From January 2005 to December 2007 field surveys were conducted in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam to assess the status of banteng Bos javanicus birmanicus. The population of banteng was estimated to be 74-103. It has declined by at least 50% since the mid-1990s and the species is likely to go extinct in Vietnam in the near future. Remaining herds are small, although recruitment still exists. Large portions of the species' range in the early 1990s are no longer occupied and the maximum area of occupancy of the species in Vietnam is c. 2,670 km 2 . Only five disconnected populations persist. The most important are in Yok Don National Park (30-44 individuals) and Ea So Nature Reserve (23-31). However, our surveys suggest that these populations are exposed to risks of disease outbreak and will only be viable if there is active management to facilitate recovery. Interviews carried out at the survey sites indicate that the status of banteng in Vietnam is determined by commercial poaching in response to demand for trophies. Future conservation actions need to target poor governance, the root cause of banteng decline, which precludes effective management of protected areas in Vietnam and places several species of large mammals at risk of extinction nationally.

The objective of this study was to score the biosecurity status of pig and poultry production systems in Vietnam. The project surveyed 35 pig and 35 poultry farms, in Hanoi and Dong Nai provinces respectively, using the Biocheck.Ugent™ tool. The Biocheck.UGent tool comprises 109 pig and 79 poultry questions subdivided within breeds into the external biosecurity and the internal biosecurity question sets. External and internal biosecurity scores for pig farms were similar (53,56% and 55,05%, p>0.05). By contrast, for poultry farms, the external score was lower than the internal score (59,55% and 65,18%, , p<0.05). For the external biosecurity of pig farms, purchasing animals and semen scored highest, whereas entrance of personnel and visitors scored lowest. For the internal biosecurity of pig farms, disease management scored highest. For the external biosecurity of poultry farms, purchase of day-old chicks scored highest. For the internal biosecurity of poultry farms, supply of material and disease management scored highest whilst removal of manure and dead animals scored lowest. In conclusion, whilst there was some variation in scores between and within external or internal factors for the pig and poultry farms surveyed, relatively low scores throughout the study indicate opportunities for improvement in all factors considered.

The REMAPORC is an epidemiosurveillance network in swine diseases and an organizational model for local veterinary services in one district of Northern Vietnam. A strong concern was done on quality of the sanitary information chain from field and feedback to local agents. Based on 4,000 declarations provided by veterinarians and animal health workers involved, preliminary results highlighted the major incidence of porcine respiratory disease complex; digestive affections in piglets, and reproductive disorders in newly raised exotic sows have been also noticed.

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