Attitudes of university students in Hanoi toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community

Abstract

Based on the survey results on university students' attitudes toward the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community in Hanoi, conducted by a group of students from the Faculty of Social Work, Vietnam Youth Academy from January to February 2026, this paper presents several initial findings on students' attitudes at some universities toward the LGBT community across three components of the attitude structure, including: attitudes expressed in thoughts and perceptions, attitudes expressed in emotions, and attitudes expressed in behavioral response tendencies. Overall, students' attitudes toward the LGBT community tend to be positive, however, there remains a proportion of students who feel hesitant and are not entirely comfortable discussing issues related to the LGBT community or are not proactive in speaking up against discriminatory and stigmatizing behaviors toward the LGBT community. This indicates that students still need guidance through education and communication in order to develop positive, long-term, and sustainable attitudes toward the LGBT community.