Thailand is the only country that has conducted two Phase III efficacy trials and ten other Phase I/II studies using various HIV-1 vaccine constructs. This outstanding record is the result of strong efforts and commitment among various partners, including policy makers, regulators, researchers and foreign collaborators. Recently, it has become apparent that hardly any new HIV/AIDS candidate vaccines are in the pipeline reaching the stage of clinical testing, especially a candidate vaccine that is suitable for Thailand and the surrounding region. However, many lessons learned can be utilized or modified for other vaccine trials, particularly vaccines against other infectious diseases prevalent in developing countries.