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| A person requesting medical interventions for gender reassignment would have to get official gender dysphoria diagnosis from a medical examination and treatment establishment__Photo: Internet |
From 2026, Vietnamese citizens would have the right to gender reassignment, according to the latest draft Law on Gender Reassignment.
However, each person may undertake gender reassignment only once throughout their lifetime.
As per the draft, a person requesting medical interventions for gender reassignment would have to fully meet several conditions.
First and foremost, he/she must be at least 18 years old and have full civil act capacity. If being aged between full 16 and under 18 years, he/she must get official gender dysphoria diagnosis from a medical examination and treatment establishment and obtain the consent of his/her guardian.
Regarding the condition on marital status, the draft law proposes two options. Under the first option, the person wishing to get medical interventions for gender reassignment must be single. As per the second option, no condition on marital status would be imposed. However, after taking medical interventions, if wishing to be granted a gender recognition certificate, this person must be single and information about single status would also be included in the gender recognition certificate.
Persons wishing to get medical interventions for gender reassignment must seek legal advices on related issues. Those who are serving suspended sentences, executing non-custodial penalties or additional criminal penalties and have their criminal records not yet expunged would not be permitted to undertake gender reassignment.
The draft law underlines that transgender persons would have their new gender lawfully recognized and all personal rights in conformity with the new gender. They would be permitted to retain parent-child relationship as well as rights and obligations from the former marriage and family relations, including also child adoption.
Before taking medical interventions, they may store sperm and egg cells for future use but must ensure conformity with Vietnamese ethics and law. Transgender people would also be entitled to law-prescribed maternity/paternity benefits in conformity with their new gender.
Transgender people’s right to property with regard to assets created before gender reassignment would also be recognized. If a certificate of ownership or the like contains information on the asset owner’s gender, authorities would be obliged to modify such information to suit his/her new gender.
Transgender people would have the right to change gender information on all personal documents and to study, work and integrate into the family and society.- (VLLF)
