African Swine Fever outbreak & mass pig kill
Enforcement Action
In Effect
February 1, 2019
Summary
On 1 February 2019, Vietnam’s first laboratory-confirmed African swine fever (ASF) case was identified in a household pig herd in Hung Yen province; 33 pigs were culled the same day. The outbreak spread from this initial detection to all 63 provinces and 620 districts of Vietnam by October 2019. Between February and October 2019, official Vietnamese data presented to WOAH/OIE report 5.6 million pigs culled; academic and epidemiological assessments estimate nearly six million pigs — over 20% of the national pig population — died or were culled due to ASF. FAO reported approximately three million pigs culled by August 2019 as an interim figure. Pork represented approximately 70% of Vietnamese meat consumption and nearly 10% of the agricultural sector, making the pig system the most economically significant livestock system in the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Department of Animal Health (DAH) directed national disease control operations under a National Contingency Plan approved on 15 November 2018 — drafted before the outbreak but activated upon the first detection. Control measures included: mandatory full-herd culling on small farms with confirmed ASF infection; mandatory pen-level culling on large commercial farms with multiple separated pens (pigs in uninfected pens could be kept under close monitoring or slaughtered for local consumption within infected areas); nationwide movement restrictions prohibiting pigs and pig products from leaving infected areas; quarantine checkpoints established on major north-south roads; mandatory disinfection in infected and surrounding areas; and strict biosecurity measures on all large farms. Compensation under Decree 02 was set at 38,000 VND (approximately USD 1.8) per live kilogram of culled pig; Decision 793/QĐ-TTg further defined compensation mechanisms. Restocking was permitted only after 30 days without new cases, with sentinel pig protocols (approximately 10% of capacity) for an additional 30 days. The National Centre for Veterinary Diagnostics (NCVD) performed ASF diagnosis using real-time PCR, virus isolation, serology (ELISA, IPT), and genetic analysis; the Vietnamese ASFV strain was identified as genotype II, serogroup 8. By October 2019, ASF outbreaks had reduced in recent months, with 80% of communes in ten provinces reporting no new cases for 30 days, and approximately 900 disease-free zones had been established for pig production. Later studies classify the disease as having transitioned from acute epidemic (2019–2020) to endemic/recurrent pattern (2021–2024) with ongoing control measures maintained.
Background Context
Vietnam’s pig sector comprised over 30 million animals in 2019, with pork production of 3.82 million tonnes annually. Household pig-raising accounted for 49% of the national pig population and 40% of pork volume; large commercial and industrial farms accounted for 51% of the pig population and 60% of pork volume. The integrated nature of pork’s role in Vietnamese food culture (approximately 70% of meals) made the pig system highly exposed to disease shocks. ASF spread within Asia from 2018, with documented outbreaks in China and neighbouring countries creating regional disease pressure and prompting Vietnam’s pre-emptive contingency planning. MARD issued urgent prevention telegraphs from August 2018 and the Prime Minister chaired national video conferences with all 63 provinces in September 2018. WOAH/OIE and FAO supported outbreak investigation, diagnosis, and control through emergency management centre missions.
System Impact
Direction
Reduces Exploitation
Type
Changes Scale
Significance
High
First confirmed ASF detection: 1 February 2019, Hung Yen province (household herd, 33 pigs culled). Spread to 48 of 63 provinces by mid-2019, with approximately two million pigs culled at that stage. By October 2019, all 63 provinces and 620 districts affected; 5.6 million pigs culled. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister chaired national response conferences with provincial governments. DAH supervised culling operations, movement controls, and quarantine enforcement. NCVD conducted laboratory diagnostics and genetic characterisation of ASFV. FAO and WOAH/OIE provided technical support through field missions. Provincial and local People’s Committees implemented culling at commune level. Can Tho province documented 59,529 pigs dead or culled out of a total pig population of 124,516 (approximately 48%). By October 2019, ASF case frequency had declined in some provinces; approximately 900 disease-free zones were established. ASF subsequently transitioned to endemic presence from 2021 onward, with control measures maintained and adapted rather than formally repealed.
Anticipated Effects
If sustained biosecurity requirements and movement controls are consistently applied, ASF transmission risk within and between provinces would be reduced by limiting animal movements and increasing on-farm prevention.
If compensation mechanisms under Decree 02 and Decision 793/QĐ-TTg are fully applied, they would facilitate reporting and compliance with culling orders by partially offsetting financial losses for producers.
If disease-free zones and sentinel pig restocking protocols are maintained, the pig sector would gradually rebuild, with herd structures and production practices shaped by biosecurity requirements.
The pace and completeness of sectoral recovery, and whether structural changes toward larger commercial farms and away from household producers have persisted long-term, are not fully established in available sources.
Significance Rationale
Assigned Reduces Exploitation (impact direction) because 5.6–6 million pigs were culled between February and October 2019, representing over 20% of the national pig population and approximately 8.3% of pork production volume — a documented material contraction in the exploitation system.
Assigned Changes Scale (impact type) because the primary mechanism is mandatory mass depopulation of infected and at-risk herds, directly reducing the number of pigs in production across all 63 provinces.
Assigned High significance because the outbreak affected Vietnam’s entire national territory (63 provinces, 620 districts), eliminated over 20% of the national pig population, and disrupted the sector that constitutes approximately 70% of Vietnamese meat consumption and nearly 10% of agricultural output. The scale substantially exceeds any other Enforcement Action record in SE’s database.
The scale change is transitional: the pig system contracted sharply in 2019 and partial recovery and ongoing rebuilding of the swine sector have been documented in subsequent years.
Key Actors
MARD (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) directed national ASF control; DAH (Department of Animal Health) led operational disease control measures, diagnostics, and WOAH/OIE reporting. NCVD performed laboratory diagnosis and genetic analysis. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued urgent prevention telegraphs and chaired national response conferences. WOAH/OIE and FAO provided technical and diagnostic support through field missions. Provincial and local People’s Committees implemented culling at commune level. Compensation frameworks were established under Decree 02 and Decision 793/QĐ-TTg. Small household pig producers (49% of pig population) and large commercial farms (51% of pig population) were the directly affected industry actors.
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