Measuring back fat on Yorkshire Large White at An Khanh state farm. In one extensive experiment, Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/VIE/4403 tested the performance of pure Yorkshire, pure Mong Cai, the F1 (a Yorkshire and Mong Cai cross) and a backcross of F1 to Mong Cai. The results proved highly applicable to different regions of Viet Nam including the highlands, midlands and the plains. - - Pig Breeding: TCP/VIE/4404. Following a request from the Government of Viet Nam, a pig breeding and testing station was set up at An Khanh state farm in the Hoai Duc district near Hanoi. The Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/VIE/4404 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is situated on a 75 hectare pig farm where the old, but solid buildings only needed repair. In 1987 at An Khanh, there were 430 sows, 23 (old) boars and approximately 150 small male piglets. The goal of the project was to produce about 5 500 piglets a year (400 sows x 1.7 litters x 8 or 9 piglets). The relatively low reproduction is due to the extremely harsh climate. Temperatures in summer average between 35 and 38 centigrade with 80 percent humidity. In winter it drops to 7 and frequently to 0 centigrade. A boar testing station has been set up at An Khanh with 100 metal pens imported from Holland. A total of 600 boars are tested for 100 days - from the 80th to the 180th day, three times a year. The tests cover feed conversion ratio and growth rate in grammes per day. On the 180th day, the boars are tested for "back fat". About 30 percent of the pig ration is produced on the farm (rice bran, broken rice, fish and green fodder). The balance comes from other Government farms. An Khanh has been developed as a centre for Edelschwein from Germany and Yorkshire Large White, imported from Cuba. The An Khanh state farm services the north of Viet Nam down to Phu Khanh Province. A number of young boars and gilts are distributed to 30 artificial insemination stations and