Viet Nam Country Program

Aims of the Viet Nam Country Program

The principal aim of the Viet Nam Country Program (CP) is to reduce the spread of HIV associated with drug use among men and women in the program target provinces. This will be achieved through the establishment of a comprehensive package of services for IDUs including the strengthening and expansion of existing harm reduction services including needle and syringe exchange programs, condom provision, voluntary counselling and testing, behaviour change, referral to primary health care services and antiretroviral provision and, once capacity and legal requirements are met, methadone maintenance therapy. The program will work in communities and closed settings such as detoxification centres and prisons in the currently underserviced provinces of Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang and Bac Can in northern Viet Nam.

In addition the Viet Nam CP will aim to strengthen the multi-sectoral approach to management and delivery of harm reduction interventions involving health, law enforcement and social affairs agencies and build capacity at central and provincial levels to better deliver integrated services and manage a comprehensive service model.

The Viet Nam CP will also aim to develop and strengthen civil society groups through an Innovation Fund which will provide small grants for advocacy, research, job creation and micro-credit, peer networking and self help groups and anti-stigma measures and campaigns.

Objectives

The objectives of the Viet Nam CP are:

• Improved coordination and harmonisation of national and donor supported programs including at the provincial level as outlined in the Hanoi Core Statement.
• Establishment of a comprehensive package of services for IDUs in selected provinces in Vietnam.
• Increased understanding, technical and management capacity of those engaged in harm reduction interventions to deliver effective programs.

Implementing Partners

The Viet Nam CP will operate through Government of Viet Nam systems at the central and provincial levels and will emphasis a multi-sectoral approach to delivery and management of program activities.

The Viet Nam CP will partner with the Viet Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) of the Ministry of Health, the Standing Office of Drugs Control (SODC) of the Ministry of Public Security and the Department for the Prevention of Social Evils (DSEP) of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. These three ministries will be represented on a Program Steering Committee, along with AusAID as co-chair of the committee. The Steering Committee will be the primary governance mechanism for the Vietnam CP.

At provincial level the Viet Nam CP will work with the AIDS Prevention Department of the Department of Health and with the Department of Public Security and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to deliver coordinated harm reduction program activities.

In addition the Viet Nam CP, through the Innovation Fund, will partner with community based organizations, mass organizations such as the Women's Union and Farmer's Union, local and international NGOs and informal user and peer groups to deliver community based programs in support of harm reduction.