Vietnam is currently battling a rapid escalation of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks, with infected pigs more than tripling from 30,000 to over 100,000 in just two weeks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The highly contagious virus has now reached 972 outbreaks across all provinces—up from 514 in mid-July—forcing mass culls and raising alarms about disruptions to Vietnam’s pork industry.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued urgent directives to curb the spread, warning of potential food supply shortages. Despite Vietnam being the first country to commercially deploy an ASF vaccine in 2023, adoption remains sluggish due to farmer concerns over costs and effectiveness. Nguyen Xuan Duong of Vietnam’s Animal Husbandry Association stressed that vaccines alone cannot replace biosecurity measures, urging stricter farm controls.
This recent outbreak is bringing back, fears of a repeat of 2018-19’s global ASF crisis, which wiped out half of China’s pig population and caused $100 billion in losses. While Vietnam’s AVAC Vietnam JSC has distributed 3 million vaccine doses domestically and 600,000 to the Philippines and Indonesia, experts warn containment is vital to avoid cross-border spread.
