Viet Nam is a remarkable development success story. Since 1986, economic reforms have transformed the country from one of the world’s poorest to a lower middle-income nation. Rapid growth has lifted over 45 million people out of poverty between 2002 and 2018, reducing poverty rates from 70% to less than 6%. The robust economy continues to grow, driven by strong foreign direct investment and a vibrant, dynamic workforce. Agriculture plays a significant role in Viet Nam’s economic development.

FAO started working in Viet Nam in 1978. Since then, FAO Viet Nam has emerged as a trusted partner for sustainable development to build on more than 40 years of cooperation and achievements. So far, more than 400 projects have been implemented to generate significant advancements in the areas of sustainable agricultural development, food security and nutrition, forestry, fisheries and prevention of animal diseases that threaten global public health. The new Country Programming Framework (CPF) for 2022-2026, developed by FAO, together with multiple stakeholders in the country and in close consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

In 2004, Viet Nam poultry and human were heavily impacted by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks, causing more than 60 human deaths and $45 million dollars of economic loss from dead poultries at its peak moment. In order to respond to this emergency, FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) program joined the FAO Viet Nam country office in 2006. After surviving the crisis surrounding the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), the need for a fundamentally sustainable approach to fight against not only avian influenza, but also other livestock and zoonotic transboundary diseases has emerged.

FAO ECTAD Viet Nam receives financial supports from various organizations such as the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Republic of Korea (ROK), United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), The European Commission (EC), The United Kingdom (UK) Fleming Fund and UN joint funds. With these supports, FAO ECTAD partners with the government of Viet Nam to reduce pandemic risk while preserving health, nutrition, livelihood, and productivity.