Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists attend a rally in front of parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Gay and transgender activists in Vietnam say a new law recognizing their rights will pave the way for gender reassignment surgery in the communist country and reduce discrimination.
Vietnam's National Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the law, which will take effect in 2017 as part of the revised civil code.
Huynh Minh Thao of ICS, an LGBT group, says the law will make it legal for hospitals to perform gender reassignment surgeries. So far, Vietnamese had to travel to neighboring Thailand for such procedures.
There are estimated 270,000 to 450,000 transgender people in Vietnam, which has a population of 90 million people.