In a major move to boost national healthcare capacity, the Ministry of Health has recently reviewed the pharmaceutical sector’s development strategy through 2030. The core of this plan focuses on enhancing the self-sufficiency of domestic medicines and herbal materials while aligning the regulatory system with the most stringent international standards.
Key figures and strategic objectives:
-
Market coverage: Currently, over 30,000 registered medicines are in circulation, covering all 27 pharmacological groups as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Domestically produced drugs now account for 70% of total consumption volume, with an annual growth rate of 12-15%.
-
Vaccine capacity: Through 6 local manufacturing facilities, Vietnam produces 11 out of the 12 vaccines required for the National Expanded Program on Immunization.
-
Quality control: Rigorous pre-market and post-market surveillance systems have maintained the rate of poor-quality drugs below 1% and counterfeit drugs below 0.1%.
-
Herbal development: Plans for 8 key specialized herbal cultivation zones are underway, alongside the official release of high-potential imported medicinal plant varieties such as Angelica and Radix Paeoniae.
A pivotal strategic goal is the refinement of the drug and vaccine management system to achieve WHO Maturity Level 3 certification. Furthermore, the digitalization of the sector, featuring over 53,000 publicly accessible online records, is creating a transparent regulatory environment that supports research and clinical treatment. The healthcare sector expects pharmaceutical exports to reach an estimated 312 million USD by the end of 2025.