One in ten gay men in Ho Chi Minh City is HIV positive. Learn more about where you can get tested, what to expect and sign up for automatic reminders.
Getting tested is quick and easy. By choosing one of the gay-friendly clinics below, your test is totally confidential and, in most cases, free-of-charge. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a short-term antiretroviral treatment to reduce the likelihood of HIV infection after potential exposure, and PrEP may also be available.
Getting tested is a confidential and hassle-free process if you follow the steps below.
1. Register and Receive Pre-test Counseling
- Receive and complete a queue card from the receptionist
- When it’s your turn, a nurse will call you by queue card number and explain the process and meaning of the test results
2. Drawing and Testing Blood
The nurse draws a small amount of blood from your inner forearm or your finger, and labels the sample with a unique number, not your name. The result is available in 30-45 minutes.
3. Post-test Counseling and Receiving the Results
The nurse calls you back into the private counseling room and shares your results. There are two possible test outcomes:
- Positive (Reactive)
- Negative (Non-reactive)
The standard HIV testing procedure requires using three test kits with different methods to test the same blood. According to protocol, if the first test delivers a reactive result, the same blood is tested again a second and third time. The 'POSITIVE' status can only be declared when all three tests are reactive.
If you test 'POSITIVE', don’t panic. There are many people who test positive who live happy, long and healthy lives by adhering to anti-retroviral treatment and safe sex. As well, there are a variety of resources available to you.
You’ll receive counseling on how to take special care of yourself and your loved ones. Remember, HIV is NOT as easily transmitted as many other viruses. It CANNOT be transmitted via food, drink, saliva, mosquitoes, kissing, hugging, or touch. However, you MUST abstain from unprotected sex. This’ll help you protect yourself from getting other sexually transmitted diseases and prevent the spreading of HIV to your sex partners. You still can have sex but it has to be safe.
The nurse will likely request that you contact everybody you’ve had sex with in the past six months. You may have unknowingly passed the virus on to them. You should ask them to check their HIV status so that they can take appropriate action to prevent further HIV infections.
Remember!
You don’t need to go through this alone. You may decide to tell one or some of your close friends before you tell your family. That’s your choice. However, you should talk to someone about it. Ignoring your HIV-positive status won’t make it go away.
If you feel like you can’t or don’t want to tell your family or friends, the nurse can share information with you about some of the services in Ho Chi Minh City available to support you.
We recommend the following organisations:
To learn more about what happens next, view the Live Positively section of this website.
The standard HIV testing procedure requires using 2-3 test kits with different methods to test the same blood. However, if the first test kit, usually the most sensitive, provides a non-reactive result, you receive a 'NEGATIVE' result.
If your result comes back 'NEGATIVE', you receive counseling on practices that will help you stay negative and live a healthy sex life. This includes a regular HIV test at least every three months.
If your result comes back 'NEGATIVE', you receive counseling on practices that will help you stay negative and live a healthy sex life. This includes a regular HIV test at least every three months.
It can be difficult to remember when you had your last sexual health check-up and when it’s time for your next one. It can also be difficult to know how often you should get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The more sex you have, the more frequently you should have a sexual health check-up to test for HIV and other STIs. All men who have sex with men should be tested at least once a year, even if you only have one regular partner. If you have casual sex outside of your relationship, you (and your partner) should get tested at least every six months; if you (or your partner) have more than one to two casual partners a month, get tested every three months.
By filling out the details below, you can receive free and confidential reminders to go for a sexual health check-up. Choose to receive the reminder as either an e-mail or SMS.
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