Vietnam: Difference between revisions

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Birth control is legal and widely accessible in Vietnam. It is estimated that 73%-75% of Vietnamese women (of reproductive age) use some form of birth control.<ref>[http://www.dktinternational.org/country-programs/vietnam/ DKT International: Vietnam]</ref> Typically, you'll be able to find oral contraceptive pills, IUDs, injectables (Depo Provera) and Implanon. The most commonly used forms of modern contraceptives tend to be IUDs and condoms. However, it is estimated that approximately 54% of Vietnamese women use modern methods of birth control; the remaining percentage use older methods, like withdrawal, the rhythm method or periodic abstinence.<ref>[https://www.guttmacher.org/about/journals/ipsrh/2002/12/accessibility-and-use-contraceptives-vietnam Accessibility and Use of Contraceptives in Vietnam]</ref>

* Nuvaring is not available Vietnam. We asked many pharmacies -- and none of them carried Nuvaring.  

* Nguyễn Luận Pharmacy: This pharmacy has been recommended by a few people; they have some English-speaking staff. Address: 3 Trang Thi street, Hoan Kiem District. Phone: 04 3826 8644. Hours: 8 am-6 pm.

'''Important Note:''' Avoid self-diagnosing or seeking treatment (before diagnosis) at a pharmacy. According to one study: "Even though 74% (51 of 69) of pharmacists and drug sellers know that they should not treat STD patients, in fact 84% (250 of 297) did treat. When they did treat, no one gave the correct combination of drugs for treatment by the syndromic approach, as only 12% (36 of 297) gave tetracycline or doxycycline, and of those who sold them no one gave them for a sufficient number of days. Quinolones were by far the most common drug given but are not recommended by the Vietnam Institute of Venereology..."<ref>[http://sti.bmj.com/content/76/4/299.full STD management by private pharmacies in Hanoi: practice and knowledge of drug sellers]</ref>

For a long time, Vietnam (along with many other Southeast Asian countries) was known as place where you could buy virtually any medication or antibiotic over the counter. In Vietnam, this is no longer the case. Antibiotics and stronger medications are more strictly regulated at pharmacies. However, you will still find some pharmacies that are more lenient in their sales. Remember that some pharmacies focus on "herbal" or traditional medicine, meaning that they do not carry modern pharmaceutical products. Other pharmacies do carry modern products, but they may sell medications that are inauthentic (i.e. incorrect or sugar-pill like medicine) or expired. Try to visit pharmacies that you know or trust, or that someone who has experience in a Vietnamese city recommends. Overall, Vietnamese pharmacists speak very little English. So it is recommended to know that name of the medication you need in advance or to bring a translation device.

Note: While this is an unverified, a Hanoi pharmacist has told us that yeast infections in Vietnam are fairly common due to the low-quality tap water. When women wash or douche themselves with the water, they may develop yeast infections. While this cannot be entirely avoided, it's something to remember.