VIETNAM (2010): UNDERSTANDING VIETNAM'S CONDOM MARKET: KEY FINDINGS FROM AN OUTLET SURVEY

Prior to this survey, little information was available regarding current condom availability at NTOs or wholesale and consumer pricing levels. That which was available suggested strongly that condom availability in hotels and guesthouses was relatively low. MIS data collected by PSI from 2,147 hotels and guest houses across the seven project provinces in 2007, prior to the beginning of the USAID Social Marketing for HIV Prevention Project, showed that only one-third (34 percent) of hotels/guesthouses had male condoms available. Mapping conducted by DGI in 2009 among 4,095 hotels and guesthouses across the same seven provinces found that 62 percent of these had male condoms available. The purpose of this study was to generate an evidence base to inform condom distribution and promotion strategies in Vietnam with a view toward making the most efficient use of scarce public resources by reducing the distribution of fully-subsidized ("free") condoms and increasing commercial condom brand availability in NTOs. Pending resource availability, the project will conduct a follow-on survey after 12-18 months to assess progress toward these objectives