Vietnam increases access to new drugs, vaccines and manufacturing knowledge from the UK

The document handover ceremony took place under the witness of General Secretary To Lam and Mr. Matt Western - Special Trade Envoy of the British Government. The event took place within the framework of General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the upgrading of Vietnam - UK relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

General Secretary To Lam and British Government Trade Envoy Matt Western witnessed Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Vietnam Vaccine Company VNVC and Ms. Kaja Natland, Senior Vice President of GSK Asia- Pacific and International Region, exchanging documents to upgrade cooperation.

PHOTO: HTN

At the document exchange within the framework of the Vietnam-UK High-Level Economic Conference, General Secretary To Lam outlined three key areas of cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in the new era. Accordingly, the first focus is to promote research and development (R&D) cooperation between universities and research institutes of businesses of the two countries specializing in applied research on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, smart energy, healthcare, chemical engineering and transformative strategic technologies. The second is to increase investment and exchange of senior experts, promote the development of AI applications and digital transformation in key economic sectors. The third is to support businesses of the two countries to expand investment, share data and implement comprehensive technology cooperation programs.

The General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam is ready to be a reliable partner of the UK in technology development and innovation, bringing practical values to the people of both countries and making positive contributions to the region and the world. The two governments will also strengthen coordination, encourage forms of cooperation, research, training and technology transfer, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Vietnam Vaccine Company VNVC and VNVC Vaccine and Biological Factory, said that VNVC and GSK have established a comprehensive strategic partnership and have coordinated to bring many types of vaccines to Vietnam, contributing significantly to ending the shortage of vaccines for children and adults. This has fundamentally changed the supply capacity of essential vaccines outside the Expanded Immunization Program in Vietnam.

In the past 5 years alone, the VNVC - Tam Anh healthcare ecosystem has had commercial cooperation, training to improve medical personnel capacity and other activities with GSK amounting to nearly 400 million pounds (estimated at more than 13,000 billion VND) and continues to grow each year. Along with the strong development of the VNVC Vaccination System, GSK vaccines have become popular and occupy the largest market share among pharmaceutical companies present in the market of more than 100 million people in Vietnam.

The cooperation agreement between VNVC and GSK focuses on increasing early access to new drugs and vaccines for the Vietnamese people, while promoting scientific research and exchanges on vaccine production.

PHOTO: HA NGAN

On the basis of that good cooperation, along with the development and upgrading of the special diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK, on October 30, GSK and VNVC continued to upgrade their cooperation in new and particularly important areas. Accordingly, GSK Vietnam, Tam Anh Hospital Joint Stock Company and Vietnam Vaccine Company VNVC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote early access to GSK's advanced products manufactured at factories in Worthing and Barnard Castle (UK) for Vietnamese patients.

This Memorandum of Understanding is expected to open up cooperation opportunities worth an estimated £500 million (approximately VND17,000 billion) over the next five years, while promoting cooperation in clinical research and the exchange of knowledge and good practices in vaccine production.

VNVC Vietnam focuses on accessing new vaccines, antibiotics and new generation cancer drugs. The two sides also seek opportunities to exchange experiences in vaccine production so that VNVC can be self-sufficient in producing and supplying important vaccines locally in the future.

VNVC Vaccine and Biological Factory has an initial scale of more than 2,500 billion VND, invested with modern world technologies, and started construction in May 2025.

PHOTO: VNVC

"GSK is known as the world's leading biopharmaceutical group, a pioneer in research on vaccines and advanced therapeutic drugs. The parties' upgrading of cooperation is a strategic step, helping Vietnam not only solve vaccine supply problems through trade cooperation, but also proactively access advanced biopharmaceutical products such as new antibiotics, new cancer drugs and especially access to knowledge in vaccine production so that Vietnam can move towards self-sufficiency in domestic production and supply, and towards vaccine export," said Mr. Ngo Chi Dung.

In particular, this cooperation agreement is also of great significance at the present time when it demonstrates the development and upgrading of outstanding relations between private enterprises representing the two countries in taking advantage of breakthrough policy levers on international cooperation, investment in science and technology development, private economy and strengthening people's health care of the Politburo, Government and Ministry of Health of Vietnam.

Parents take their children to get vaccinated at the VNVC Vaccination System

PHOTO: DIEU THUAN

Ms. Kaja Natland, Senior Vice President of GSK Asia Pacific, International, said that Vietnam is one of GSK's key markets, holding a leading position in the field of vaccines and drugs for treating respiratory infections in the community in the region. GSK is proud to be together with health agencies, medical associations, medical staff and especially the cooperation over the past 6 years with VNVC, so that for every 2 children, one child is protected by GSK vaccines against a number of infectious diseases.

"GSK aims to work with VNVC to achieve the common goal of creating a positive impact on the health of more than one-third of Vietnam's population in the next five years, in line with GSK's mission of uniting science, technology and talent to together defeat disease," Ms. Kaja further emphasized.

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation between VNVC - Tam Anh - GSK took place under the witness of Deputy Consul General of the UK in Ho Chi Minh City William Lawrenson in October 2025

PHOTO: THANH LUAN

Previously, in October 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, with the witness of Deputy Consul General of the UK in Ho Chi Minh City William Lawrenson, Vietnam Vaccine Company VNVC, Tam Anh General Hospital System and GSK Vietnam Pharmaceutical Company had a high-level delegation working program and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in accessing new drugs and vaccines, promoting clinical research as well as exchanging knowledge in vaccine production.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-tang-cuong-tiep-can-thuoc-vac-xin-moi-va-kien-thuc-san-xuat-tu-anh-18525103022303492.htm