Ho Chi Minh City reports 3,197 new HIV cases in first 9 months of 2025

Men who have sex with men made up 54 percent of the newly-identified infections, according to a report by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health submitted to the municipal People's Committee.

The city has recorded a cumulative total of 106,409 HIV cases since the first infection was detected in 1990, the department said. 

Of those, 17,995 people have died, while 64,125 people living with HIV are currently being managed and treated. 

The remaining cases involve people who have relocated, stopped treatment or could not be traced.

Men accounted for 87 percent of the newly-detected infections in the first nine months of 2025. 

People aged 15-29 made up 42 percent of the new cases, followed by those aged 30-39 at 30 percent, and those aged 40 and older at 28 percent, according to the report.

Unsafe sexual activity was the main route of transmission, responsible for 81 percent of the newly-identified infections.

About 90 percent of the new cases occurred among populations considered at higher risk of HIV infection, including people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and sexual or injecting partners of individuals in those groups.

Health authorities estimate the city has about 72,067 men who have sex with men, 12,515 sex workers, and 18,789 people who inject drugs.

In 2025, HIV prevention programs reached 62,366 people from high-risk groups, covering about 60 percent of the estimated high-risk population. 

The city plans to expand outreach through digital platforms and continue methadone substitution therapy programs in 2026, the report said.