Evaluation of STD/HIV Prevention Needs of Low- and Middle-Income Female Sex Workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) AIDS Committee is concerned about providing prevention and sexually transmitted disease (STD) services to increasing numbers of female sex workers (FSWs). We interviewed 250 non-brothel-based FSWs in HCMC in 1997, including 100 detained women at a rehabilitation center, and 150 women soliciting on the street (low income) and in bars (middle income). The majority of women came from provinces bordering Cambodia. The self-reported HIV prevalence was 2.9%. One third of women (37.5%) were greater than 30 years old, 47.7% were divorced/widowed, 19.3% were married, and 41.2% were in persistent financial debt. Most women did not undergo regular gynecological exams and were reluctant to go to public clinics because of lack of money or not being treated with respect. Attitudes toward community-based cafés providing peer education and STD services were better. The results of this survey have been used to improve a peer education program for FSWs that includes free STD care in a supportive environment.