Hospital examination room with a medical bed and clinical equipment, representing Vietnam’s healthcare sector and hospital infrastructure.

Vietnam Healthcare Sector

Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Digital Health in Vietnam

Vietnam’s healthcare market is expanding, supported by rising incomes, an ageing population, growing chronic-disease burden, public-hospital upgrades and the adoption of digital health.

Vietnam has a growing domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing base, with 243 facilities holding GMP-WHO certification. However, local production remains concentrated in generics, while high-value patented medicines, specialty treatments and advanced therapies continue to rely significantly on imports. The medical-device market is also largely import-dependent, creating opportunities for international suppliers of diagnostic imaging, laboratory systems, surgical devices and hospital equipment.

Market opportunity

Demand is supported by hospital modernization, diagnostic-capacity expansion and continued investment in public-health infrastructure. Public hospitals remain major buyers of medical equipment, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals, particularly as provincial hospitals are upgraded and investment continues in imaging, laboratory and treatment capacity.

At the same time, private hospitals, clinics and specialty centers are expanding to meet demand for faster access, international-standard services and advanced treatment. This creates opportunities for foreign suppliers, investors and service providers across both public and private channels.

Key opportunity areas

Pharmaceuticals: Innovative medicines, specialty treatments, chronic-disease therapies, biosimilars and high-quality generics.
Medical devices: Diagnostic imaging, laboratory equipment, surgical devices, monitoring systems and hospital infrastructure.
Consumables and disposables: Infection-control products, surgical supplies, diagnostic consumables and single-use medical products.
Diagnostics and laboratory systems: In-vitro diagnostics, molecular testing, pathology, imaging and laboratory automation.
Digital health and healthcare IT: Telemedicine, electronic medical records, hospital information systems, remote monitoring and AI-enabled health solutions.
Life sciences and biotechnology: Biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapy, research collaboration and advanced manufacturing.

Public and private healthcare demand

Foreign companies entering Vietnam’s healthcare market should assess the appropriate route to market, whether through direct supply, distribution, local partnership, licensing or investment.

Key considerations include:

Public-procurement eligibility, tender requirements and hospital decision-making processes.
Product registration, classification, import and post-market obligations.
Pricing, reimbursement and health-insurance positioning.
Local service capability, training and after-sales support.

Digital health is gaining momentum

Digital transformation is becoming an important driver of healthcare modernization in Vietnam. Telemedicine, electronic medical records, hospital information systems and digital patient services are expanding as hospitals and healthcare providers seek to improve efficiency, access and care coordination.

For technology and digital-health companies, the opportunity extends beyond software sales. Successful market entry requires alignment with healthcare workflows, data-security requirements, integration with hospital systems and a clear approach to patient-data protection.

Navigating a regulated market

Healthcare is one of Vietnam’s most regulated sectors. Companies entering the market must navigate requirements relating to MOH registrations, medical-device classification, pharmaceutical licensing, facility approvals, hospital tenders, product pricing and personal-data protection.

In particular, success in Vietnam often depends not only on product quality or price, but also on local service capability, clinician training, technical support and a credible long-term partnership model.

MSC helps foreign companies assess these requirements early, so that market-entry plans, licensing timelines and commercial strategies are realistic and aligned with Vietnamese regulatory practice.