Vietnam to Build Vaccine Plant Worth Over VND2.5 Trillion, Aiming for 2028 Production

Vietnam's Vaccine and Biological Products Company (VNVC) is set to construct a state-of-the-art vaccine and biological product plant with an investment exceeding VND2.5 trillion (approximately $100 million USD). This facility, located in Tay Ninh province, will span 26,000 square meters and is designed to produce around 100 million doses annually. VNVC aims to commence operations by the end of 2027 and initiate the production of its first vaccines in collaboration with French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi in 2028. The announcement was made at the "Strengthening Cooperation in Deploying Strategic Technologies and Strategic Products for New-Generation Vaccine Development in Vietnam" conference, held in Hanoi on July 9. The event was jointly organized by the French Embassy in Vietnam and the Ministry of Health, drawing participation from government officials, representatives from the WHO, UNICEF, Sanofi, VNVC, and vaccine experts. Alongside the plant's construction, VNVC is targeting the establishment of a leading center for research, technology transfer, production, and quality control of high-tech vaccines and biological products, both domestically and regionally. The plant's production priorities for 2028 include next-generation influenza vaccines, hexavalent vaccines, meningococcal vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, and RSV vaccines. Commercialization is expected to begin in 2029, with plans to introduce one new-generation vaccine to the market each year from 2030 onwards. Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman and CEO of VNVC, stated that the company will continue international collaborations for technology transfer and domestic production capacity development. "Our goal is to establish a complete research and development (R&D) infrastructure to continuously improve, adapt, and develop new-generation vaccine platforms domestically and regionally," he emphasized. Mr. Stephen Alix, Global Head of Vaccines at Sanofi, highlighted that the partnership with VNVC is a long-term program focused on research, human resource training, and developing international-standard production capabilities. He noted that vaccine manufacturing demands high technological and quality control standards, and the localization process involves not just transferring production lines but also training personnel and building robust quality management systems. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stressed that self-sufficiency in medicines and vaccines is crucial for national health security and sustainable development. She indicated the health sector's push for public-private partnerships (PPP) to connect research institutions, hospitals, domestic businesses, and international partners into an ecosystem for the research, testing, production, and supply of new-generation drugs and vaccines. New-generation vaccines are identified by the ministry as a top strategic technological product. Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Thanh, assured that the legislature would accompany the government in implementing major policies, further refining the legal framework, and addressing bottlenecks in science and technology. The objective is to create the most favorable conditions, particularly for strategic technology development and technology transfer. Fostering the role of the private sector, with the state providing a legal framework and public procurement policies to create a sustainable market, is also a key focus. Over the past decade, VNVC has invested in developing a vaccine ecosystem, operating nearly 300 vaccination centers nationwide with a system for safe vaccine storage and affordable inoculation services. The Vietnam-France high-level conference aimed to bolster bilateral cooperation in strategic health technologies, particularly in preventive medicine and high-tech vaccines. The event marked a new phase in the collaboration between Sanofi and VNVC, building on agreements signed previously and the groundbreaking ceremony for the VNVC plant.