VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant signs contract to purchase one of the world’s most advanced vaccine manufacturing lines

On February 24 in Hanoi — In the presence of Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong, Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) and Syntegon Group (Germany) signed a contract for the purchase of a large-scale, state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing line from Germany for the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant.

With this investment in a high-end technology line, the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant officially joins the group of 20 manufacturing plants worldwide that possess Syntegon’s most advanced technologies in the initial phase. Syntegon is a technology group with more than 160 years of experience in manufacturing high-tech equipment for the pharmaceutical and biological industries and has supplied equipment to leading global pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi, Pfizer, GSK, MSD, BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson.

According to the agreement, Syntegon will supply VNVC with its most advanced vaccine manufacturing line from Germany. The line applies “No Touch Transfer” technology — sterile, non-contact material transfer, utilizing robots and fully enclosed isolators, along with advanced process control solutions to maximize automation within the aseptic area. The entire process, from primary packaging feeding and filling to final packaging, is carried out by robots and specialized automated processes.

With this technological platform, microbial and particulate contamination risks are strictly controlled, ensuring a sterile environment, safety quality, precise dosing for each vaccine dose, batch-to-batch consistency, and full data traceability to support quality management in accordance with international standards.

The line is capable of producing four common vaccine presentations: liquid vials, lyophilized vials, prefilled syringes, and injection pens. The system operates at filling speeds of up to several hundred vials or units per minute, with precise filling capability ranging from 0.1 ml to 20 ml. For oxygen-sensitive products, the line integrates inert gas purging prior to stoppering to ensure optimal product stability and quality.

This forms a critical foundation for vaccines manufactured at the plant to meet stringent quality standards such as EU-GMP, US-FDA, and WHO-GMP. Accordingly, together with full alignment of quality standards, vaccines “made in Vietnam” will be able to participate in the global market, one of the most technologically demanding and highly regulated segments of pharmaceutical manufacturing, with quality equivalent to leading global production centers.

The entire equipment line will be designed and manufactured in Germany immediately after contract signing, with installation expected from August 2027 and commissioning by the end of 2027.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health, stated that the cooperation between the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant and Syntegon Group (Germany) to deploy modern vaccine production lines marks an important milestone for Vietnam’s healthcare sector. The event opens opportunities for Vietnam to access advanced vaccine manufacturing technologies, approaching regional and global standards.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Party and the Government have clearly identified the importance of a national health strategy, particularly comprehensive healthcare and disease prevention through multiple forms, among which vaccination plays a critical role. Vietnam has achieved significant success in implementing the Expanded Program on Immunization and in effectively controlling and preventing many dangerous infectious diseases; however, there remains a need for additional vaccine and biological manufacturing plants meeting advanced global quality standards such as VNVC’s.

He emphasized that this cooperation is not merely a business collaboration but a practical action to concretize major policies of the Party and the State, particularly the spirit of Resolutions No. 57, 68, and 72 of the Politburo issued in 2024 and 2025.

More importantly, once the plant becomes operational, Vietnam will progressively master the full vaccine value chain — from research and training to the production of next-generation modern vaccines at reasonable cost. This will not only bring tangible benefits to the population but also strengthen national disease prevention capacity, in alignment with the direction of the Party, the State, and the newly adopted Law on Disease Prevention.

“The Ministry of Health highly appreciates VNVC’s strategic vision, investment determination, and implementation capacity in proactively accessing advanced solutions and expanding cooperation with leading global technology corporations, particularly Germany’s Syntegon. This contributes positively to the cause of protecting, caring for, and improving public health.

Within its assigned functions and authority, the Ministry of Health commits to continue accompanying, facilitating, and supporting VNVC and other organizations and enterprises in investment, scientific research development, technology transfer, and international expansion in healthcare production and commercialization for the benefit of the country and its people,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc affirmed.

Mr. Bui Hoang Phuong, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, emphasized that the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW affirm science, technology, and innovation as strategic breakthroughs, in which mastering core technologies increasingly determines national position in the global value chain. In biomedicine, vaccine production is not merely an industrial activity but is directly linked to health security, self-reliance capacity, and national pandemic response capability.

He highly appreciated VNVC’s bold investment in advanced vaccine manufacturing technology, demonstrating the growing role of the private sector in strategic technology fields, contributing to the development of modern pharmaceutical, vaccine, and biological industries, enhancing self-reliance and strengthening national preventive healthcare capacity.

He expressed his expectation that the cooperation between VNVC and Syntegon will contribute to forming domestic modern vaccine technology capacity, enabling Vietnamese experts to access, absorb, and progressively master international-standard technologies while enhancing participation in the global vaccine value chain. The project is not limited to equipment investment but also aims to build a high-tech human resource training foundation through enterprise–university–research institute linkages, thereby forming a modern vaccine production ecosystem integrating research, training, and manufacturing.

“I believe that with VNVC’s vision, Syntegon’s technological capability, and the support of Vietnam’s science and technology ecosystem, the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant will become a modern regional production center, contributing to strengthening national biotechnology capacity. The Ministry of Science and Technology commits to continue supporting enterprises in investment, research, technology transfer, and human resource development to progressively master advanced vaccine technologies in Vietnam,” Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong affirmed.

Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman and General Director of Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company and the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant, shared that each year the VNVC Vaccination System currently administers tens of millions of doses of the world’s most advanced vaccines, equivalent to developed countries, to the population. Therefore, upon entering vaccine manufacturing, VNVC’s first objective is to produce these same vaccines in Vietnam.

This will not only reduce costs but also play a crucial role in ensuring vaccine supply security for disease prevention and public healthcare needs. VNVC has achieved historic agreements on technology transfer and localization of key vaccines with global vaccine manufacturers such as Sanofi, Pfizer, GSK, and MSD. Accordingly, investing in world-leading modern equipment and machinery systems in this field is the most critical key to ensuring that vaccines produced at the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant in Vietnam meet quality standards equivalent to those manufactured at major global plants.

Manufacturing technologies, equipment systems, and materials at the VNVC plant have also been directly consulted and agreed upon by senior experts from vaccine manufacturers such as Sanofi, Pfizer, and GSK, thereby creating favorable conditions from the outset for the early availability of high-quality vaccines “made in Vietnam.”

“However, investing in world-class machinery and equipment for production is only part of the equation. To manufacture vaccines and biologicals that meet international quality standards requires substantial, synchronized, and comprehensive investment in technology and quality from design and construction to equipment installation and operational personnel in accordance with the world’s most advanced standards. That is the long-term vision we have defined in our strategy to build an ecosystem of research and development, clinical trials, workforce training, manufacturing, and vaccination practice in Vietnam.

We consider this not merely an investment in a factory, but an investment in national self-reliance in a field of special importance to public health, contributing meaningful value to the development of Vietnam’s high-tech pharmaceutical and vaccine industry. Therefore, we have made every effort to access world-leading technologies and equipment from the very beginning,” Mr. Ngo Chi Dung stated.

Syntegon is a leading German technology group specializing in equipment solutions for the pharmaceutical and biological industries, with more than 160 years of industrial development experience. To date, Syntegon has deployed approximately 75,000 pharmaceutical production lines globally, providing end-to-end solutions from installation and technical transfer to operational training and maintenance. Many major pharmaceutical and vaccine corporations worldwide, including Sanofi, Pfizer, GSK, MSD, BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson, are long-standing partners of Syntegon.

The vaccine production line supplied by Syntegon to the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant is designed with a high level of automation, meeting stringent Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements and oriented toward compliance with EU-GMP standards as well as validation requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Evaluating the cooperation highly, Mr. Florian Blobel stated that the VNVC project is notable for its scale and level of investment among current vaccine manufacturing projects. While many facilities implement development in phases, the VNVC project demonstrates long-term vision by investing comprehensively in equipment systems, production lines, and high technology standards from the outset. The application of automation, aseptic control, data traceability, and European-standard quality management solutions not only establishes a sustainable competitive foundation but also significantly shortens validation timelines and enhances integration into the global vaccine supply chain.

He further noted that selecting Syntegon’s fully integrated aseptic filling and lyophilization systems provides a major advantage, enabling seamless transfer of next-generation biological technologies and products into Vietnam. The line is distinguished by its flexibility, capacity to produce multiple dosage forms (vials, syringes, cartridges), high-level isolator-based aseptic control, an integrated SCADA system connecting the entire facility, and orientation toward sustainable development in accordance with global carbon neutrality standards.

“This cooperation is not merely a commercial agreement but a symbol of modern technology transfer from Germany to Vietnam, a bridge connecting two markets, two economies, and above all two shared visions for public health. We believe this partnership will open further opportunities in the future, not only in vaccines but across the broader pharmaceutical and biotechnology technology ecosystem,” Mr. Florian Blobel emphasized.

Previously, the VNVC Vaccine and Biological Manufacturing Plant commenced construction in May 2025 in Ben Luc, Tay Ninh (formerly Long An), with an initial investment exceeding VND 2,500 billion and designed capacity of 100 million doses per year. The plant operates in accordance with stringent international standards of the EU, FDA, and WHO, laying the foundation for a phased roadmap to enhance domestic high-quality vaccine manufacturing capacity.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron during his official visit to Vietnam, reflecting the scale and international cooperation significance of the project.

In parallel with infrastructure investment, VNVC has successfully signed multiple technology transfer and vaccine and biological production agreements with leading biotechnology partners including Sanofi (France), Pfizer (USA), GSK (UK), the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Binnopharm Group, Medsintez Pharmaceutical Company, and others. These collaborations establish a critical foundation for VNVC to access advanced technologies and progressively enhance research capacity and production of high-quality vaccines and biologicals in Vietnam.

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