Background Viruses are constantly changing. These genetic variations occur over time and can lead to the emergence of new variants that may have different characteristics. The emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs) of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have highlighted the critical role of genomic surveillance as a source of information, with the primary objective to inform national and global decisions around public health and social measures, diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccination. Therefore, genomic surveillance is a critical public health function. However, genomic surveillance alone cannot provide all the answers and must be part of a multisource investigative approach. To extract the most significant utility from genomic data and achieving an in-country genomic surveillance system requires a systematic approach, including coordinating laboratory, clinical and epidemiological sectors. The Emerging Molecular Pathogen Characterization Technologies (EMPaCT) Surveillance Network was an innovation of the WHO Western Pacific Region in 2021, which proposed a seven-step approach to detect, monitor and assess known and new SARS-CoV-2 variants, and ultimately other emerging infectious disease pathogens with pandemic potential. Within the seven-step approach, step 3 emphasizes building a country’s capacity in the field during outbreak investigation to assess the transmissibility, severity, and impact (TSI) of the disease. Effective disease control and prevention strategies require a robust system for prioritizing interventions, ensuring that limited resources are allocated to the most impactful areas. The involvement of RRT members, FETP fellows/alumni, laboratory staff and clinicians who are equipped with knowledge and skills is crucial to investigate possible changes in virus transmissibility and severity as soon as possible, to inform outbreak control measures while laboratory determination/sequencing is ongoing. Among various diseases with seasonality and epidemic potential in Viet Nam, Dengue continues to be of concern given the increasing trends and complexity of global warming, urbanization and industrialization. As a mosquito-borne and climate-sensitive disease, dengue poses a significant public health and socio-economic burden in Viet Nam. The country remains hyperendemic, with outbreaks reported throughout the year, particularly in the southern region, where surveillance data from the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City records an average of 70,000 cases annually. In 2022, Viet Nam experienced an unprecedented surge with over 233,000 cases and 148 dengue-related deaths, potentially linked to unusual weather patterns, including early and prolonged rains, dry-season heatwaves, saline intrusion, and El Niño impacts. This highlights the necessity of intersectoral efforts, particularly with the hydro-meteorology agencies, to predict the emergence of dengue outbreaks, hence implement proactive and comprehensive interventions for effective dengue control in Vietnam.  Thus, collaborative surveillance, which integrates health and climate data offers a promising approach to strengthen early warning and response systems. While countries such as Brazil, France, and Sri Lanka have successfully applied hydro-meteorology data in their dengue early warning systems to guide and optimize control efforts, this approach has yet to be implemented in Viet Nam. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also recommend the systematic strengthening of capacity and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, both within and beyond the health sector, with the goal of enhancing public health intelligence and improving evidence for decision-making. Strengthening cross-sectoral coordination via leveraging collaborative surveillance between health and hydro-meteorology agencies as a practice in engaging key sectors to enhance national preparedness for dengue and other climate-sensitive diseases is part of WHO’s ongoing effort to support its Member States. In this context, WHO Viet Nam is calling for applications from a local institution/ agency/ organization to implement a series of activities related to strengthening surveillance, risk assessment and response capacity in Viet Nam Submission Please indicate WHO Bid Reference WPRO/2025-08/VN/275627 in your email submission.