Vietnam is one of the countries with high biodiversity on Earth, particularly in terms of its diverse and abundant fauna and flora. To date, Vietnam has identified approximately 62,600 species, including about 3,500 species of non-vertebrate animals and freshwater fish, 1,932 species of terrestrial vertebrate animals, and over 11,000 species of marine organisms (according to the National Biodiversity Report 2022). Every year, new species continue to be discovered and recorded as existing in Vietnam. Vietnam is also recognized as one of the most essential regions in the global network of bird migration routes and endemic bird species, with 63 globally important bird areas and 7 endemic bird areas.

In recent years, the Government of Vietnam has shown its commitment to enhancing biodiversity conservation efforts by participating in various international biodiversity agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (since 1994), the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (since 1989), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (since 1994), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (since 1994). Vietnam has also demonstrated its active participation and responsibility in addressing global environmental issues related to biodiversity. On January 15, 2021, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution No. 05/NQ-CP, approving Vietnam's support for the Leaders' Pledge for Nature on the occasion of the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity within the framework of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In December 2022, the Vietnamese Government delegation also participated in and, together with nearly 200 countries worldwide, adopted the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, committing to its implementation in each country. Among the 23 targets of the GBF, Target 4 directly relates to species conservation, particularly requiring countries to "Ensure urgent management actions to prevent the extinction of known threatened species; Recover and conserve species, particularly threatened species, to significantly reduce the risk of extinction, as well as maintain and restore genetic diversity within and between native, wild, and domesticated populations to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in-situ and ex-situ conservation, sustainable and effective management practices."

In addition, the conservation of priority species has been regulated in several documents, such as Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of the Central Executive Committee on proactive response to climate change, enhanced resource management, and environmental protection, and Conclusion No. 56-KL/TW of the Politburo on the continued implementation of the Resolution of the 7th Plenum of the 11th Party Central Committee on proactive response to climate change, enhanced resource management, and environmental protection, which identified the task of "Strictly protecting endangered wildlife species, valuable crop and medicinal plant varieties, and rare species at risk of extinction." Also, Government Decree No. 160/2013/ND-CP, dated November 12, 2013, endorses criteria for identifying species and the management regime for species listed in the List of Threatened Species needing priority in protection (referred to as Decree No. 160/2013/ND-CP), stipulated in point d, Clause 1, Article 10: "Each species prioritized for protection shall be conserved through a separate conservation program," and in Clause 4, Article 10: "The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, shall develop programs for the conservation of endangered wildlife species and wild plant species listed in the List of Threatened Species, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval and implementation as assigned by the Prime Minister." Moreover, the Decision No. 149/QD-TTg dated January 28, 2022, of the Prime Minister of the Government has approved the National Biodiversity Strategy until 2030, with a vision until 2050, and assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop the Program for the Conservation of Threatened, Rare, and Endangered Wildlife Species, prioritized for protection until 2030, with a vision until 2050, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Besides, the Prime Minister has approved programs and plans for the conservation of specific species and groups of species (tigers, elephants, gibbons, turtles) to enhance necessary actions for wildlife protection. The implementation of these conservation programs and plans has achieved some specific positive results: the population of Cat Ba Langur (Hai Phong) and Delacour's Langur in Van Long Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh) has increased from less than 50 individuals to nearly 200 individuals; the population of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey in Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Area (Ha Giang) has increased from 40-60 individuals in 2001 to about 160 individuals in 2020; the Siamese Crocodile, which was considered extinct in Vietnam, has been successfully recovered through a reintroduction program at Cat Tien National Park. Some positive signs of growth and development can be observed in several priority species such as the Central Vietnam Box Turtle, Crocodile Skink, etc. under ex-situ conservation conditions.

However, along with the global trend of biodiversity decline, Vietnamese wildlife is also facing threats. Many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction, such as Elephants (Elephas maximus), Big Cats (Felidae spp.), Bears (Ursus spp.), and Pangolins (Manis spp.). The Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is now only represented by 3 individuals in the world, with 2 individuals in Vietnam and the other in China. Some endemic species of Vietnam are believed to have become extinct in the wild after unsuccessful search efforts, such as the Edwards's Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi), the Central Vietnam Box Turtle (Mauremys annamensis), and the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis). According to the IUCN Red List (2021), Vietnam has 348 mammal species, 869 bird species, 384 reptile species, 221 amphibian species, and 2,041 fish species. Among them, 75 (21%) mammal species, 57 (6%) bird species, 75 (19%) reptile species, 53 (24%) amphibian species, and 136 (7%) fish species are listed as threatened species. The number of priority species has increased from 83 species in 2013 to 96 species in 2019.

There are also limitations and challenges in the management and conservation of priority species in Vietnam, including: i) scattered legal regulations on the priority species, lacking regulations to control the commercial farming of the priority species, as well as technical guidelines for rescue, farming, and reintroduction of the priority species; ii) insufficient financial resources for species conservation, lacking sustainable financial mechanisms and policies to mobilize additional funding and support from outside the state budget; iii) limited capacity in surveying, updating information, and sharing data on the priority species; iv) conservation efforts in situ at protected areas have not achieved the set targets; v) limited capacity in implementing ex-situ conservation; vi) limited public awareness and understanding of wildlife conservation; vii) lack of an overall framework for the conservation of threatened, rare, and endangered species, prioritized for protection.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop and approve the implementation of a Program for the Conservation of Threatened, Rare, and Endangered Wildlife Species until 2030, with a vision until 2050. This program will provide a comprehensive framework for the successful implementation of national targets for the conservation of priority species. The synchronized implementation of the program's contents will address the current limitations and challenges that are causing the decline of these species and contribute to reversing the trend of their decline. The program not only has national significance but also contributes to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) approved at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China./.