Vietnam expands use of PrEP service to reduce HIV infections
Vietnam is working to expand the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service and antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to reduce HIV infections in the community.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is working to expand the use of Pre-ExposureProphylaxis (PrEP) service and antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to reduce HIVinfections in the community.
According to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control(VAAC) under the Ministry of Health, as of September 2020, Vietnam had recordedover 213,000 people living with HIV and 107,810 dead HIV carriers since thefirst case was detected in Ho Chi Minh City in 1990.
Additional 11,000 new infections and 2,800 fatalities arereported in the country each year. At present, nearly 151,000 HIV carriersnationwide are treated with ARV therapy.
VAAC Director Nguyen Hoang Long said that HIV antibody testsare currently conducted at all districts nationwide, while all 63 provinces andcities are able to carry out confirmatory tests.
Vietnam is exerting efforts to expand the application ofconfirmatory tests to the district level.
Vietnam is one of the first countries in the world to applythe PrEP programme. As of September 30, 2020, more than 13,600 people livingwith HIV nationwide had been provided with PrEP service.
PrEP helps to reduce 98 percent of the risk of infecting HIV in the community,Long said.
Vietnam is striving to have about 30 percent or 60,000people in the MSM (men having sex with men) community using PrEP by 2025, andthe rate is hoped to increase to 40 percent by 2030./.
The national action month on HIV/AIDS prevention and control is underway, providing an occasion for Vietnam and partners to look back on anti-HIV/AIDS achievements obtained over the last 30 years.
In Vietnam, since the first infection was detected in 1990 in Ho Chi Minh City, there are 213,008 HIV carriers who are still alive and 107,812 deaths from HIV/AIDS.
The two biggest sponsors of the pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection program was The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. With their support, the program was extended fast, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.
An estimated 5,500 people living with HIV in the community have yet to be identified in Ho Chi Minh City, with about 30 percent having high viral load rates that are potentially transmitting the virus to others, according to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Huu Hung.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
ARV drugs (Photo: VNA) 
