From Family Planning to Hiv/aids in Vietnam: Shifting Priorities, Remaining Gaps

Story of a billboard I have been standing in the middle of a busy crossroad in front of a bustling market in the center of Hanoi for almost 20 years. The people who gave birth to me were from the city’s Propaganda Department. They built me with a large metal frame to make sure market goers notice me. My first outfit was the picture of a young couple and their two cute kids. The husband, a factory worker, wore his blue uniform, and the wife, a teacher, held a couple of schoolbooks. Their children, one boy and one girl, were healthy — even a little chubby — and they held beautiful flowers and toys. The family was standing beside a nice Honda motorbike, the dream of many families at the time, and a caption that read: “Stop at two if you want to raise your children properly.”