2026-11-10 22:09:45
Hanoi, 10 November 2026
The 5th International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance (ICAHS5) is taking place in Hanoi, Viet Nam, from 10 to 12 November 2026, bringing together scientists, experts, policymakers and international organizations to exchange experiences, share research findings and promote innovation in animal health surveillance through the One Health approach.
This is the first time ICAHS has been held in Southeast Asia. The conference is organized by the Vietnam Institute of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (VIAVS), in collaboration with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), with support from international partners.
Over three days, the conference focuses on stakeholder engagement in surveillance; science–society–policy dialogue; evaluation of surveillance system performance; the application of artificial intelligence and data integration; environmental and wildlife surveillance; antimicrobial resistance (AMR); and health surveillance in livestock and food production systems.
On 10 November 2026, the Secretariat of the Viet Nam One Health Partnership for Zoonotic Diseases (OHP Viet Nam), under the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, participated in and delivered a presentation at the session on “Science–Society–Policy Dialogue for Effective Surveillance”. The presentation shared Viet Nam’s experience, progress, implementation challenges and priorities for advancing One Health towards 2030.
Viet Nam has more than 20 years of experience in developing One Health cooperation mechanisms, evolving from the Partnership for Avian and Human Influenza (PAHI) to the One Health Partnership for Zoonotic Diseases (OHP) in 2016. During 2021–2025, more than 100 One Health initiatives and projects were recorded in Viet Nam, involving government agencies, international partners, research organizations and other stakeholders.
One of the mechanisms highlighted was the technical working group on Research to Policy (R2P), supported by CIRAD, which serves as its standing co-chair. The group provides a platform connecting policymakers, scientists, research institutes, universities, local authorities and development partners to identify policy needs, share scientific evidence and bring practical experience into the development of solutions.
Importantly, surveillance and multisectoral dialogue have a two-way, mutually reinforcing relationship. Information generated through surveillance helps identify issues, emerging risks and research gaps. In turn, dialogue enables scientific evidence to be analysed, shared and considered alongside practical experience, helping to refine surveillance priorities and methodologies. This interaction ensures that surveillance goes beyond data collection and reporting to become a meaningful tool for decision-making, strengthening coordination and improving the capacity to detect and respond to health risks.
Through its participation in ICAHS5, OHP Viet Nam wishes to convey an important message to the scientific and research community: Science is the foundation of the One Health approach, but its full value can only be realized when research findings are connected to practical needs, policymaking processes and community action.
OHP Viet Nam is not a research institution, nor does it directly operate sector-specific surveillance systems. Its role is to establish and sustain a platform for coordination, dialogue and cooperation, where competent authorities, scientists and relevant stakeholders can jointly identify issues, share knowledge, agree on priorities and promote evidence-based solutions.
OHP encourages researchers and scientists to strengthen interdisciplinary research grounded in policy needs and practical realities; combine scientific evidence with community knowledge and experience; promote data sharing and research collaboration; and develop outputs that can be applied in management and field practice.
During 2026–2030, translating One Health commitments into concrete action will require the active and sustained engagement of the scientific community, government agencies, local authorities and development partners.
What we need is not simply more research, but research that addresses the right questions, brings different sectors together, informs policy and has the potential to make a tangible difference in practice.
Through ICAHS5, OHP Viet Nam looks forward to expanding its cooperation with the domestic and international scientific community and promoting regular dialogue between research and policymaking. These efforts will contribute to building more proactive, community-engaged surveillance systems and strengthening Viet Nam’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to health risks through the One Health approach.
Viet Nam One Health Partnership Secretariat.
