Power of partnerships: 30 years of Bayer in Vietnam

Since 1994, Bayer, a 161-year-old German corporate giant, has established operations in Vietnam, with thriving facilities in Dong Nai and offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Its Pharmaceuticals Division focuses on cardiology, women’s healthcare, and oncology. The Consumer Health Division offers over-the-counter products, while the Crop Science Division provides crop protection solutions. This year marks 30 years of Bayer’s anniversary in Vietnam, where the company has made significant contributions to drive sustainable healthcare and agriculture to realise its vision: “Health for all, Hunger for none.”

On November 21, Bayer Vietnam organised a ceremony to mark its 30-year anniversary of operation in Vietnam. The event saw the participation of Josefine Wallat, consul general of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City, along with over 100 guests, including partners, associations, government representatives, and press.

Bayer Vietnam’s Appreciation Night. Photo: Minh Anh

The milestone not only reinforces Bayer’s commitment to innovation and sustainable development but also reflects the valuable support from the government, partners, and community over three decades of development.

Addressing the ceremony, Maximilian Rummert, Executive Representative Bayer Vienam said, “Sustainability is central to Bayer’s mission, emphasising innovation and community commitment. We strive to enhance wellbeing through self-care solutions, improve healthcare access, and empower farmers to adapt to climate change. To realise the goals, Bayer Vietnam has leveraged the power of partnership to create meaningful impacts in both healthcare and agriculture.”

Sustainable agriculture

In Vietnam, Bayer has actively partnered with like-minded organisations to drive agricultural transformation towards innovation and sustainability in key crops like rice, coffee, black pepper, and durian. The company has launched two initiatives, namely Forward Farming and Better Life Farming, to help Vietnamese farmers to thrive, growing more with less and combating climate change.

Specifically, the Forward Farming project is implemented in collaboration with the National Agricultural Extension Centre (NAEC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The project brings together rice farmers, technology partners, scientists and academia, value chain partners, as well as consumers, to drive the shift to smart and regenerative farming practices. Thanks to the Forward Farming initiative, Bayer Vietnam and the NAEC have received a Public-Private Partnership of the Year award in the Agriculture category at a GovMedia event in Singapore.

Bayer’s agricultural projects aim to help farmers improve farming efficiency and ensure high-quality harvests. Photo: Minh Anh

Meanwhile, Better Life Farming is built on Bayer Vietnam's longstanding public-private collaboration with NAEC and the Western Highlands Agro-Forestry Scientific and Technical Institute to support coffee and durian farmers in Vietnam. The initiative provides farmers access to innovative solutions and expert advisory to enhance farming efficiency and ensure high-quality harvests.

Healthcare initiatives

In healthcare, Bayer has formed strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Health, hospitals, and healthcare organisations across the country to provide better access to high-quality healthcare. By putting patients and consumers at the centre, Bayer offers a comprehensive approach via innovative solutions, ranging from self-care/over the counters to precise diagnostic solutions and medical treatments.

In addition, collaborative efforts have also been made to enhance women’s health throughout the journey from pregnancy to childbirth. Notably, Bayer has partnered with pharmacies and hospitals to implement the Science for Her campaign to raise women’s awareness about their health issues in the modern world, ranging from contraception to endometriosis, menstrual pain and heavy bleeding, vitamin supplements, and skincare problems.

Bayer is constantly innovating to improve healthcare in Vietnam. Photo: Minh Anh

Besides women’s health, Bayer has secured a strong footprint in cardiovascular, oncology, ophthalmology, and radiology. In radiology, a strategic partnership has been formed between Bayer and Siemens Healthineers that aims to enhance medical images and increase diagnostic confidence, thereby ultimately improving patient care outcomes.

Meanwhile, a strategic partnership between Bayer and PhytoPharma has contributed to advancing healthcare accessibility and quality for patients in Vietnam.

Societal engagement

Bayer’s commitment to corporate social responsibility goes beyond individual projects to address various societal needs through partnerships with diverse organisations and NGOs, emphasising community engagement as a key principle.

In Vietnam, Bayer’s Corporate Social Engagement initiatives cover a range of projects in collaboration with multiple partners to create a meaningful and lasting impact across different sectors.

Among them, Bayer, in collaboration with Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) and Khan Quang Do (KQD) Publisher, have jointly implemented the Science Switch project to introduce an engaging science initiative for students. Science Switch is a part of Bayer’s global initiative, Making Science Make Sense, to help develop science literacy for local students in a different and effective way.

Within the Science Switch project, Bayer, OUCRU, and KDQ have also published the 'One Health' book to introduce the concept of comprehensive health to students. This is a collaborative effort, with contributions from experts across various fields such as science, agro-industry, and communications.

The Science Switch project is developed to ignite the passion for scientific exploration and discovery among the young generations. Photo: Minh Anh

“As we celebrate this 30-year milestone and mark an astonishing 161 years globally, we honour Bayer’s global legacy while reflecting on the positive impact we've made in Vietnam over the past three decades, driven by innovation and a shared vision for a sustainable future. We would also want to acknowledge the invaluable support of our partners and the dedication of our employees, embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Bayer's Rummert.

30 years of Bayer Vietnam: health for all and hunger for none Present in Vietnam since 1994, Bayer has steadfastly pursued its mission “Health for All, Hunger for None”, fostering strategic collaboration and contributing to the country’s sustainable development goals with the three key focus areas of crop science, consumer health, and pharmaceuticals.

Bayer Vietnam to improve patient care Collaborative approaches are core to Bayer Vietnam’s strategy as it ramps up efforts to drive medical progress, with a key priority optimising patient care through pioneering research and multi-sector partnerships.

Better Life Farming launched in Vietnam to empower coffee and durian smallholders Bayer announced the launch of Better Life Farming Alliance (BLF) in Vietnam on October 15, aimed at partnering with local smallholder coffee and durian farmers, as well as strategic stakeholders across the value chain to improve farming efficiency and productivity sustainably.