According to estimates from the Ministry of Health, an additional 100 people are infected with HIV in Vietnam every day, and the HIV infection has been reported in all 64 provinces and cities. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam has more than doubled from 2000 to 2005.
Since the first case of HIV/AIDS was detected in Vietnam in 1990, all 64 provinces and cities, with 90% of districts and 50% of communes nationwide, have reported cases of HIV/AIDS.
| The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains concentrated among high-risk groups: 55.16% of HIV infections are among people who inject drugs, 2.8% are sex workers, and 1.67% are patients with sexually transmitted infections. The infection rate among men is six times higher than that among women. |
There are over 100,000 people infected with HIV in the country (approximately 0.25% of the population), more than 16,500 cases have progressed to AIDS, and 9,554 patients have died. Nearly 20,000 women and children are living with HIV/AIDS.
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that while the rate of HIV/AIDS infection among women and children was only 0.02% in 2001, it has risen to 1.4% this year, meaning it has increased by 70 times. Notably, most of these women do not belong to high-risk groups such as sex workers or drug users. The majority became infected while caring for sick individuals at home and in treatment facilities. HIV has also been transmitted to them through husbands and partners. However, nearly 70% of these women do not have access to treatment, and many face discrimination, leading to a difficult life.
In reality, the treatment for these individuals remains very challenging. The cost of medication is high compared to the income of the population, and treatment capacity is limited. According to Mr. Nguyen Huy Nga, Director of the Vietnam AIDS Prevention Department, in 2005, there were nearly 6,000 HIV/AIDS patients receiving ARV treatment, of which about 2,700 patients were treated with state budget funding. Meanwhile, the actual number of patients needing ARV treatment is around 25,000.
According to forecasts from the Ministry of Health, by 2010, Vietnam is expected to have about 311,500 people living with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, the goal of the National Strategy for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Vietnam by 2010 is to control the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the community to below 0.3% by 2010 and to prevent any increase after 2010.
