France’s pharma giant Sanofi to transfer vaccine production tech to VNVC factory in southern Vietnam

Sanofi will transfer vaccine production technology to a Long An province-based factory of Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC), whose construction began on Tuesday.

The facility - VNVC Vaccine and Biological Products Factory - marks a step toward realizing the partnership agreement on technology transfer for vaccine production in Vietnam between the two sides.

The agreement was inked by VNVC general director Ngo Chi Dung and president of Sanofi Southeast Asia-India Zainab Sadat Qayyum in Hanoi on Monday. The signing took place within the framework of the state visit to Vietnam by French President Emmanuel Macron from May 25-27.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the 26,000 sqm factory, located in Phu An Thanh Industrial Park in Ben Luc district, Long An, was attended by President Emmanuel Macron and Vietnam’s Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

With an initial investment of around VND2 trillion (about $77.1 million), the factory is slated to begin operations by the end of 2027, and will gradually receive technology transfer from Sanofi to localize production of key and next-generation vaccines.

It aims to meet domestic immunization demand while integrating into the global supply chain.

The factory was designed by Germany’s globally renowned Rieckermann Group, which has over 130 years of experience in designing pharmaceutical, vaccine, and biological manufacturing facilities.

It will have an annual capacity of up to 100 million vaccine doses and operate in compliance with the world’s highest Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, including those set by the EU, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

In addition to its manufacturing focus, the factory will also house a 1,500 sq.m research and development center dedicated to advancing and applying cutting-edge vaccine and biological production technologies, with a particular emphasis on mRNA vaccine technology.

The center plans to collaborate with scientists, universities, and global pharmaceutical companies to conduct preclinical and clinical trials in Vietnam. This approach aims to give Vietnam early access to innovative drugs and vaccines while accelerating product approval timelines to deliver treatments to the public faster.

Ngo Chi Dung, chairman and CEO of VNVC, noted his hope that the factory will help lower costs and ensure stable supply for domestic demand, with potential for export.

He revealed that there will be special policies to attract top global talent in scientific research, vaccine production, and advanced biopharmaceutical technologies to the factory.

This will position the facility to adopt and master cutting-edge biomedical technologies like mRNA vaccines, particularly those targeting cancer, Dung said.

Burak Pekmezci, country lead of Sanofi Vietnam, expressed his hope that the factory, built to global standards, will soon provide vaccines, medicines, and disease prevention solutions to Vietnamese people.

Sanofi is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. In Vietnam, Sanofi provides tens of millions of high-quality vaccine doses, including Hexaxim (6-in-1), Tetraxim (4-in-1), Adacel (3-in-1), Verorab rabies vaccine, Menactra meningococcal vaccine, and Avaxim hepatitis A vaccine.

Most of these vaccines are distributed and administered through VNVC's network of over 220 vaccination centers nationwide.