The fowls, which had not been vaccinated against the disease, were tested positive to the bird flu virus strain H5N1, said Bui Quang Anh, Director of the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The provincial Veterinary Bureau destroyed all of the infected fowls, and disinfected the farm to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, he said.

According Mr Anh, there is a high risk of avian influenza recurrence, therefore, localities should tighten the supervision work to timely detect and wipe out any outbreaks in order to prevent the disease from spreading on a larger scale, as in previous years.

Also at the meeting, MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat asked localities to immediately inform poultry breeders and consumers when the disease spread in their areas.

Mr Phat, who is also Head of the Central Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control, also revealed that an additional 20 million doses of bird flu vaccine will be imported in the coming days for this year's first round of vaccination.

The country will import enough vaccine for the vaccination of poultry flocks in all provinces and cities by the end of March, he added.