Dozens of cyclists decorated with balloons and rainbow flags streamed through the

Dozens of cyclists decorated with balloons and rainbow flags streamed through the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Sunday for the first-ever gay pride parade in the communist state.

The event, organized by the city’s small but growing Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, went ahead peacefully with no attempt by police to stop the colourful convoy of about 100 activists.

Homosexuality remains largely taboo in communist Vietnam, where Confucian social mores — with their emphasis on tradition and family — still dominate.

Gays are routinely portrayed in the media as comical figures or as people suffering from a condition that can be treated.

But in a surprise move late last month, Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong said that it might be time to consider a change in the law to recognise same-sex marriage.

Vietnam currently forbids same-sex unions. Any move to legalise gay marriage would make Vietnam the first nation in Asia to do so.

Activists said they had modified the parade route after coming under pressure from police to avoid sensitive areas of the capital where anti-China demonstrations were taking place.

Source AP