Meeting with an HIV woman – a 2004 Asian hero  

Hue, her son and husband posed for a photo at VOVNews

HIV/AIDS patients need sympathy and care from the public. That is the message that HIV-infected carrier Nguyen Thi Hue would like to send to HIV/AIDS carriers and the entire population during an online talk with VOVNews on Thursday.

Ms Hue, who is an active disseminator of HIV/AIDS control programmes, is one of 20 people who were honoured with the title Asian Hero by TIME Magazine in 2004. 

In February 2001, Ms Hue was shocked after doctors announced that she had tested positive to HIV and that the virus had been transmitted from her husband – a drug addict. The news came very shortly after the couple welcomed their first baby.  

“At that time I thought of death, but I could not because of my son”, Ms Hue recalled.

The bad news spread quickly and far and the couple was isolated by local people and even their relatives. Ms Hue also did not dare to make contacts with others because she was afraid that she could transmit the deadly virus to them. 

The couple and their baby led a very hard life. Hoang Minh Thao, her husband, was sacked from his job as a chef at the Cay Da Hotel in Hai Phong. No job, no money and no sympathy. They lived on a little amount of allowance supplied by their relatives.

Several months later, their parents agreed to take them home thanks to dissemination programmes about HIV/AIDS prevention and control. But immediately they were confronted with new difficulties. Their Pho (noodle) soup shop received fewer customers because people boycotted dishes made by HIV patients. Later Ms Hue and her mother-in-law decided to sell soft drinks, but had to close down the shop after several months of operations. Her mother-in-law had no choice but to practice the former occupation - dress making. The practice attracted numerous customers, but they asked Ms Hue not to be involved in the work.

Living in boredom and desperation, Hue felt as if she was in captivity and finally she realised that she had to do something useful with her life.

“As a HIV carrier, I realise that nothing is more dangerous than discrimination,” Ms Hue said. “Perhaps HIV patients could live longer, but discrimination could be the reason leading to their death. I would like to work, share and help other HIV patients to overcome discrimination and isolation and help the public further understand HIV/AIDS prevention methods. Only by doing that, can HIV patients be integrated into normal life”.

In 2002, Hue joined the Hai Au Club in the city and since then she has been actively engaged in providing consultancy on prevention methods for HIV/AIDS carriers. A year later Ms Hue established a nine-member group called the Flamboyant specialising in providing consultancy for HIV/AIDS carriers. Every day the group received dozens of phone calls from people in similar circumstances. In addition, the group organised exchanges at the work place and residential areas, and assisted HIV/AIDS patients and their children in special circumstances.  

Hue also attended symposiums and exchanges on the issue from north to south and became involved in HIV/AIDS control programmes funded by foreign organisations.

“It is HIV/AIDS carriers who raise their own voice among the public,” said Hue. “It is the best way to disseminate information and raise awareness about the issue”.

The picture of Hue and her three-year-old son was printed on pamphlets as symbol of the fight against HIV/AIDS. The pamphlets were distributed across the country.  

Hue and her son appear in pamphlets
 on HIV-AIDS prevention

With her active and significant contributions to the fight, Hue was honoured with the title Asian Hero by TIME magazine last July. Next month Hue will fly to the Republic of Korea to receive the honour.  

*** During a one-and-a-half hour talk, many local and foreign readers including those from Poland, the United States, France and Australia sent their questions to Hue and her husband. Many of them or their relatives were infected with HIV.

After speaking of their lives, Hue and her husband advised HIV/AIDS carriers to stay calm, keep their bodies healthy and avoid infections with others, and above all, not to be bored and pessimistic.

“Like other ordinary people, I used to have a stable job and a happy family, but a blind act has changed everything,” Thao confessed. “I advise young people to stay away from drugs. Those who are infected with HIV/AIDS, please try to overcome it and live in a more useful way”.  

Hue providing consultancy via telephone

Having known about the talk on VOVNews, Tran Huong Loan, an employee of Ford Vietnam, visited and presented gifts to Hue’s son Hoang Minh Hieu.

“I really admire Hue’s courage in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Loan told VOVNews. “She overcome her unfortunate life to disseminate and help the community better understand the disease.”

A VOVNews regular reader, Le Van from the USA, wrote in his mail, “Many people and I admire Hue for what she has done to help herself and other people in the same conditions forget the pain and live usefully. She has built on her Vietnamese pride with courage. I really admire her sacrifice and courage.”