When people think of Vietnam, they often picture one of the world's fastest-growing manufacturing hubs. From electronics and textiles to pharmaceuticals,multinational companies continue to established production facilities here to support their global supply chains.
Yet over the past few years, Vietnam's role has begun to evolve beyond manufacturing. More companies are relocating research and development (R&D) activities to the country, turning it into a testing ground for new ideas before they are introduced to international markets.
Opella - the consumer healthcare company that became an independent business after spinning off from Sanofi is one of them. Today, Vietnam is home to Opella's only R&D Center in Asia and serves as the host of the company's Innovation Week for the AMEA region (Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa).
In the latest episode of Vietnam Innovators, Carol-Ann Stewart, President of AMEA at Opella, explains why Vietnam was chosen as a key strategic base and how consumer healthcare is shifting from a treatment-first mindset toward one centered on self-care.
Beyond Manufacturing: From ‘Made in Vietnam’ To ‘Born in Vietnam’
A decade ago, Vietnam's main competitive advantage for global companies was its manufacturing capability. Today, the conversation has become much broader. According to Carol-Ann Stewart, Vietnam brings together several practical advantages: rapid economic development, an agile workforce, and a consumer healthcare market that continues to grow at nearly 9% annually.
With established local brands and an existing production footprint, placing an R&D facility directly inside Saigon Hi-Tech Park was a natural move for Opella. Rather than separating research from production, co-locating teams allows researchers to work directly alongside manufacturing, accelerating product testing, refinement, and commercialization.
Crucially, the center is driven by local talent. Stewart emphasized that Opella's strategy focuses on developing Vietnamese professionals through structured learning, cross-market exposure, and collaboration across Opella’s four global R&D centers. This includes sending local talent on international assignments to build global perspectives while maintaining a grounded understanding of local consumer needs.
When Healthcare Starts Thinking Like FMCG
In pharmaceuticals, innovation if often associated with discovering new molecules or developing breakthrough treatments. For a consumer healthcare like Opella, the focus is broader: increasing access to self-care by making everyday healthcare products simpler and more intuitive.
Stewart refers to this approach as Fast Moving Consumer Healthcare (FMCH) - a model that combines the scientific rigor of pharmaceuticals with the consumer-first mindset that has long defined the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry.
In her view, healthcare has unintentionally made itself too complicated. Consumers often face technical medical terminology, packaging that has changed little over the years, and purchasing experiences that feel largely unchanged compared to decades ago.
Meanwhile, FMCG companies continuously improve packaging, textures, scents, and user experiences to make products more intuitive and approachable. That is precisely the mindset Opella hopes to bring into consumer healthcare.
At its Vietnam R&D Center, scientists do more than develop formulations. They engage directly with consumers to understand sensory experiences from fragrance and texture to absorption and overall product feel. The goal is not only to create products that perform better, but also products that people can understand, trust, and adopt more easily.
Self-Care As An Essential Life Skill
One statistic particularly stands out for Stewart: globally, only one out of every three people experiencing common health issues actually seeks treatment. The other two often lack clear guidance on what steps to take. That is why she believes self-care will become increasingly important.
Where healthcare once began primarily in hospitals and clinics, it can now begin with individuals themselves, through conversations with pharmacists or searching online.
This shift presents enormous opportunities for healthcare companies to engage consumers ealier, but it also creates a responsibility: helping consumers distinguish reliable health information from misinformation circulating online.
Looking Ahead
For decades, Vietnam has established itself as a vital player in the global manufacturing landscape. Opella's presence at Saigon Hi-Tech Park suggests that a new chapter is now unfolding. The country's next phase of growth may no longer be measured simply by manufacturing output, but by the number of innovations, ideas, and healthcare solutions it contributes to the world.
As Carol-Ann Stewart envisions it, the next decade will see Vietnam not only innovating for its own market, but also becoming a source of consumer healthcare innovation for Asia, and beyond.
Watch the full Vietnam Innovators episode here: