An Khang: Choosing kindness as the root in community health care

(Dan Tri) - When the pharmaceutical market still has many things that make consumers insecure, An Khang chooses to start with transparent drug prices, clear consultation and dedicated service.

According to Vietdata (2023), Vietnam currently has more than 60,000 retail pharmacies. Although it is easy to buy medicine, people are still worried about the effects, dosage and transparency in consulting and listing prices.

Therefore, An Khang chose a different direction: transparent prices according to the company's list and under the supervision of the authorities, only consulting enough medicine, clear invoices for each pill, selling genuine medicine, clear origin. Because the brand understands that patients not only need medicine, but also need care, understanding and peace of mind about the cost.

From personal experience to operating philosophy

During a business trip, Mr. Doan Van Hieu Em - CEO of An Khang pharmacy chain - had a slight cold and bought some medicine at a roadside shop. The pills without names, without boxes, without invoices left him with many thoughts.

“When I got home, I checked the price of each pill based on my experience in retail and was really shocked. The amount I paid for a single dose of medicine was three times higher than the real value,” Mr. Hieu Em recalled.

That difference - also known as the “dose cut-off fee” - is small but quietly creeps into daily drug-buying habits, causing patients to suffer losses without realizing it. “That’s when I realized that, as a pharmacy chain operator, I needed to do something more practical for customers,” he shared.

CEO Doan Van Hieu Em believes that what people need is not only medicine, but also transparency.

But it wasn’t until that experience that An Khang began to act. Since merging with MWG in 2018, the chain has been steadfast on the path of kindness and transparency, not chasing speed or trading trust, but quietly building a sustainable foundation for a retail industry directly related to human health.

An Khang has consistently maintained the standards set from the very beginning.

“We do not represent anyone, An Khang just wants to do our part right, right from the inside and right from the beginning,” Mr. Hieu Em affirmed.

At An Khang, kindness is not just a promise but an operating philosophy. The brand believes that if we consistently do the right thing and do it for real, the value will spread by itself, contributing to changing consumer habits and standardizing the Vietnamese pharmaceutical market.

Transparent to the Pill - a Choice That Requires Discipline and System

At An Khang, transparency is a mandatory principle. Each pill has a clear name, code, unit price and origin on the invoice. Customers can look up information in two ways: on the Ministry of Health website or directly at https://nhathuocankhang.com.

Transparency helps people understand the medicines they use and sets a new standard for the retail pharmacy industry - where transparency must be a prerequisite, not a “value added” issue.

Ms. La Ngoc Bao Tran - Product Line Director, An Khang Pharmacy - hypothesized that if customers receive medicine without knowing the ingredients, it would be very dangerous if they had an allergy. "We chose to take the more difficult path, no concealment, no hidden fees, no price bundling. Each pill must be seen, understood and priced correctly," Ms. La Ngoc Bao Tran shared.

To do that, An Khang has built a strict control system at every stage: only using genuine products, with full licenses, invoices, traceable origins, and always having pharmacists clearly explain how to use them.

Besides medicine, An Khang also focuses on helping customers feel secure right from the consultation stage.

“Transparency is not only for customers to see, but also for us to control what we are selling,” added Mr. Nguyen Dinh Quynh - National Sales Director, An Khang Pharmacy.

Most recently, An Khang said it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Public Security , integrating the pharmacy system into the VNeID platform, helping people look up information, drug purchase history and enjoy incentives more quickly and accurately.

The Vietnamese pharmaceutical market is growing strongly, but the majority are still small pharmacies. In that context, the An Khang team has faced a lot of pressure when operating the chain, from changing consumer habits to higher system operating costs.

However, An Khang does not loosen standards in exchange for short-term growth. Mr. Hieu Em and his team clearly identify that it is inevitable to face difficulties when choosing the minority path. However, if we maintain our core values, all that is needed is time for consumers to feel the difference.

“We don’t expect people to understand it the first time they come to the store. But if we are consistent and kind enough, they will come back and they will stay,” Hieu Em shared.

Not just selling medicine, each pharmacy is a healthcare touchpoint

An Khang considers the pharmacy not only a point of sale, but also a place to accompany patients. The entire system ensures a transparent consultation process: no dose-cutting fees, no unnecessary medication addition, no drug abuse, and clear instructions on how to use.

Behind An Khang's changes is a team that puts ethics above all short-term goals.

An Khang's team of more than 1,300 pharmacists are trained to ensure professional advice and standardization throughout the system. At the pharmacy, people also receive free advice on nutrition, personal medical equipment, and prescriptions are stored by phone number for easy reference.

At An Khang, every small question like “Can I take this medicine on an empty stomach?” is listened to. That is why “An Khang is ready, just ask” was chosen as the slogan to commit to always listening and not taking lightly any concerns of customers.

Not rushing to sell medicine, An Khang pharmacists always start with care.

“Customers may forget the pharmacist's name, but they will remember the feeling of being listened to, and that is what we want to bring to users,” said Ms. Le Thao Trang, Marketing Director.

Since merging with Mobile World, An Khang has gone through many stages of development, from initial testing, acceleration, to restructuring after Covid-19 and stabilizing again from the end of 2023. Currently, the system maintains more than 300 streamlined stores, with an average revenue of about 550 million VND/month per store.

Mr. Hieu Em commented that An Khang may not have achieved the most impressive growth rate in the market, but it is a model in which the business is confident that it has reached the break-even point and is ready to operate long-term based on kindness, transparency and dedication. “We do not need to be the first to reach the finish line. We want to be the one to maintain the standard to the end,” Mr. Doan Van Hieu Em emphasized.

In a volatile market, An Khang chooses the quiet way of rebuilding trust through consistency in operations and a commitment to kindness from the smallest things.

“If there is one thing we hope for, it is that one day people can walk into any pharmacy and feel secure,” Mr. Hieu Em shared. The CEO hopes that this is not An Khang’s own goal but rather an expectation for a transparent market where standards become the most basic thing.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/an-khang-chon-su-tu-te-lam-goc-trong-cham-soc-suc-khoe-cong-dong-20250609161629154.htm