Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi Pride2017, the country’s most anticipated event for the LGBTQ community, opened on September18 and runs until September 24 with a series of exhibitions, discussions, filmscreenings, a bike rally and walking march.

The capstone events of thesixth annual Hanoi Pride - the bike rally, parade, and PrideFestival - will bring together almost 1,000 LGBTQ community members and allies. Since the firstcelebration in 2012, Hanoi Pride (formerly Viet Pride Hanoi ) has become anannual event calling for the elimination of prejudice and discriminationagainst the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Vietnam, a countryin which same-sex intimacy remains taboo.

Over the last few years, Pridehas become a movement spanning from informal LGBT collectives on and offline toformal organisations and transnational, inter-governmental entities. Themovement has brought about significant changes for the LGBTQ community in Vietnamon several fronts: same-sex marriage is now legal, public opinion is shiftingand tolerance is on the rise within workplaces, classrooms and families.

This is thefirst year that Hanoi Pride has been organised by a committee of 11organisations in Hanoi working on LGBTQ rights.

Organiserssaid that with the theme of "Pride Capital", Hanoi Pride2017 will reflect its city: celebrating traditional cultures while remainingopen to modern changes and maintaining strong family ties while empoweringindividual.

Vuong Kha Phong, secretary of Hanoi Pride,said it is important to celebrate Pride every year to show people living allover the country that LGBTQ people are standing up to ask for their rights.

“May be people in Hanoi willhave opportunity to know better about LGBTQ community than those living inremote regions,” he said. “If Hanoi Pride can get lots of support and success in thecity, this will further motivate the organisers of this event in other regionsof Vietnam.”

Hoang Giang Son, a member ofNextGEN association - a network of young leaders working on LGBTQ issues - said"continuing discrimination faced by LGBTQ people made Prideessential".

“I want to continue to organisethis event because many of my friends who are in LGBTQ community are stilldiscriminated,” Son said. “I will continue to act for the rights of LGBTQcommunity as long as it still happens.”

The bike rally will start at2pm on September 24 at Nam Cao Street near Giang Vo Lake. The parade and Pridefestival will begin at 4pm at the American Club, located at 19-21 Hai Ba TrungStreet.

More information about theweek-long event can be found at www.hanoipride.vn.-VNA