Water and sediment quality in shrimp ponds in Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces in the Mekong River Delta, Viet Nam did not differ (P > 0.05) between ponds containing AHPND-infected shrimp and those with AHPND-free shrimp. However, there was evidence of wide-spread pollution in the sampling area, pond management procedures were often deficient, and general water quality conditions in some ponds were suboptimal. Farms in the study area take in water from the same canals into which they discharge effluent, favouring cross-contamination spread of shrimp diseases among farms. The risk of AHPND in shrimp ponds could be lessened by improvements in biosecurity and pond management that would result from adoption of good aquaculture practices (GAPs) described herein.