INTRODUCTION: Over the last four decades, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has been a major public health concern. It is acknowledged that an effective vaccine remains the best hope for eliminating the HIV-1 pandemic. The prophylaxis of HIV-1 infection remains a central theme because of the absence of an available HIV-1 vaccine. The inability of conventional delivery strategies to induce potent immunity is a crucial task to overcome and ultimately lead to a major obstacle in HIV-1 vaccine research. AREAS COVERED: The literature search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. Nano-platforms-based vaccines have proven prophylaxis in various diseases for effectively activating the immune system. Nano-vaccines, including non-viral and viral vectored nano-vaccines, are in a position to improve the effectiveness of HIV-1 antigen delivery and enhance the innate and adaptive immune responses against HIV-1. Compared to traditional vaccination strategies, genetic immunization can elicit a long-term immune response to provide protective immunity for HIV-1 prevention. EXPERT OPINION: Research progress on nano-vaccines for gene delivery against HIV-1 was discussed. Vaccine strategies based on nano-platforms that are being applied to stimulate effective HIV-1-specific cellular and humoral immune responses were particularly emphasized.