• Kimberly E Green, Bao N Vu, Huong Tt Phan, Minh H Tran, Huu V Ngo, Son H Vo, Trang M Ngo, Anh H Doan, Tham T Tran, Trang Nn Nguyen, An Bao, Lan Tx Hang, Thanh M Le, Tung T Doan, Linh H Dang, and Giang Tt Ha.
• PATH, Viet Nam.
• J Int Aids Soc. 2018 Jul 1; 21 Suppl 5: e25127.

IntroductionHIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam is increasing, while annual HIV testing uptake has remained consistently low, posing a significant challenge to reaching the 90-90-90 goals. Barriers to MSM seeking HIV testing include concerns regarding confidentiality and lack of convenient testing options. Two new HIV testing strategies-HIV lay provider and HIV self-testing (HIVST)-were piloted alongside intensive social media outreach to increase access to and uptake of HIV testing among MSM not actively engaged in services.MethodsWe measured the proportion of first-time MSM HIV testers opting for HIV lay or self-testing, and factors that were associated with first-time testing, as part of a larger HIV lay and self-testing study among key populations in Vietnam. We also assessed MSM satisfaction with HIV lay or self-testing, and testing location and provider preferences. Finally, we calculated linkage to care cascade among MSM that were diagnosed and enrolled in anti-retroviral therapy (ART) services.ResultsAmong MSM that sought HIV lay and self-testing, 57.9% (n = 320) and 51.3% (n = 412) were first-time testers respectively. In the final adjusted models, the odds of being a first-time tester and opting for HIV lay testing were higher among MSM who were young, had lower levels of income and had never exchanged sex for money; for HIVST, the odds of being a first-time HIV tester were higher among MSM that had attained lower levels of education. HIV lay and self-testing resulted in higher detection of new HIV cases (6.8%) compared to conventional HIV testing among key populations (estimated at 1.6% in 2016), while MSM linked to testing through social media interventions presented with even higher HIV-positivity (11%). Combined, 1655 HIV cases were diagnosed and more than 90% were registered for ART services.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that MSM-delivered HIV testing and self-testing, promoted through online or face-to-face interactions, offer important additions to MSM HIV testing services in Vietnam, and could significantly contribute to epidemic control by increasing HIV testing among harder-to-reach and higher-risk MSM, effectively enrolling them in ART, and reducing onward transmission.© 2018 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.

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