Vietnam plans vaccine production plant construction

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked the State Capital Investment Corporation to work with the Ministries of Health and Science and Technology, and the Governmental Office to map out a project to build an industrial-scale vaccine production plant in the country.

According to the Deputy PM’s recent directive, the project, seen to promote science research activities and safe and effective vaccine production for humans, is required to be reported to the Prime Minister before this December.

The Ministries of Science and Technology and Finance were tasked with continuing to invest in and facilitat the national research programme on the development of vaccines for humans .

Vietnam is one of a few countries capable of producing vaccines for humans. Vaccines produced domestically serve not only th enational expanded immunisation campaign but also export activities.

The country has so far produced 10 out of 12 types of vaccine using in its expanded vaccination program, which provides vaccinations for 1.7 million newborns annually.

It has exported cholera vaccines to Timor-Leste, Hepatitis B to the Republic of Korea, Hepatitis C to the Philippines and the measles vaccine to Malaysia.

A number of international organisations, including UNICEF, have reportedly placed orders for vaccines from Vietnam.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised Vietnam's vaccine management system as an internationally standardised one, which demonstrated that made-in-Vietnam vaccines were on par with those available around the world.-VNA