African swine fever (ASF) is showing signs of resurgence across Vietnam. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment say widespread underreporting and concealment of outbreaks are threatening disease control efforts, according to Viet Nam News.
During an ASF prevention meeting in Hà Nội on Tuesday, Phan Quang Minh, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Production and Veterinary Medicine, shared that since the beginning of 2025, 514 outbreaks have been recorded in 27 provinces — affecting over 29,000 pigs, the article says. Of these, more than 30,000 pigs have died or been culled. Across 20 provinces, 248 outbreaks remain active today — with nearly 20,000 pigs infected.
As compared to the same period in 2024, the number of outbreaks has decreased by 41%, the expert shared, and the number of pigs culled has dropped by more than 60%.
However, officials say the risk of continued transmission remains very high. Minh warns they are seeing signs of ASF firing back up, particularly in small-scale, low-biosecurity farms where old outbreaks are re-emerging.
Six key factors are contributing to the ASF resurgence, Viet Nam News reports. These include:
- Widespread small-scale farming without adequate biosecurity
- Low vaccination uptake despite vaccine availability
- Concealment of outbreaks by farmers
- Illegal and unregulated slaughtering practices
- Weak enforcement of veterinary laws
- Limited communication on disease control regulations
Viet Nam News says unofficial reports from local residents, media outlets and inspection teams have confirmed that disease concealment is rampant in many areas.
Vietnam’s livestock sector contributes approximately 25% of the country’s total agricultural output. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phùng Đức Tiến told Viet Nam News the country will lose its growth momentum if they cannot control ASF.
In the first six months of 2025, the livestock sector has grown 5.4%, in line with its annual target, the article says. Pork output has risen by 3.8%, while poultry increased by 3.4%.
To strengthen ASF prevention and control, officials propose:
- Tighter penalties for hiding outbreaks and trading infected pigs
- Expanded vaccination coverage
- Improved biosecurity at farms
- Enhanced capacity of local veterinary authorities
- Stricter disease surveillance
- Early detection and reporting
- Immediate culling of infected pigs
- Stronger controls on the transportation, slaughter and sale of pigs and pork products
South of Vietnam, in the Western Malaysian state of Penang, authorities recently confirmed ASF in three pig farms in Kampung Selamat. This area has over 60 pig farms and 120,000 pigs, officials report in Malay Mail. Other cases have been confirmed in the Philippines and South Africa, while the virus continues to spread in the European wild boar population.
ASF is not contagious to humans, but it deadly in pigs and causes devastating losses for farmers and economies.
