Started by Spotify, Unwrapped has become one of tech companies’ favorite marketing campaigns in recent years; LinkedIn, Duolingo, and even Vietnam’s own Zalo are amongst some revelers of this trend in recent years. Last year, gay dating app Grindr continued the tradition with their own annual insights, and Vietnam managed to claim a spot in the roundup.
In late December, the black-and-yellow hookup app released their internal data chronicling how their 13 million monthly users have engaged with the app in 2023, including some fascinating statistics into the queer community worldwide. Did you know that Italy has the most enjoyers of feet? Or that Bangladesh tops the chart in number of bears, and we’re not talking about the ursine version here.
Apart from the quirkier categories, Grindr Unwrapped 2023 offers a glimpse into the sexual identities of gay men around the world. Interestingly, Vietnam came 3rd in the Top 5 countries with the highest percentage of bottoms, behind South Korea and Japan and just ahead of Denmark and Finland. Yay? It’s also important to note that this wasn’t the first year we’ve made the ranking: Vietnam was honored for the first time back in 2020.
On the other end of the spectrum, Trinidad & Tobago, Kenya, China, Myanmar and Greece reported the most tops. Highest concentrations of vers can be found in Finland, Austria, Australia, Germany and Hungary. Reflecting the rise of sides in recent years, the report also includes a category for the butt-averse amongst us, with Singapore, the Philippines, China, Kenya, and New Zealand rounding out the Top 5.
While this report might be a lot of fun to peruse, we must recognize that the data only reflects the sexual dynamics of 13 millions queer men globally, and even then, not all Grindr users include these labels in their profiles. “And remember, Grindr Unwrapped is not meant as a comprehensive or scientific report on global queer sex & dating behaviors,” the app writes in their Unwrapped announcement blog post.
Some whimsical stats from the report. Images via Grindr.
As a nation, Vietnam’s LGBT rights advancements have been slow in the past years, but at least the climate hasn’t regressed. Some positive highlights have shown the government’s changing attitudes towards queer rights.
In 2022, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health made global headlines after it issued a nationwide memo to medical professionals to treat LGBT patients with respect and make sure they are not discriminated against. The directive stressed that being LGBTQ+ “is entirely not an illness” so it “cannot be ‘cured’ nor need[s] to be ‘cured’ and cannot be converted in any way.”
The Vietnamese government is also in the process of bringing forth the Law on Gender Reassignment, which is projected to take effect in 2026, according to a draft version. The draft law stipulates that each Vietnamese national may undertake gender reassignment once in their lifetime and will have their new gender lawfully recognized by the state.
[Photo: Participants celebrate Hanoi Pride in 2022.]
