Vietnam is facing a renewed surge of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks, raising alarms over potential disruptions to the nation’s food supply chain, the government said in a statement on Friday.
So far in 2025, Vietnam has recorded 514 outbreaks across 28 of its 34 provinces and cities, with over 30,000 pigs culled to contain the spread of the deadly disease, which affects pigs but poses no direct threat to humans.
“The risk of African swine fever is on a rising trend, negatively affecting the pig farming industry, food supplies, and the environment,” the government warned, highlighting the escalating threat to Vietnam’s agriculture-dependent economy.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an urgent directive this week, instructing provincial governments and relevant agencies to implement immediate disease control measures to curb the outbreak.
Although Vietnam approved the commercial use of its first domestically developed swine fever vaccine in 2023, vaccine uptake remains low. “Only around 30% of pigs in my province have been vaccinated,” said an animal health official from Quang Ngai province, one of the affected areas. Another officer noted uncertainty over the low vaccination rate, citing possible issues related to availability, cost, or vaccine efficacy.
The African Swine Fever has long plagued the global pork industry. During the 2018–2019 crisis, China, then the world’s largest pork producer, lost nearly half its pig population, resulting in economic losses of over $100 billion.
