Rochelle P. Walensky, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (right) and Susan Burs, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: VOV

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Ho Chi Minh City, Walensky said that since 1998, the US CDC has helped Vietnam respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is continuing its work within the framework of the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a governmental initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and help save the lives of those suffering from the disease.

Walensky underlined the results in HIV prevention in Vietnam after she visited Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi and the District 4 Community Support Counseling Center in Ho Chi Minh City.

“I saw that at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. Today I have the pleasure going to D4 clinic as well as hear the community board members talk about the success of that work. And to see those successes actually haven’t been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were a lot of work that happened to make sure that the successes in HIV were maintained during the COVID pandemic,” she said. 

On Wednesday, Vietnam and the United States signed a Letter of Intent on increasing cooperation in building a model of the Central CDC Center in Vietnam, which reaffirms their commitment to support establishing the CDC Vietnam for better coordination in public healthcare.