search under grant NSF G-10236 administered by The University of Texas; to the Royal Department of Mines, Thailand, for their support of the research in Thailand, to Charles Mann and Gaylord Walker of the United States Operations Mission to Cambodia, and to Edmond Saurin and Adrien Milli6s-Lacroix, University of Saigon, for cooperation in Cambodia and Viet Nam, and to others. too numerous to na...

The establishment of a revolving drug fund project in Viet Nam is described and the factors responsible for its success are considered. As well as being a tool for cost recovery a revolving drug fund can serve as an entry point for strengthening health care and improving health security at local and district level.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses have caused dramatic economic losses to the poultry industry of Vietnam and continue to pose a serious threat to public health. As of June 2008, Vietnam had reported nearly one third of worldwide laboratory confirmed human H5N1 infections. To better understand the emergence, spread and evolution of H5N1 in Vietnam we studied over 300 H5N1 av...

BACKGROUND During the 1980s, the postservice mortality component of the Vietnam Experience Study was conducted to examine the health effects of the Vietnam experience. This study was limited by the relatively short follow-up and the young age of the veterans. Thus, a follow-up mortality investigation on this cohort was undertaken to further assess the impact of the Vietnam experience on chronic...

agenda-setting is a crucial step for inclusive health policies in the low- and middle-income countries (lmics). enlightened by ha et al manuscript, this commentary paper argues that ‘political impetus’ is the key to the successful agenda-setting of health policies in lmics, though other determinants may also play the role during the process. this vietnamese case study presents a good example fo...

this commentary reflects upon the article along three broad lines. it reflects on the theoretical choices and omissions, particularly highlighting why it is important to adapt the multiple streams framework (msf) when applying it in a socio-political context like vietnam’s. the commentary also reflects upon the analytical threads tackled by ha et al; for instance, it highlights the opportunitie...

In this report we describe a new approach in HIV sentinel surveillance that was piloted in Viet Nam in 2009 and is currently being rolled out in all provinces. It comprises a brief behavioural questionnaire added to the HIV sentinel surveillance surveys conducted routinely among people who inject drugs, female sex workers and men who have sex with men. Timely reporting of data from this system ...

Adequate utilization of services is critical to maximize the impact of counselling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF), but little is known about factors affecting utilization. Our study examined supply- and demand-side factors associated with the utilization of IYCF counselling services in Viet Nam. We used survey data from mothers with children <2y (n = 1,008) and health staff (n = 60) f...

The estimated population of Viet Nam was 86 025 000 in 2009, 49.4% of them male. The population density is 263 persons per square kilometre, with most (70.3%) of the population living in rural areas. Over the past few years, the country has witnessed a gradual change in its population structure. In 2009, 25% of the population was aged 0-14 years, a decrease of 8.1% in comparison with 1999. Howe...