The HCMC People’s Committee has submitted a proposal to the municipal People’s Council seeking approval for a policy that would fully subsidize vaccination costs for livestock, poultry, and companion animals considered at high risk of disease transmission across the city. Officials say the support is essential as HCMC, following its merger, has become a vast urban area where a unified veterinary policy is needed to maintain effective disease control.
Under the proposal, financial support would be provided to livestock and poultry farms operating within HCMC—groups assessed as highly vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to limited farming conditions. Specifically, eligible households include those raising fewer than 2,000 poultry; fewer than 150 pigs; fewer than 40 cattle; and fewer than 200 goats or sheep. For mixed farming operations, each animal group must fall within these thresholds.
For dogs and cats, the city proposes prioritizing support for owners living in 54 communes and Con Dao Special Zone, where free-roaming animals remain common and the risk of rabies transmission persists. Contract-based livestock operations and farms with foreign investment would not qualify for the subsidy.
HCMC also recommends fully covering the cost of vaccines against major infectious diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease; classical swine fever; lumpy skin disease in cattle; avian influenza; and rabies in dogs and cats.
The city would likewise pay all expenses related to vaccination logistics and labor, ensuring that farmers incur no additional charges. Several vaccines no longer relevant to current conditions have been removed from the list to maintain budget stability.
The policy is expected to cost roughly VND23 billion (US$872,000) per year, slightly higher than previous allocations by former local jurisdictions due to the expanded rabies vaccination support for dogs and cats.
The draft has undergone review by departments, agencies, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front, been posted for public comment, and surveyed directly among 500 farming households—all of whom expressed full support. It has also passed legal appraisal by the Department of Justice and is deemed ready for consideration by the People’s Council.
Earlier, the HCMC People’s Committee approved the “Rabies Prevention and Control Program for 2026–2030.”
Regulations require dog and cat owners to register their animals with local authorities and commit to managing them within their household premises. Pets taken outside must be leashed, muzzled, and accompanied by their owners to ensure public safety.
Rabies vaccination for pets is mandatory. When animals show abnormal symptoms, owners must confine them immediately and notify local authorities or the Livestock and Veterinary Station.
Free-roaming dogs may be impounded, with owners responsible for all associated costs. When a dog or cat injures someone, the owner must compensate the victim in accordance with the law.
