Defender Tran Thi Thu tied the knot at the start of this year with her partner
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE VIA FACEBOOK
Tran Thi Thu, a defender on Vietnam’s national women’s team, spread queer joy over the weekend by marrying her girlfriend Nguyen Thi Thuong. According to VN Express International, this union marks the first time that a Vietnamese footballer has married someone of the same sex.
The ceremony saw several familiar faces from the Vietnamese team including defender Hoang Thi Loan, defender Chuong Thi Kieu, and goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh.
On her personal Facebook, the player wrote: “I would like to send my sincere thanks to relatives on both sides of the family, friends near and far, and colleagues who took some time to come celebrate and give congratulations.”
“Best wishes to us. The wedding was a great success.”
The football star represented Vietnam at the 2023 FIFA World Cup – the first-ever World Cup that Vietnam had qualified for. They were beaten during the group stage by the Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA.
While same-sex marriage is not recognised in Vietnam, Tran Thi Thu and her partner were able to have a symbolic wedding. The only two countries in Asia which recognise same-sex marriage are Taiwan and Nepal.
In 2022, Vietnam declared that being LGBTQIA was “entirely not an illness”, marking a huge step forward for queer citizens.
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