Elevated HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam: a systematic review

Objectives: To review and analyze original studies on HIV prevalence and risk behaviours among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam. Design: Systematic literature review. Comprehensive identification of material was conducted by systematic electronic searches of selected databases. Inclusion criteria included studies conducted from 2002 onwards, following a systematic review concluding in 2001 conducted by Colby, Nghia Huu, and Doussantousse. Data analysis was undertaken through the application of both the Cochrane Collaboration and ePPI Centre approaches to the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies. Setting: Vietnam. Results: Sixteen studies, undertaken during 2005-2011, were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis showed that HIV prevalence among MSM in Vietnam has increased significantly (from 9.4 in 2006 to 20% in 2010 in Hanoi, for instance) and that protective behaviours, such as condom use and HIV testing and counselling, continue at inadequatel...