U.S. Govt Funds $900M for Health Programs in Vietnam in 20 Years

The United States government has funded a total of $900 million for health programs in Vietnam since the normalization of relations in 1995, state media reported on October 29 from the 20th anniversary celebrations of the U.S. - Vietnam health cooperation initiatives and normalized bilateral ties. The figure accounts for about 75% of the U.S. government’s assistance to Vietnam. Since its 2005 implementation, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program has been the largest contributor of Vietnam’s HIV response. This year also marks a key PEPFAR milestone with over 100,000 people in Vietnam on ARV treatment and over 40,000 people on methadone maintenance treatment. The U.S. government is also the largest bilateral supporter of influenza prevention and control in Vietnam and supports other areas, including tuberculosis, malaria, tobacco control, road safety, food safety, disabilities, disaster preparedness, coastal medicine, and infectious disease prevention and control. During the celebration held in Hanoi on October 28th, US Ambassador to Vietnam Osius and Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien awarded “for People’s Health” medals to seven American diplomats and US Embassy Certificates of Appreciation to 40 Vietnamese individuals for their dedicated contributions to advance the bilateral health cooperation. (Lao Dong –Labor Oct 29 p7, Nguoi Lao Dong – Laborer Oct 29 p2)