Vietnam (2005): Fear, Shame, and Peace of Mind, Motivations and Barriers to VCT Utilization among Most at Risk Populations in Vietnam

By conducting this qualitative research, PSI explores attitudes and behaviors relating to demand for VCT use among MARP. The overall objective of this research is to gain an in-depth understanding of the use and non-use of VCT services in Vietnam among three key target groups: Injecting Drug Users, Sex Workers, and their sexual partners. Through this research, PSI hopes to understand motivational triggers, perceived barriers, and perceived benefits as they relate to demand for HIV testing and counseling among key target groups. In addition, this study explores VCT users' past experiences with HIV counseling and testing to obtain insight into the benefits of knowing HIV status, as well as barriers to past testing in order to improve VCT services.\The study employed a qualitative approach, using two main data collection techniques: in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Fifteen in-depth interviews and sixteen FGDs were carried out focusing on three main target groups: male IDUs, female partners of male IDUs, and female sex workers. Female sex workers were further divided into two categories: Direct, or street-based sex workers, and indirect, or karaoke-based sex workers. Each FGD consisted of 6-8 participants and in total, 135 of participants took part in the study.