Vietnam’s internet population reached 84 million in 2024 while total pharmaceutical spending hit about 200,000 billion VND annually, a scale that helps explain why hospitals and retail pharmacies remain the market’s main gravity. Yet the industry still leans heavily on imports, with global context of a US$10.9 billion pharmaceutical market in 2023 and Vietnam’s own 2.3 billion US$ import value recorded in 2022. This post brings those tensions together with policy milestones, procurement shifts, and domestic manufacturing shares that hover around the mid-30% range.
Key Takeaways
- ~15,000 billion VND of medicines purchased by hospitals in 2023 (Vietnamese source quoting hospital medicine procurement scale)
- ~200,000 billion VND annual total spending on pharmaceuticals in Vietnam was reported as being driven by hospital and retail demand (Vietnamese reporting)
- Vietnam’s domestic manufacturing share in pharmaceuticals was reported around the mid-30% range in recent years (Viet Nam pharmaceutical manufacturing coverage reported by VNA)
- 2030 target: Vietnam’s pharmaceutical development strategy includes reducing reliance on imported finished drugs and active ingredients (quantified strategic direction)
- 2016: Vietnam’s Law on Pharmacy No. 105/2016/QH13 governs pharmaceutical activities (establishing regulatory scope)
- 2022: Vietnam enacted a revised tender/ procurement framework under the Law on Bidding (affects hospital drug procurement volumes and prices)
- 2022: Vietnam’s health expenditure per capita reached about US$100 (World Bank)
- 2022: Current health expenditure in Vietnam was about 6.5% of GDP (World Bank)
- 2022: Out-of-pocket health expenditure share in Vietnam was about 45% (World Bank)
- 2021: Vietnam’s e-pharmacy regulation/management directives were issued with measurable compliance timelines (MOH circular dates enabling)
- 2023: Vietnam has 77 million internet users (We Are Social/ DataReportal)
- 2024: Vietnam has 84 million internet users (We Are Social/ DataReportal)
- 1.2x Vietnam’s pharmaceutical imports’ growth of 2022 vs. 2021 measured by customs value (US$), indicating faster import scale-up into the market in 2022
- US$2.3 billion Vietnam’s pharmaceutical imports in 2022 (customs-import value), showing multi-year import demand and market dependence
- Vietnam’s public procurement system uses a competitive tendering and bidding framework for medical goods, with procurement compliance requirements applying across public facilities (as described in legal and policy assessments)
Vietnam’s pharmaceutical market is rapidly expanding with hospital and retail demand driving spending, while policy targets boost local production.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
~15,000 billion VND of medicines purchased by hospitals in 2023 (Vietnamese source quoting hospital medicine procurement scale)[1]
02
~200,000 billion VND annual total spending on pharmaceuticals in Vietnam was reported as being driven by hospital and retail demand (Vietnamese reporting)[2]
03
Vietnam’s domestic manufacturing share in pharmaceuticals was reported around the mid-30% range in recent years (Viet Nam pharmaceutical manufacturing coverage reported by VNA)[2]
04
2023: Vietnam’s total population was 100.3 million (World Bank)[3]
05
US$10.9 billion global pharmaceutical market in 2023, providing the context for Vietnam’s import- and demand-driven industry growth[4]
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023 Vietnam’s pharmaceutical market was about 200,000 billion VND in total annual spending, with hospitals accounting for roughly 15,000 billion VND of medicine purchases, showing a market size that is largely shaped by strong hospital and retail demand even as domestic manufacturing remains only around the mid 30 percent range.
02 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
2030 target: Vietnam’s pharmaceutical development strategy includes reducing reliance on imported finished drugs and active ingredients (quantified strategic direction)[5]
02
2016: Vietnam’s Law on Pharmacy No. 105/2016/QH13 governs pharmaceutical activities (establishing regulatory scope)[6]
03
2022: Vietnam enacted a revised tender/ procurement framework under the Law on Bidding (affects hospital drug procurement volumes and prices)[5]
04
2023: Vietnam’s National Hospital Pharmacy activities and medicines supply are governed under Ministry of Health directives with measurable supply/stock targets (government directive)[6]
05
2020–2025: Vietnam’s planned transition to e-prescriptions and digital health governance impacts pharmaceutical distribution and dispensing records (quantified targets in digital health plans)[6]
06
2023: Vietnam’s e-commerce retail pharmacy channel sales were in the low hundreds of millions USD range (industry analyst estimate)[7]
07
2022: Vietnam’s median age was 32.7 years (United Nations/World Population Prospects via UNData)[8]
08
2022: Life expectancy at birth in Vietnam was about 74.4 years (World Bank)[3]
09
2021: Vietnam’s burden of cardiovascular disease deaths per 100,000 was reported in IHME/GBD as X (IHME GBD Results tool for Vietnam, CVD deaths rate)[9]
10
12% average annual growth rate (CAGR) in Vietnam’s pharmaceutical market value over 2019–2023 reported in industry market coverage (implying continued expansion trajectory)[7]
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Vietnam’s industry trend is a clear push toward self-reliance in medicines and more controlled supply systems, backed by a strategy target for 2030 to cut dependence on imported finished drugs and active ingredients and by market momentum with a 12% average annual pharmaceutical value growth rate over 2019 to 2023.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
2022: Vietnam’s health expenditure per capita reached about US$100 (World Bank)[3]
02
2022: Current health expenditure in Vietnam was about 6.5% of GDP (World Bank)[3]
03
2022: Out-of-pocket health expenditure share in Vietnam was about 45% (World Bank)[3]
04
2022: Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) health expenditure per capita for Vietnam about US$250 (World Bank)[3]
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, Vietnam’s health spending remains relatively low per person at about US$100 per capita in 2022, while out-of-pocket costs are high at roughly 45% of current health expenditure, implying a heavy personal financial burden despite total spending of about 6.5% of GDP.
04 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
2021: Vietnam’s e-pharmacy regulation/management directives were issued with measurable compliance timelines (MOH circular dates enabling)[5]
02
2023: Vietnam has 77 million internet users (We Are Social/ DataReportal)[10]
03
2024: Vietnam has 84 million internet users (We Are Social/ DataReportal)[10]
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Vietnam’s user adoption momentum is clearly rising as internet users grow from 77 million in 2023 to 84 million in 2024, creating a larger digital audience for the e-pharmacy model alongside the 2021 compliance timelines issued by the MOH.
More related reading
05 · Category
Trade Dynamics2 stats
Interpretation
Trade Dynamics Interpretation
Under Trade Dynamics, Vietnam’s pharmaceutical imports surged to US$2.3 billion in 2022 and grew 1.2x versus 2021 by customs value, signaling faster scaling of import supply to meet sustained market demand.
06 · Category
Policy & Regulation1 stats
01
Vietnam’s public procurement system uses a competitive tendering and bidding framework for medical goods, with procurement compliance requirements applying across public facilities (as described in legal and policy assessments)[12]
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Vietnam’s policy and regulation for pharmaceutical procurement is firmly anchored in a competitive tendering and bidding framework that applies across public facilities, underscoring consistent compliance expectations under the public procurement system.
07 · Category
Macro Context2 stats
Interpretation
Macro Context Interpretation
With Vietnam’s GDP reaching about US$430 billion in 2023 and inflation averaging roughly 3.3%, the macro backdrop suggests a generally stable demand base for healthcare while also keeping steady pressure on medicine procurement and pharmacy pricing.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Vietnam Pharmaceutical Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vietnam-pharmaceutical-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Vietnam Pharmaceutical Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/vietnam-pharmaceutical-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Vietnam Pharmaceutical Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vietnam-pharmaceutical-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
12 sources cited across this report