TOC Summary: Risk factors include direct or household contact with sick or dead poultry and absence of an indoor water source.

Background: In 2005, more than 90% of Vietnamese households were using adequately iodized salt, and urinary iodine concentration among women of reproductive age was in the optimal range. However, household coverage declined thereafter to 45% in 2011, and urinary iodine concentration levels indicated inadequate iodine intake. Objective: To review the strengths and weaknesses of the Vietnamese universal salt iodization program from its inception to the current day and to discuss why achievements made by 2005 were not sustained. Methods: Qualitative review of program documents and semistructured interviews with national stakeholders. Results: National legislation for mandatory salt iodization was revoked in 2005, and the political importance of the program was downgraded with consequential effects on budget, staff, and authority. Conclusions: The Vietnamese salt iodization program, as it was initially designed and implemented, was unsustainable, as salt iodization was not practiced as an industry norm but as a government-funded activity. An effective and sustainable salt iodization program needs to be reestablished for the longterm elimination of iodine deficiency, building upon lessons learned from the past and programs in neighboring countries. The new program will need to include mandatory legislation, including salt for food processing; industry responsibility for the cost of fortificant; government commitment for

This report summarizes the results of a comparison of mass standards conducted between fourteen participating members of the Asia-Pacific Metrology Program. Two sets of weights with five nominal mass values: 1 kg, 500 g, 20 g, 2 g and 100 mg (OIML Class E2) were used as travelling artifacts. These nominal values were chosen as they followed the nominal values of CCM.M-K1 and CCM.M-K2 except for the 10 kg. The program was sponsored by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and Vietnam Metrology Institute. VMI was the coordinating laboratory with National Measurement Institute, Australia (NMIA) being a technical assisting laboratory as well as a link laboratory to the CCM comparisons. The comparison was carried out from May 2005 to November 2006.Main text. To reach the main text of this Paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

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