Australia: Sexual Behaviour and Risk in Vietnamese Men Living in Metropolitan Sydney

The researchers studied sexual risk in Vietnamese men who have sex with female sex workers by describing the prevalence of sexual risk behaviors among Vietnamese men living in inner Sydney and comparing that prevalence with national data. The investigators completed telephone interviews with a random sample of 499 Vietnamese men, selected from the electronic phone book using a list of common Vietnamese surnames.

Twenty percent of respondents reported having sex with a sex worker, including 12 percent who had sex with a sex worker outside Australia, predominantly in Vietnam. Of men who had sex with a sex worker in the past year, 28 percent had unprotected vaginal or anal sex at their most recent commercial sexual encounter. Ever having paid for sex was significantly associated with a higher lifetime number of sexual partners (p"Vietnamese men living in Sydney generally show lower levels of sexual and related risk behaviours than other Australian men," the authors concluded. "However, sex with a sex worker is common among Vietnamese men in Sydney and also when they travel outside Australia. Unprotected vaginal sex with sex workers is surprisingly common. Programs are needed to deal with vulnerabilities in these areas."

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