Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed the amount would be provided in the second annual report on the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Under PEPFAR, Vietnam received $18 million and $27.5 million in 2004 and 2005 respectively and used it to provide antiretroviral drugs to 740 HIV-positive people and care for over 60,500 people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

PEPFAR is a five-year, $15 billion program that directs funding for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to 15 countries with Vietnam being the sole Asian beneficiary. The plan was initiated by President George Bush early 2003.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, about 263,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the country though only 103,000 cases have been reported. The government aims to reduce the country's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate to below 0.3% by 2010.

Reported by Xuan Danh – Translated by Hoang Bao