CPV: The draft law on HIV/AIDS prevention and control was recently submitted to the National Assembly (NA). On this occasion, a reporter of the Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper had a talk with Dr. Le Van Dieu, deputy chairman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs, about the Party and state’s policies on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Reporter: What have the Party, the State, the government and the NA done to prevent HIV/AIDS?

Dr. Le Van Dieu: We have changed basically HIV prevention and control since 2002. In 2004, the government of Vietnam launched a comprehensive strategy on HIV/AIDS prevention and control. According to evaluations by international friends, this strategy is one of the strategies international policy-makers pay more attention to because it shows guidelines of the government of Vietnam in HIV prevention and outlines specific targets.

Besides general macro strategies, many specific measures have been changed. In terms of stigmatisation of and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-infected people, Vietnam has achieved progress. During the 1990s, we knowledged HIV but were limited in communication and education. Even slogans concealed threats that made people afraid of HIV and kept away from people living with HIV and AIDS patients. We have made great changes. Women also have more knowledge of communication, education and behavioural changes. Therefore, discrimination and stigmatisation have been lessened.

Reporter: What is the most effective way for HIV prevention and control in Vietnam?

Dr. Le Van Dieu: Another issue we have mentioned in Vietnam during the past is measures to minimise the bad effects of drugs. This is a sensitive issue in both a legal aspect and implementation aspect. Gradually, we have shaped sound concepts on this issue. First of all, Vietnam has learned experience from international friends and then carried out pilot examples in some provinces.

Over the past time, in terms of legal aspect, we have come to agreements in harmful effect minimisation. Instruction 54 on HIV prevention issued by the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam on November 30, 2005 said that we have to set up a complete legal system to create a favourable legal environment for HIV prevention. This is an important foundation for the promotion of the work in Vietnam. Additionally, specific measures to support HIV/AIDS-infected people have also been improved.

Previously, HIV/AIDS prevention was made light of but now it is considered an active and humane measure for people living with HIV. Prevention and supervision work of the epidemic in Vietnam have been paid due attention to and the country is striving to achieve the targets of 100 percent of localities supervising the epidemic and tying HIV/AIDS prevention programmes into socio-economic development programmes by 2010.

Reporter: During the process of making laws and policies on HIV prevention, apart from national efforts, do we have any support from international friends?

Dr. Le Van Dieu: During the past time, Policy Project organisation has contributed a lot to helping Vietnam carry out communications work and make policies on HIV prevention and consistently address HIV/AIDS, drugs and prostitution.

In addition, Policy Project has actively taken part in training personnel for Vietnam. Specifically, the organisation in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh National Politics Institute launched a programme on disseminating knowledge about HIV/AIDS prevention to Vietnamese policy-makers and future policy-makers. I think that this is a vital programme. The organisation has also actively participated in this support and care of HIV-infected people, minimising stigmatisation of and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. We highly value Policy Project’s participation in HIV/AIDS prevention and control in Vietnam.

Reporter: Thank you very much.