Viet Nam's livestock breakthrough: From reaction to proaction

Many modern technologies are widely applied

Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong, President of the Viet Nam Veterinary Science and Technology Association, emphasized that vaccines and veterinary medicines are important biological tools for disease control and for ensuring biosecurity in the livestock sector.

In practice, the livestock industry is always at risk of the emergence and spread of many dangerous infectious diseases. As farming scales expand, stocking densities increase, and trade becomes more widespread, the risk of disease outbreaks and large-scale transmission rises significantly.

In recent years, many dangerous infectious diseases, such as African swine fever, avian influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease, have caused significant losses for farmers and affected the stability of the livestock sector.

Within the system of disease control measures, vaccines play the role of creating proactive immunity for livestock, helping prevent diseases early, and reducing the risk of large-scale outbreaks. Meanwhile, veterinary medicines support treatment, control, and containment of diseases.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong said that Viet Nam currently has more than 90 veterinary drug manufacturers meeting GMP-WHO standards, including more than 10 units producing veterinary vaccines. This is an important foundation for continuing the development of domestically produced vaccines.

Therefore, vaccines and veterinary medicines are not only technical tools of the veterinary sector but also make important contributions to ensuring disease and food safety and to the sustainable development of the livestock industry.

According to Dr. Huong, in recent years, science and technology have played an important role in enhancing Viet Nam’s capacity to research and produce vaccines and veterinary medicines.

First, the research capacity of domestic research institutes, universities, and enterprises has improved significantly. Many vaccines and veterinary medicines researched and produced in Viet Nam have been widely applied in practice, contributing to greater proactiveness in disease prevention and control.

In addition, production technology and quality control systems in the veterinary medicine sector have made clear progress. Many enterprises have invested in modern production lines and applied quality management standards such as GMP, GLP, and ISO, thereby improving product quality and better meeting market requirements.

Racing for next-generation vaccine technologies

The President of the Viet Nam Veterinary Science and Technology Association affirmed: “Viet Nam is fully capable of gradually improving its level of self-reliance in vaccines and veterinary medicines. In recent years, we have built a fairly important foundation in scientific research capacity, production systems, as well as technical personnel in the fields of veterinary science and biotechnology.”

Many domestic research institutes, universities, and enterprises have actively participated in the research and production of vaccines and veterinary medicines. Several products developed by Viet Nam have been effectively applied in practice, contributing to improved capacity for disease prevention and control.

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However, to achieve sustainable self-reliance, it is necessary to continue increasing investment in scientific research, especially in biotechnology and next-generation vaccines. At the same time, stronger linkages should be promoted among research institutes, universities, and enterprises to form a value chain from research and testing to production and commercialization.

Currently, many countries are developing next-generation vaccine platforms, including recombinant, vector, and mRNA vaccines. In this race, Viet Nam is still at the stage of accessing and gradually developing these technologies and is not yet among the leading countries.

However, Viet Nam has the advantage of having established a foundation in biotechnology research, along with a system of research institutes, universities, and several enterprises capable of producing vaccines and veterinary medicines.

According to Dr. Huong, to keep pace with these technological trends, Viet Nam needs to increase investment in research and development and expand international cooperation to access and transfer advanced technologies.

At the same time, promoting linkages between the research and production sectors also plays an important role in narrowing the gap between scientific research and practical application.

Shifting from response to proactive risk management

Sharing her views on the role of science and technology in vaccine and veterinary medicine production, Dr. Huong said that advances in these fields are helping the livestock sector shift from a reactive approach to proactive disease risk management.

In the past, veterinary work mainly focused on handling outbreaks after they occurred. However, with the development of biotechnology, molecular diagnostic techniques, and modern disease surveillance systems, early detection of pathogens and forecasting disease risks have become more feasible.

In particular, the research and production of high-quality vaccines enable the development of proactive disease-prevention programs for livestock, thereby reducing the risk of large-scale outbreaks.

This approach helps shift from a response-based model to a science- and data-based risk management and disease control model.

From this practical perspective, the need for continued investment in vaccine and veterinary medicine research is becoming increasingly urgent, not only for the veterinary sector but also for the entire livestock value chain.

In fact, Viet Nam has achieved a number of notable results in the research and production of veterinary vaccines. Many important vaccines have been researched and produced domestically, such as avian influenza vaccines, PRRS vaccines for pigs, foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, and notably the successful development of an African swine fever vaccine.

However, to further promote the sector's development in the coming period, Dr. Huong said it is necessary to establish a coordinated policy framework to encourage businesses to invest in research and technological innovation. This includes strengthening policies to support research and development, as well as providing tax and credit incentives for science and technology activities.

In addition, the legal framework should continue to be improved in a transparent, stable manner and aligned with international practices. At the same time, product registration and circulation procedures should be reformed to shorten the time needed to bring research results into practice.

“If there is an appropriate investment strategy together with favorable policy mechanisms, Viet Nam can completely enhance its capacity for self-reliance in vaccines and veterinary medicines, thereby contributing to disease safety and promoting the sustainable development of the livestock sector,” Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong emphasized.

From March 27-28, the MAE will organize the first National Conference on Livestock and Veterinary Science and Technology, with the participation of leaders from agencies of the National Assembly, the Government Office, relevant ministries and sectors; management agencies, unions, associations, enterprises, and scientists in the livestock and veterinary sectors from across the country. The conference will take place at the National Convention Center on Pham Hung Street, Tu Liem Ward, Hanoi.

VAN News will provide live coverage of this event.