London (VNA) – Under the witness of General Secretary To Lam and Matt Western, the UK Government’s Trade Envoy, Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) and GSK Vietnam (a subsidiary of the global biopharmaceutical group GSK, UK) exchanged documents to elevate their strategic cooperation in access to new medicines and vaccines, scientific research, and vaccine manufacturing cooperation.
This cooperation aims to expedite access to advanced medicines and vaccines developed by GSK, particularly by bringing to Vietnam new specialty medicines produced at GSK’s modern, globally strategic manufacturing facilities in Worthing and Barnard Castle (UK). This Memorandum of Understanding is expected to open up cooperation opportunities worth an estimated 17,000 billion VND (approximately 500 million GBP) over the next five years, while also promoting collaboration in scientific research and experience sharing in vaccine manufacturing, enabling VNVC to achieve self-sufficiency in production and supply at its plant in Vietnam.
The event took place as part of General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to the UK, which elevated Vietnam–UK relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
At the document exchange ceremony held as part of the Vietnam–UK High-Level Economic Conference, General Secretary To Lam outlined three key areas of cooperation between Vietnam and the United Kingdom in the new era. Accordingly, the first priority is to promote research and development (R&D) collaboration between universities, research institutes, and enterprises of both nations, focusing on the application of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, smart energy, healthcare, chemical engineering, and other transformative strategic technologies. The second is to strengthen investment and the exchange of senior experts, and to accelerate the development and application of AI and digital transformation across key economic sectors. The third is to support businesses from both nations in expanding investment, sharing data, and implementing comprehensive technological cooperation programs.
The General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam is ready to be a reliable partner of the United Kingdom in technology development and innovation, delivering practical benefits to the people of both nations and making active contributions to the region and the world. The governments of both nations will also enhance coordination and encourage various forms of cooperation, research, training, and technology transfer, thereby further deepening the Vietnam–UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman and General Director of Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) and VNVC Vaccine & Biological Manufacturing Plant, said that VNVC and GSK have maintained comprehensive strategic cooperation and together brought many next-generation vaccines to Vietnam, playing a vital part in ending the shortage of service vaccines for children and adults and in fundamentally transforming the supply capacity for essential vaccines beyond the national Expanded Program on Immunisation in Vietnam.
In the last five years alone, the VNVC–Tam Anh healthcare ecosystem has engaged in commercial cooperation, advanced training for healthcare personnel and other activities with GSK totaling over 13,000 billion VND (nearly 400 million GBP), and continues to grow annually. Alongside the strong development of VNVC Vaccination System, GSK vaccines have become widely distributed and hold a leading market share among pharmaceutical companies present in Vietnam, a market of over 100 million people.
“GSK is known as a world-leading biopharmaceutical company, pioneering in vaccine and advanced specialty-medicine research. The elevation of cooperation is a strategic step, helping Vietnam not only to resolve vaccine supply issues through trade cooperation, but also to proactively gain early access to advanced biopharmaceutical innovations such as new antibiotics, new cancer drugs and especially access knowledge in vaccine manufacturing, paving the way for Vietnam toward self-reliant domestic production and, ultimately, vaccine export.
This agreement not only expands access to next-generation medicines and vaccines for the people of Vietnam, but also marks important progress toward strengthening modern biological manufacturing capacity and national health self-reliance,” Dung said.
In particular, this cooperation agreement has significant meaning at present as it reflects the development and upgrading of the relationship between private enterprises from both nations in leveraging breakthrough policy incentives on international cooperation, science and technology investment, private-sector development, and strengthening the people-centered healthcare agenda of the Politburo, the Government and the Ministry of Health of Vietnam.
Kaja Natland, Senior Vice President of GSK Asia-Pacific & International, said Vietnam is one of GSK’s key markets, leading in the field of vaccines and community respiratory-infection treatments in the region. GSK is proud to work with health authorities, medical associations, healthcare professionals and, especially, through six years of cooperation with VNVC, so that for every two children, one is protected by a GSK vaccine from a number of infectious diseases.
“Strategic cooperation with VNVC in the coming years plays a key role in expanding access to the world’s advanced health-care solutions such as specialty medicines, cancer treatments, while effectively deploying lifelong immunisation programs and promoting clinical research. With this solid partnership base, GSK aims together with VNVC to achieve the shared goal of positively impacting the health of over one-third of Vietnam’s population in the next five years, in line with our mission to unite science, technology and talent to win the fight against disease,” Natland emphasised.
Previously, in October 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, with the witness of Deputy Consul General William Lawrenson, VNVC, Tam Anh General Hospital Group and GSK Vietnam held a senior-delegation working session and signed a memorandum of cooperation on early-access medicines and vaccines, promoting clinical research and knowledge exchange in vaccine manufacturing.
This document-exchange ceremony in London is proof of the consolidation and elevation of strategic cooperation among the parties, before senior leaders of the two nations, aimed at improving healthcare quality for the people of Vietnam from prevention to treatment, contributing to the realization of Vietnam’s aspiration to become a regional hub for biologics R&D, application and innovation.
As of October 2025, VNVC Vaccination Center System is Vietnam’s largest and most reputable vaccination network. With a network of nearly 250 large-scale modern centers nationwide, over the past eight years, VNVC has introduced many important GSK vaccines to the Vietnamese public, enabling millions of children and adults to access next-generation, high-quality vaccines officially imported from the UK and many other countries. Thanks to this close cooperation, GSK vaccines have become widely available and hold a leading market share in Vietnam’s market of over 100 million people, contributing to increased vaccine-coverage rates for children and adults and reducing the burden of infectious disease in Vietnam.
In May 2025, VNVC commenced construction of VNVC Vaccine & Biological Manufacturing Plant in Tây Ninh with an initial investment of over VND 2,500 billion, an annual capacity of 100 million doses, and the plant employing top-world-class technology, meeting the highest GMP standards of WHO, EU and FDA. In addition to production, the Plant is investing in a 1,500 m² Research & Development (R&D) Center dedicated to new-vaccine technologies, especially mRNA platforms, and is collaborating with institutes, universities and international pharmaceutical groups in pre-clinical and clinical trials. When it becomes operational in 2027, the Plant will become a leading regional vaccine-R&D and manufacturing complex, contributing to national health security and elevating Vietnam’s standing on the global vaccine-industry map.
GSK is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to unite science, technology and talent to help people defeat disease. Its goal is to make a positive impact on the health of billions of people worldwide through prevention and treatment via advanced vaccines and specialty medicines. With a research-and-development focus on immunology and cutting-edge technologies, GSK is committed to delivering breakthrough solutions in respiratory, immunology and inflammation, oncology, HIV and infectious-disease fields./.
