Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reports that HIV transmission patterns have changed significantly over the past decade, with sexual transmission now accounting for more than eighty percent of new infections and the highest rates found among men who have sex with men and transgender women.
The country recorded 13,351 new HIV cases and 1,905 deaths over the past year. Deputy Director of the Preventive Medicine Department Nguyen Luong Tam said at the national launch of the 2025 HIV AIDS Action Month that the shift reflects a clear change in how the virus spreads.
Blood related transmission has dropped sharply compared with previous decades, while mother to child transmission is now rare. Sexual contact has become the main route of infection and the affected population has changed from sex workers to men who have sex with men.
A large scale study in ten provinces that included more than 428,000 men who have sex with men found a new infection rate of 7.2 percent. Those who used drugs had eight times the risk of those who did not. Rates of other sexually transmitted infections in this group were also high, while condom use remained low.
The Ministry of Health estimates that men who have sex with men represent one to two percent of all men aged 15 to 49 nationwide. Yet this group now accounts for a rising share of new HIV cases. Sixty eight percent of new infections came from the Mekong Delta, the Southeast region, and Ho Chi Minh City. Infections are also rising in provinces that were not previously hotspots, driven by synthetic drug use and group sexual activity.
Officials warn that services have not expanded fast enough to meet demand. Vietnam has medication, experienced staff, and a nationwide clinic network, but many people avoid testing or do not access PrEP or ARV treatment because of fear of stigma.
Vietnam is also not on track to achieve the global 95–95–95 targets by 2030. The country has reached only 87 percent for the first target and 79 percent for the second. Funding gaps, difficulty in procuring test kits, and the decline of international aid have slowed progress. UNAIDS warns that reductions in global funding threaten essential services including testing, PrEP, and second line ARV drugs.
Health officials and UNAIDS leaders stressed that communication is essential. Reducing stigma and making services accessible will be critical if Vietnam is to meet its goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
The Ministry of Health advises people at high risk including men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, and people who inject drugs to use PrEP. For those living with HIV, early and consistent ARV treatment can suppress viral load within six months, preventing transmission to partners and reducing the risk of mother to child transmission. Many patients who maintain treatment now marry and have healthy children.
Source: Vietnam Insider