A rapid molecular strategy for early detection and characterization of Vietnamese foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes O, A, and Asia 1

► A specific primer pair was designed for amplification of VP1 gene of FMDV serotypes O, A, and Asia 1 circulating in Vietnam. ► A rapid and sensitive one-step RT-PCR method has been set up for universal detection of FMDV serotypes O, A, and Asia 1. ► The method can be used for molecular characterization of field FMDV samples. ► A nested RT-PCR method has also been developed for detection and typing of Vietnamese FMDVs. ► This method is extremely useful for the surveillance and molecular epidemiological studies of Vietnamese FMDVs.