U.S., Netherlands, Australia Support Vietnamese HIV-infected People

The U.S., the Netherlands and Australia’s governments have pledged a combined of $9.18 million for two assistance projects of HIV/AIDS-infected people in Vietnam, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported Dec 18. The $300,000 credit project, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), will be carried out in Quangninh, Nghe An, An Giang provinces and Can Tho, Haiphong, Hanoi cities and Ho Chi Minh City from Dec this year. The project aims to help people infected with or affect by HIV/AIDS in the seven localities borrow loans to do business.  The second project, totaling AUD10 million ($8.88 million), is sponsored by the Dutch and Australian governments to reduce the wide spread of HIV virus on the community. The project will be implemented in the northern provinces of Hoa Binh, Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang.