The HIV epidemic in Vietnam: Past, present, and opportunities

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country, bordering China in the north, Laos in the northwest, and Cambodia in the southwest. Approximately 73% of its 83 million people reside in rural areas (General Statistics Office, 2003). The country's two largest cities are Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) with a population of 5.6 million, and Hanoi, the capital, with a population of 3 million. Since 1987, when the government's doi moi (renovation) policies were launched, the country has dramatically advanced its economy and improved various aspects of life for the Vietnamese people. In 2006, Vietnam's economy was ranked one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. The gross national income has doubled in the past decade. Healthcare services have also benefited from its economic development. Life expectancy at birth increased from 67 years among males and 70 years among females in 1999, to 70 among males and 73 among females in 2002 (Vietnam Commission for Population Family and Children, 2005).