Controversial treatment drugs such as AZT may soon be cheaply mass produced

Treatment is mostly reserved for medical workers who have been exposed to the virus.

An official from the Anti-Aids Permanent Office told reporters that Vietnam could produce cheap copies of Western drugs for as little as $400 a year.

And the chairman of Vietnam's National Committee on Aids Prevention says they have already identified more than 20 Vietnamese drug companies who can make anti-Aids drugs to an international standard.

International test

But he says Vietnam must first settle the issue of copyrights held by foreign drug companies.

In the past, countries such as Thailand and South Africa have been threatened with trade sanctions by the United States for plans to make their own low-cost generic Aids drugs.

But late last year, the World Trade Organisation agreed in principle that countries facing a national health crisis could over-ride copyrights and manufacture cheaper Aids drug copies.

If Vietnam goes ahead with domestic Aids drug production, it will test the willingness of Western drug companies and governments to abide by that agreement.