Over 83% of Vietnam’s pharma ingredients sourced from China, India
VOV.VN - More than 83% of Vietnam’s pharmaceutical ingredients imported in the first quarter of 2026 came from China and India, highlighting the country’s continued dependence on foreign supply sources for the pharmaceutical industry.
According to the Industry and Trade Information Centre under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country’s pharmaceutical ingredient imports totaled just US$44.1 million during the period, down 51.5% year on year, while domestic firms still rely on foreign suppliers for 80-90% of raw materials.
China remained Vietnam’s largest supplier of pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), in the January–March period. Imports from China reached US$26.62 million, down 51.01% year on year, accounting for 60.5% of Vietnam’s total pharmaceutical ingredient imports.
Imports from India, Vietnam’s second-largest supplier, fell 50.06% year on year to US$10.17 million, making up 23.1% of the country’s total pharmaceutical ingredient imports.
Vietnam also imported pharmaceutical materials from markets including Slovenia, the Republic of Korea and Hungary, though China and India continued to dominate supply.
Since 2015, Vietnam’s pharmaceutical ingredient imports have recorded average annual growth of 3.26%. In 2023, total imports of pharmaceutical raw materials hit US$438.45 million, down 4.77% from the previous year.
Statistics for 2024 showed pharmaceutical ingredient imports rose 9.44% year on year to US$480.09 million, marking the strongest growth in the past five years and representing 0.13% of Vietnam’s total import turnover.
In 2025, imports of the commodity generated US$269.57 million, up 10.16% from the same period in 2024.
After growing more than 10% in 2025, driven by tariff-related stockpiling and supply chain adjustments, global pharmaceutical output showed signs of slowing in early 2026.
According to experts, the decline was driven by companies cutting inventories and adjusting purchasing strategies amid global geopolitical uncertainties, alongside stricter quality control regulations and growing efforts to expand domestic pharmaceutical production and herbal medicine use.
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