come on and go ahead with your plan. My wife and I were in Vietnam last year and everyone was fantastic, helpful and open minded. Sorry, I've no idea about the rest countries in the region but would doubt if you've any problem.

I may be way too late with my reply, but it could be useful to others for future reference:

Because opposite-sex contact is frowned upon in many parts in SE Asia (though it seems to be changing with the younger generations), it is quite common to see same-sex affection (hand holding, arms around shoulders etc. The cities tend to be more familiar and tolerant of homosexuality than the villages, which are generally more traditional in every sense.


There is gay-friendly accommodation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and quite a few gay expats there.

In KL - it sometimes feels like all the locals are gay (I am currently living in KL and most of the people I know are gay/lesbian) - it's just a matter of not showing affection in public, but that applies in general. Many travellers tend to be in twos and same-sex - it doesn't necessarily mean they are gay.

Posted from within Vietnam.

Old thread, but general enough to be relevant.

I think it's probably fair to say that views on homosexuality in SE Asia are as varied as those in the West, except that people are likely to be more discreet about either their relationships or their prejudices. You're probably far more likely to be threatened or verbally abused in your own country, and hotel staff probably won't make any assumptions about men sharing a double room unless you're asking for the honeymoon suite anyway.

I've seen pretty open displays of homosexual affection (stopping short of kissing) in regular bars in Cambodia and Vietnam, and for that matter Asian guys seem to have fewer qualms about hitting on me in "straight environments than their Western counterparts. There's also a lot of intimacy between heterosexual men (less so than India though), which possibly makes it easier for the locals to [pretend to] be completely oblivious of the guys who are actually interested in each other.

Saigon, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville and many places in Thailand all have bona fide gay bars, if that's your thing.