South Korea hands over Capacity Building for the National Center for Veterinary Diagnosis Project

On the morning of November 10, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of South Korea to hold the hand-over ceremony for the project “Capacity Building for the National Center for Veterinary Diagnosis in Viet Nam, Phase 2 (2022–2025)”, funded by the Government of South Korea as a non-repayable ODA grant.

The ceremony was held in a solemn atmosphere, attended by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Mr. Kim Shin Jae – Director General of the Global Agricultural Development Team, MAFRA, along with representatives from both countries’ agencies, international organisations, and technical partners.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized that the project serves as a vivid example of the strategic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in agriculture and veterinary medicine.

He stressed that South Korea is not only a major trade and investment partner, but also a collaborator with Viet Nam in many development cooperation programs, technology transfer and capacity-building.

According to the Deputy Minister, completion of Phase 2 will help Viet Nam consolidate its capacity for diagnosis, testing, vaccine evaluation and research, meeting the requirements for disease prevention in the context of climate change and increasingly complex cross-border epidemics.

“This is an important foundation for the National Centre for Veterinary Diagnosis to approach international standards, serving biosafety, food safety and public health,” he said.

According to Nguyen Tung, Deputy Director in charge of the centre, the Phase 2 grant is worth KRW 5.4 billion (approximately USD 3.9 million – equivalent to about VND 100 billion), funded by the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC).

The project focuses on upgrading infrastructure and equipment, including two BSL-2+ biosafety laboratories, one ABSL-3 animal disease testing facility, and three specific-pathogen-free (SPF) animal housing areas.

These key components will enable the Centre to diagnose and test major animal diseases in cattle, sheep and goats, and conduct vaccine efficacy research. Concurrently, the project supports training, workshops and dispatch of South Korean experts for technology transfer.

Mr. Tung noted that while Phase 1 (2017-2020) laid the groundwork for laboratory modernization, Phase 2 has enabled the Centre to “step up to a new level”, completing the full chain from diagnosis to testing. “This is not only a physical project but also a symbol of trust, friendship and scientific cooperation between the two nations,” he emphasised.

From the Korean side, Mr. Kim Shin Jae of MAFRA remarked that Viet Nam is one of South Korea’s key partners in agricultural development cooperation.

He praised the Centre’s work in Phase 1, particularly its contributions to animal disease control and support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Kim also said that MAFRA and KRC will continue to support Viet Nam in human-resource training, technology transfer and expanding new cooperation programs in veterinary medicine, food safety and transboundary disease control. “Today’s success is the foundation for deeper cooperation, for the shared goal of protecting animal and human health,” he said.

The National Centre for Veterinary Diagnosis is the leading national institution in Viet Nam for animal disease diagnosis, testing and research, under the Department of Animal Health.

Over many years, the Centre has participated in surveillance, early detection and control of major diseases such as African swine fever, avian influenza, lumpy skin disease, foot-and-mouth disease…

Thanks to the results of Phase 1, the Centre’s testing capacity doubled to 2-2.5 times, becoming financially autonomous and qualified to conduct vaccine testing for livestock export.

At the hand-over ceremony, Deputy Director Nguyen Tung pledged that the Centre will operate the newly invested components safely, effectively and sustainably, maximise the value of the grant, and continue sharing technology and research outcomes with units across the network to expand the impact of Viet Nam-Korea cooperation.

Since 2010, the Government of South Korea has funded numerous technical assistance programmes in veterinary medicine for Viet Nam. Completion of Phase 2 marks more than 15 years of sustainable cooperation between the two professional agencies and contributes tangibly to the region’s common goals of animal disease control, biosafety and sustainable agricultural development.

Within the event, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien presented the Medal for the Cause of Agriculture and Rural Development to three individuals: Mr. Kim Meyong Won – representative of KRC Viet Nam, Mr. Lee Myung Sik – CEO of Wosem Co., Ltd, and Mr. Ryu Taek Eun – Chairman of SUNGAN Engineering Co., Ltd. The Deputy Minister also presented a token of gratitude to Mr. Kim Shin Jae of MAFRA and to seven representatives from the Korean side.

* $1 = VND 26.373 (Source: Vietcombank).