HCMC & Hanoi
A head-spinning, all-encompassing thirst for reinvention in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Bursts of mischief breaking through the polite pretense of conservative Hanoi. There’s no better way to capture today’s queer nightlife in Vietnam than through the narratives of its seemingly contrasting, yet deeply complementary two largest cities.
If you had visited these cities a decade ago, the underground electronic music scene you encountered would have been shaped largely by expat owners, promoters, and international lineups. Today, local DJs, producers, organizers, club owners, and long-term expats, have transformed underground nightlife from an imported subculture into a distinctly Vietnamese movement. And while queer nightlife remains on the fringes, it pulses with newfound necessity—and urgency—marrying explosive modern club nights and extravagant drag performances with homegrown, trans-led folk arts, genderfluid rituals, and localized ballroom culture.
As much as this issue is a testament to progress in queer acceptance and celebration, it’s also a call for protection and preservation. Just weeks after ISSUE 02 went to print, multiple venues featured in its pages announced their closure, placing urgent pressure on the survival of queer nights.
But all is not lost—at least not in Vietnam. As we type these words, Vietnamese queers are mobilizing for spaces, sending DMs left and right to organize balls, and still dancing—dancing for themselves and for our community; dancing long and dancing loud, until their existence and movements are not just acknowledged, but upheld as rights.
For too long, narratives about Vietnam and its nightlife have been defined by outside perspectives—reduced to exotic spectacles, pitiful victimization, and borrowed expressions. The reality is far more intricate, deeply personal, and unmistakably relentless. ISSUE 02 brings together 15 stories from those who live, shape, and sustain these spaces. Step inside, listen to their voices, feel their struggles as it turns to joy, and glimpse the future of Vietnamese queer nightlife.
