- Total area: ~330,000 km²
- Population: ~80 millions (78% live in rural areas).
- Capital: Hanoi
- Agriculture production contributed about 30% to national GDP.
- Crops and livestock are major sectors in agriculture
- Livestock contributed about 20% to total agricultural GDP.

- Poultry rearing is a traditional job in Vietnam.
- Before bird flu epidemic, total bird population in Vietnam reached 261 millions.
- There were 192 millions chicken, 68.8 millions ducks, muscoviks and geese.
- Red river delta and the North East areas 50.1 and 34.5 millions respectively, ~45.7% of the total population in the whole country.
- The North of the central part: 27.2 millions.
- Mekong river delta: 26.6 millions.

1. Period from the End of December 2003 to the End of January 2004
- AI epidemic firstly occurred in the early January 2004 in Long An province, then spread to Tien Giang province and rapidly to Mekong River Delta (in the South).
- Government declared AI diseases on 8 January 2004.
- In the North, the epidemic started in HaTay province.
- In the middle of January 2004, the epidemic occurred in the Southern Vietnam: Hochiminh city and provinces: BinhDuong, TayNinh, DongNai.
- Meanwhile, it also occured in Northern provinces & cities: HaNoi, BacNinh, NamDinh, SonLa, HoaBinh, ThanhHoa, HaNam, PhuTho.
- Then, it spread to provinces in the central part and Western highland.

2. Critical Period from 1 to 10 Feb 2004
- From the beginning of February, the epidemic spread rapidly in large-scale.
- Poultry movement, consumption & slaughter had to be forbidden in many areas.

3. Controlled Period from 11 to 27 Feb 2004
- From 11 to 20 February 2004, number of outbreaks appeared to decrease with no new outbreaks.
- Till 21 February 2004, the epidemic was basically controlled: no outbreaks occurred.
- Till 27 February 2004, no new outbreaks occurred & no more birds destroyed.
----> AI has been controlled in the whole country.

4. Period before Disease Withdraw Declaration (1 to 30 March 2004)
- No infected birds found.
- Epidemiological surveillance carried out by NCVD, NIVR & 6 RAHC.
- Guidelines promulgated to instruct localities: measures to clean and disinfect cages, farms and environment.
- Bird buried areas have been checked and whole outbreaks have been cleaned and disinfected.

5. Disease Withdraw Declaration
- Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) declared the disease withdrawal on 30 March 2004.
- After 2 months, AI epidemic has completely been controlled in Vietnam.

<Losses from AI>
- Until 27th February 2004, the epidemic had occurred in 2,574 communes & wards; 381 districts & towns of 57 provinces, cities.
- 43.2 millions poultry, accounting for 16.55% total population; of which 29.7 millions chicken, 13.5 millions waterfowls.

Central Level:

Primer Minister
- On January 8th 2004: Official Telegram No 71/CP-NN of Primer Minister.
- On January 28th 2004: National Steering Committee on the AI disease prevention and control was established.
- On January 30th 2004: Meeting between Primer Minister with 38 Presidents of Provincial People Committees related Ministers.
----> AI prevention and control in spirit of "flood or fire prevention and control"

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development
- Timely AI outbreak detection.
- Quick declaration of disease.
- Strict application of determined technical measures to prevent and control disease.
- MARD promulgated guidelines on AI disease prevention and control, special measures to protect parent and rare and precious breeds, safety measures during animal feed manufacture and movement, technical procedures for animal slaughter.
- All the forces from central to local levels of veterinary services with more than 10,000 staff were mobilized for more than 2 months in spite of holiday and traditional festival to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Coordinate Activities Ministries
- Ministries of Health, Finance, Commerce, Police, Transportation, Culture, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology timely sent the leaders to join in National Steering Committee on AI control.
- Ministry of Health organized the prevention and control of Pneumonia disease caused by virus in human and carried out research on the infection between birds and human.

Local Level:

People Committees from Provinces and Cities
- Steering Committees on AI control were established.
- Temporary Quarantine stations were set up to control animal & animal products movements.
- Provinces having epidemic organized to zone outbreaks, disseminated and guided animal producers to detect & declare disease, to collect birds in the outbreak for destroying and to treat the environment.

Measures that were timely decided, adjusted and complemented, including:
- On February 8th 2004, National Steering Committee (NSC) promulgated Official Telegram No 05 to supplement some measures of AI prevention & control.
- On February 19th 2004, NSC promulgated temporary Regulation on slaughtering, process and consumption of birds in areas without outbreaks.
- On February 26th 2004, MARD promulgated Guideline to instruct localities on declaration of disease withdrawal.

- Timely AI outbreak detection.
- Quick declaration of disease.
- Strict application of determined technical measures to prevent and control disease.
- Cooperation between countries.

Technical Measures:
- Good epidemiological & disease surveillance system.
- Prompt administrative measures: disease declaration, establishing committees on AI control, carrying out measures in outbreak areas.
- Good zoning of outbreak, establishment of veterinary inspection stations.
- Good animal quarantine, dealing with infected birds and birds in outbreaks and controlling effected areas.
- Effective cleaning and disinfecting environment.

International Cooperation:
Vietnam received assistance & aids from international organizations & foreign countries:
- OIE, FAO, WHO, ADB, WB.
- China, CDC (USA), JICA (Japan), AAHL (Australia), AFD (France), Malaysia, Italy and Taiwan

- Only Korea and Japan have no re-occurrence of AI.
- Vietnam & other countries sufferred the 2nd wave of AI.
- At present, no AI outbreaks in Vietnam.

Post AI Control Measures

1. Short-term Measures
- Strengthening capability on diagnosis, investigation and virus isolation.
- Apart from 2 main diagnosis laboratories (NCVD in Hanoi & RAHC in Hochiminh city), capability on AI diagnosis was strengthened in Can Tho, Da Nang, Vinh and Hai Phong RAHCs.
- 3 training courses for laboratory staff were carried out (one of them by experts from CDC, USA).
- Emergency assistance for control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) (TCP/VIE/3003 (E)
- The Japan/FAO Joint Emergency programme for the control of Avian Influenza in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Vietnam (OSRS/RAS/401/JPN)
- Emergency regional support for post ? avian influenza rehabilitation (TCP/RAS/3010 (E)
- Project on Emergency corrective action post AI epidemic funded by World Bank.
- Revised Veterinary Ordinance will be promulgated in stead of Veterinary Ordinance 1993.

2. Long-term Measures
- Planning for poultry production
- Strictly controlling trading of live poultry
- Planning & controlling poultry slaughtering
- Strengthening cooperation with international organizations & foreign countries.

1. In the end of February, the epidemic was controlled. On 30th March 2004, disease withdrawal was declared in the whole country.
2. Grand parent, rare and precious pet breeds were successfully
3. Public health were protected.
4. To reduce bird losses caused by epidemic and protect environment.
5. Restore bird market. Bird production industry has prepared conditions for rehabilitation.
6. Restore bird slaughtering, process, movements and consumption of bird products in areas that had outbreaks.