Coming (out) to the city: Lived experiences of rural to urban migration amongst LGBTIQ+ youth in Vietnam

This thesis presents experiences of the LGBTIQ+ youth in Vietnam in their migration journey from rural areas to the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This is explored through 27 interviews and two focus groups. Overall, while the participants moved to urban spaces for both internal and external reasons, and strong kin relations and gender expectations in participants’ hometowns often meant still leading a dual life, the migration process and the city itself had a significant impact on the development and negotiation of their LGBTIQ+ identity in terms of self-acceptance, confidence, and greater openness about their sexual identity.