VIDEO: PM Orbán walks hand in hand with Vietnamese prime minister in Budapest

The Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, is on official visit to Budapest. Orbán welcomed him yesterday with military honours in front of the Hungarian Parliament. Later, he made an even more symbolic gesture many can misunderstand in Hungary.

PM Viktor Orbán grabbed the Vietnamese leader’s hand and led him on the corridors of the Carmelite Monastery, where his office operates in the Buda Castle. The images and video footage spread quickly in the Hungarian media, and several people misunderstood the gesture.

In Hungary, the Orbán government does not support the LGBTQ+ movement. They accepted several laws restricting LGBTQ people in the country. Apart from the fact that gay marriage is forbidden in Hungary and it is extremely difficult for an LGBTQ person to adopt and raise kids, the Hungarian government made it compulsory for each bookstore to wrap LGBTQ books. Furthermore, the minister sacked the director of the National Museum due to the World Press Photo exhibition in which LGBTQ-related photos were displayed even for an under-18 audience.

Same-sex couples walking hand in hand in Hungary is not usual

Therefore, for a same-sex couple to walk hand in hand is not a usual in Hungary. What’s more, that is brand new for the Hungarian prime minister living in a seemingly happy marriage with his wife, Anikó Lévai, and five children. But, of course, there is an explanation for walking with the Vietnamese prime minister like that.

According to telex.hu, it is a traditional gesture in Vietnam to do so with your friends and allies. In the Southeastern Asian country, it is not surprising if same-sex people walk on the streets hand in hand. It is an act of respect and friendship. If people in a higher rank lead another in a lower rank, that can mean disdain. But that cannot be the case in the Orbán-Chinh relationship since both of them are the leaders of their countries. Here is the video:

Read also:

• Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, Kyrgyz, and Filipinos will come to work in Hungary – Read more HERE
• Hungarian Catholic Church goes against Pope Francis concerning blessing same-sex couples – Details in THIS article