- Research
ISDS has gained good experience in research on drug issues and harm reduction. In 2003, ISDS was commissioned by UNODC to conduct a qualitative study on gender aspects of drug use in Hai Phong. In 2004, ISDS continues to get a grant from UNODC to do a qualitative research on sub-culture of drug users in Ha Noi. Since 2008, ISDS has been involving in the Ausaid funded multi-country project "Law Enforcement and Harm Reduction" with three other organisations: Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne (Australia), National Institute of Public Health (Cambodia), National University of Laos. Key components to this project include an analysis of policy environment in term of harm reduction of the country, conducting a qualitative research on the role of law enforcement in harm reduction.
- Advocacy and information sharing
Recognized the severe level of exclusion against this population, ISDS began its efforts to advocate for rights of drug users by introducing harm reduction concept to the Communist Party’s then Central Commission of Ideology and Culture in 2003. Ground-breaking workshops on harm reduction organized by the Commission with Party and government senior officials, and with mass media contributed significantly to the inclusion of harm reduction as a priority intervention in the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS.
Advocacy efforts made by the trustful and strategic partnership between the Commission, WHO and the Institute on harm reduction between 2003 and 2006 played a crucial role in legalization of harm reduction for HIV prevention as stipulated in HIV/AIDS Law in 2006.