This interactive theatre troupe is the liveliest and most widely known in the country. Today’s moderator is Dang Minh Thu, a stunning, petite young woman not much older than the members of her audience. Her job is to break the ice and engage these young people, getting them to open up and interact. Thu captivates them with provocative statements and poignant questions about adolescence and sexuality and, in no time, has teased out one of their main concerns – drug abuse. In this poor neighbourhood of Viet Nam’s bustling capital city, drug use is a common problem, so today’s interactive drama deals with this issue.

Hoai Anh is adamant about making the right choices in life, particularly when it comes to relationships and the right to have reproductive health information and services tailored to the special needs of young people. "You can say no to sex before marriage, but if you want to be intimate then take precautions," she tells a group of adolescents attending a special discussion session on sexuality at the Youth House in Hanoi, Viet Nam's capital city.

It was a summer afternoon. Ngan, a secondary school pupil, had just finished an extra-curricular class, and was rushing to the Tan Hoa Youth-Friendly Corner (YFC) in Hoa Binh town for yet another weekly 'class' with her peers. This ‘class’, however, is different from the others Ngan attends. The topics covered are not run-of-the mill school subjects delivered through passive lectures. Here, Ngan gets basic information on sexuality and reproductive health, and finds herself in the role of facilitator and active participant of group discussions.

HAI PHONG, Viet Nam – European donor countries can learn from Viet Nam in providing sexual and reproductive health information and services for young people, an Irish member of parliament said during a 2-day study tour to the port city of Hai Phong. Senator Mary Henry was one of seven European parliamentarians introduced to Viet Nam’s youth-friendly health services, set up over the past three years with support from the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) totalling US$2.4 million.