Surrounded by the bustle of a tavern in full lunchtime swing on Friday, communist Vietnam saw the launch of its first condom vending machine, a move hailed by anti-AIDS groups as a key step to fighting the disease. DKT International, a non-government organization that sells subsidized condoms, local firm EZ Vending and Vietnam’s Committee for Population, Family and Children cut the ribbon on a red metal vending box that sells “OK” brand condoms for 500 dong (3 cents). The machine, which will be installed in the men’s bathroom of the Nha Hang Lan Chin “bia hoi” or draught beer hall near the city’s graceful French-styled opera house, will offer a more discreet alternative to pharmacies, its sponsors said.
