The Vietnamese sitcom “My Best Gay Friends” is the latest YouTube sensation in the country.
It’s the country’s first series featuring characters from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or LGBT community.
Its popularity reflects the growing support across Vietnam for LGBT rights. It also comes at a time when the government is considering legalizing same-sex marriages.
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Nearly one million people log on for the latest online episodes of “My Best Gay Friends”.
It’s a low-budget series about three people sharing an apartment in southern Ho Chi Minh City.
The series shows the typical life of young people, but the characters are mostly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
22-year-old Huynh Nguyen Dang Khoa is the brains behind the show – he directs, produces, writes and stars in the sitcom.
He himself is gay. He wants to show that homosexuals are ordinary people leading normal lives.
“There are a lot of straight people, men and women, who really like the show and share it with others. They tell me that they used to dislike gay people, but after watching the show, they have a different perspective, they don’t dislike gays anymore.”
The series starts off with lots of slapstick humour and over the top acting to portray the typical events in the life of young people.... like moving out of home and finding a place to live.
But in later episodes, the sitcom eases into more serious territory – such as parents coming to terms with the fact that their children are gay... a real life experience for the director, Khoa.
“In general they tried to persuade me that I wasn’t gay. At first my parents tried to find a way for me to act differently, to control my life. [And now?] After six years they’ve accepted it.”
Same-sex relations are not illegal in Vietnam, but homosexuals still face discrimination in a strongly conservative society.
Khoa says many topics raised in the sitcom resonate with the audience.
“There are a lot of people who tell me they’re really scared and worried about telling people that they’re gay, especially their parents. They live on their own. But after they watched my show they found the confidence to tell their parents.”
There have been movies featuring gay Vietnamese in the past, like “Lost in Paradise” which portrays the lives of gay sex workers.
But “My Best Gay Friends” is different, says Tran Khac Tung, Director of Information, Connecting and Sharing, a Vietnamese LGBT lobby group.
“Before, I also watched a few films about LGBT topics but they seemed to be very negative, very sad, very [much about] struggles with their lives. But with this one, I feel very relaxed and humorous and funny. And I actually enjoy watching it so it’s quite entertaining in a way.”
The sitcom began as an informal project, when Khoa began shooting with his friends just for fun.
Tram Nguyen Kim Han, with his bright green hair, plays the role of the temperamental landlord.
Despite little acting experience, he became a small-time celebrity after the show took off.
“Early in the year, I had fans come to where I work and give me presents, snacks, candy, flowers. And out on the street sometimes I meet fans and people recognize me and yell out. I say hi and take photos with them.”
The series director Khoa says about 70 percent of the show is realistic.
But some critics say the series exaggerates LGBT stereotypes.... such as overly camp or flamboyant gay men.
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But Nguyen Minh Thanh, one of the stars of the show, says they’re just acting naturally.
”I was surprised [at] first because all the intentions were good and we didn’t expect to receive any bad feedback, so it was kind of surprising.”
There will be a total of 15 episodes in what is likely to be the only series.
But Khoa is now considering a feature-length film and musical... which portrays a more positive image of gay life.
“I don’t dare to compare,” he says. “But the main difference I see is that in other movies they always look for heavy issues, gays always have to suffer hardships. But reality isn’t like that. They’re normal people, they live happy lives. Why does there always have to be an image of gay people feeling injured and facing difficulties? In reality they’re ordinary people. I wanted to create an image, a world where gay people are normal. They have family and friends, they go to school, they have love.”
