Our work in Vietnam focuses on remote rural areas where unproductive land and childhood malnutrition have a damaging impact on community health.
While Vietnam has seen significant development in recent years, particularly in urban areas, it remains a poor country, with significant poverty in remote rural areas.
One in three children is stunted as a result of poor nutrition during their formative years. With more than 60 percent of the population dependent on agriculture, access to quality agricultural inputs and extension services is critical.
While the country has some highly productive agricultural land it is in short supply and there are large portions of the country – particularly the highland regions—where the land is not productive. Not surprisingly those areas, home to many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities, are the poorest in the country.
Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord couldn't do the work we do without your support. Whether it's a financial donation or a donation of your time, by improving the health of animals you will be working to improve the health and quality of life for people throughout the world.
The VETS project focuses on working with our partner, IEHSD, to build their capacity to improve gender-responsive sustainable development. Based on their identified needs volunteers are recruited to work directly with staff and community members to improve their understanding of One Health and how it can be integrated into smallholder farming practices.
Working with the Thai Nguyen University volunteers will develop a curriculum to train students in animal, human and environmental health programs to set up demonstration sites within target communities. The project also focuses on improving community leave risk communication practices and improved access to animal health services.
IEHSD is an independent organization established in 2013, in cooperation with the Center of Public Health and Ecological Research at Hanoi University (CENPHER) former VWB country partner.
Through inter-sectoral cooperation and multi-disciplinary approaches such as One Health, IEHSD implements interdisciplinary research on the assessment of health risk in relation to agriculture intensification, livestock production, water and environmental sanitation, community development, food security, antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases and non-infectious diseases.
#VETSVolunteerVoices aims to bring you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. This blog was written by Guy Audet, a Business Development Advisor who supported our VETS program partner, WIPVaC-Apex, in Ghana from March to May 2025.
In Meru County, Kenya, Community One Health Champion Ann Kagwira is improving her farm’s productivity and herd health through ongoing collaboration with VETS volunteers and Meru Dairy — demonstrating how long-term support and continuous learning can drive lasting change for farmers and their communities.
As VWB’s Executive Director, Charmaine Brett, prepares to step down in September, she reflects on four years of transformative global work, celebrating milestones in animal care, community resilience, and One Health initiatives. With its bold 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, VWB remains committed to advancing its mission and recruiting new leadership to build on this momentum.
