Vinamilk has been awarded the title of Hero of Labor for the second time.
On the evening of July 23rd, at the Ho Guom Theater (Hanoi), Vinamilk Joint Stock Company, in collaboration with Vietnam Television, organized the art program "50 Years - Serving the Vietnamese Aspiration," marking a special milestone: 50 years of formation and development of Vinamilk in particular and the Vietnamese dairy industry in general.
Within the framework of the event, Vinamilk was honored to receive the title of Hero of Labor for the second time in the company's history. Also at the program, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien - Hero of Labor, General Director of Vinamilk - was awarded the Third-Class Independence Medal for her exceptionally outstanding achievements in her work, contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland.
A remarkable achievement: being honored as a Hero of Labor twice.
More than just a commemorative event, the special program "50 Years - Serving the Vietnamese Aspiration" artistically recreated Vinamilk's five-decade journey of creation and development, closely linked to the growth of Vietnam's dairy industry and the realization of the aspiration for Vietnamese people to take control of their own nutrition. From the early days of restoring the first dairy factories and pioneering the development of the domestic dairy farming industry, to the journey of bringing Vietnamese dairy brands to the world, Vinamilk today is a brand valued at $2.6 billion. It is also the only representative of the Vietnamese dairy industry in the top 36 dairy companies with the highest revenue in the world and is the most promising dairy brand globally, with brand strength belonging to the top 5% on the planet.
Ms. Mai Kieu Lien, former Central Committee member, Board member, and General Director of Vinamilk, has been recognized and honored by the Party and State with prestigious titles such as: the Second Class Labor Medal (2001), the title of Hero of Labor during the Renovation Period (2005), the First Class Labor Medal (2006), and the Third Class Independence Medal (2022). From a business leader, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien has gradually become one of the leading figures of Vietnamese female entrepreneurs on the international stage. Having been honored seven times by Forbes Asia and Forbes Vietnam in the list of "Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Asia," Ms. Mai Kieu Lien also made a special mark by becoming the only Vietnamese woman to receive the "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2018 and consistently appearing in Fortune's "Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Asia" list for the period 2024-2025. She is one of the icons of the Vietnamese business generation in the era of integration. A woman who lived through the era of rationing now appears at economic forums and on global honor boards.
To commend and honor the exceptionally outstanding achievements of Vinamilk in creative labor, contributing to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland, on July 20, 2026, General Secretary and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, To Lam, signed Decision No. 1168/QD-CTN awarding the title of Hero of Labor for the second time to Vinamilk Joint Stock Company. With this decision, Vinamilk has become one of the very few enterprises in Vietnam to be awarded this prestigious title twice by the State.
Also at the program, Ms. Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, presented the Third-Class Independence Order to Ms. Mai Kieu Lien - former Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Labor Hero, and General Director of Vinamilk, in recognition of her pioneering leadership role in the development of the domestic dairy industry.
Speaking at the ceremony congratulating Vinamilk, Ms. Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Vice President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, stated that these prestigious awards are not only a well-deserved recognition of the outstanding achievements of Vinamilk's current leadership team and individuals, but also a tribute to the generations of leaders, employees, and workers who have persistently built Vinamilk into one of the leading enterprises in Vietnam's dairy industry, contributing to elevating the national brand, and making positive contributions to the health care of the people and the socio-economic development of the country.
From its humble beginnings, Vinamilk has risen to become the leading dairy company in Vietnam, building a modern production system with 16 factories and 15 internationally standardized farms, creating stable jobs for thousands of workers and farmers, contributing over 71,000 billion VND to the state budget, and, most notably, bringing Vietnamese branded products to 65 countries and territories.
Throughout its 50 years of construction and development, the Vice President assessed that Vinamilk has not only contributed to promoting economic growth, developing the dairy farming industry, enhancing the national brand value and the position of Vietnamese enterprises in the international market, but also effectively fulfilled its social responsibility by caring for the nutrition, improving the health, stature and physical fitness of Vietnamese people, especially children, contributing to job creation, ensuring social security, and pioneering in green transformation and sustainable development.
“Vinamilk’s success affirms a profound lesson: For sustainable development, businesses must have great aspirations, a strategic vision, advanced management, continuous innovation, improved product and service quality, and link their development with the development of the country and the community. It is this harmonious combination of aspiration, intelligence, courage, social responsibility, and a long-term vision that has created Vinamilk’s vitality and position today. This is also the path for Vietnamese businesses to enhance their competitiveness, build strong brands, and assert their position in the international market,” the Vice President shared.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, and nearly 10,000 Vinamilk employees, General Director Mai Kieu Lien expressed profound gratitude for the attention, development opportunities, and great recognition that the Party and State have given to Vinamilk. With the belief that, "To build a strong Vietnam, we must first nurture healthy Vietnamese people," Vinamilk always keeps in mind that "Food entering the human body cannot be corrected." Therefore, product quality for Vinamilk is not just a production standard, but also professional ethics, responsibility to consumers, and a principle that will never compromise, for any reason whatsoever.
“Over the course of 50 years, there is no greater recognition than the trust passed down from generation to generation, as hundreds of millions of children in Vietnam and around the world have used Vinamilk products from the time they were in their mothers' wombs, growing up, becoming parents, and successive generations continue to choose Vinamilk for their children.”
"And so, the way we have operated for the past half-century has been with a focus on service. That is also our way of reciprocating the care and expectations that Vietnamese people have placed in Vinamilk. For Vinamilk, the nutrition of Vietnamese people must be controlled by Vietnamese people themselves," she emphasized.
Looking to the future, CEO Mai Kieu Lien affirmed that the Vinamilk team will continuously innovate and create, so that each generation of Vietnamese children will enjoy better nutrition than the previous one; and so that a Vietnamese nutrition brand can step out into the world with its global quality. The next 50 years of Vinamilk will be a journey of creating sustainable values for public health, for the environment, and for the position of Vietnamese brands on the international stage.
“Milk has always been an essential source of nutrition, and Vinamilk will continue its mission to serve and help Vietnamese people become healthier and happier. Vinamilk was born in Vietnam, nurtured by the Vietnamese people, and is the pride of the Vietnamese nation. We are very grateful and will always strive to live up to this,” the female leader affirmed..
On this occasion, Vinamilk donated 100,000 nutritional products, worth approximately 1 billion VND, to the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children's Rights, continuing its journey to bring quality nutrition to more children.
Simultaneously, Vinamilk also donated 500,000 boxes of milk, worth approximately 3.5 billion VND, to the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund to be distributed to 11,000 children nationwide through the "Vietnam Milk Fund for Children's Development" program. After nearly two decades of implementation, the program has provided more than 43 million boxes of milk, with a total value of nearly 210 billion VND, to over 550,000 Vietnamese children.
Recognizing Vinamilk's enduring contributions in accompanying the Party, the State, and the health sector in caring for the comprehensive development of Vietnamese children, Central Committee member and Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, presented a Certificate of Commendation to the enterprise.
Five decades for Vietnamese people to take control of their own nutrition.
Vinamilk's half-century journey began in 1976 – a time when the country was undergoing post-war reconstruction, with child malnutrition rates reaching 50-60%. Vinamilk's predecessor was established then, with a pressing mission: to ensure all children have access to quality nutrition, to provide every family with better conditions for healthcare, and to enable the Vietnamese dairy industry to stand on its own two feet. Starting with two decommissioned condensed milk factories and one unfinished powdered milk factory, the leadership and employees of Vinamilk at that time worked tirelessly to find raw materials, restore the factories, and launch the first "Made in Vietnam" powdered milk product in 1989.
In the early 1990s, Vinamilk pioneered the "White Revolution," laying the foundation for the goal of self-sufficiency in domestic fresh milk raw materials. Starting from a country with no advantage in dairy farming, Vinamilk now owns a system of 15 Global SLP-certified farms, managing a dairy herd of up to 130,000 cows and a supply capacity of approximately 1.1 million liters of fresh milk per day.
As production gradually stabilized, Vinamilk – under the leadership of General Director Mai Kieu Lien – demonstrated a forward-thinking vision by striving to export dairy products as early as 1997. From the first export orders to Iraq nearly 30 years ago, Vinamilk products have now reached 65 countries and territories, with a cumulative export value of nearly 3.9 billion USD.
As Vietnam integrates more deeply into the global economy and the domestic dairy market faces fierce competition from international corporations, Vinamilk has demonstrated the self-reliance and resilience of a Vietnamese brand. By rejecting joint ventures with foreign companies, the company has still achieved remarkable growth in production capacity through investments in state-of-the-art, large-scale factories; expanded international investments through deals in the United States, Cambodia, and Laos; and pioneered the development of European-standard organic agriculture – paving the way for green consumption and sustainable development in Vietnam today.
2023 marked a significant milestone in Vinamilk's development history with a comprehensive transformation encompassing branding, digital transformation, and business system restructuring. By 2025, the brand had completed the launch and relaunch of over 300 product units (SKUs) across 15 product categories, anticipating new consumer trends such as premium products, specialized nutrition, and sustainable nutrition, delivering personalized experiences.
Alongside expanding its product portfolio, the brand has been actively promoting product and technological innovation, setting itself the goal of establishing unprecedented standards in Vietnam. A series of pioneering solutions such as dual vacuum technology, microfiltration, whole grain milling, and the first 6HMO formula in Vietnam have not only quickly won over domestic consumers but have also helped Vinamilk conquer the world's highest standards and awards, including Monde Selection, Clean Label Project, Purity Award, First 1,000 Day Promise Certification, Superior Taste Award, and World Dairy Innovation Awards…
By the end of 2025, Vinamilk's charter capital had reached nearly VND 20,900 billion, a 14-fold increase compared to the time of its equitization in 2003. Between 2004 and 2025, the company's consolidated revenue increased more than 15 times, from VND 4,227 billion to VND 63,724 billion; while after-tax profit increased more than 18 times, from VND 518 billion to VND 9,414 billion. With its current revenue, Vinamilk is the only Vietnamese dairy company to be included in Fortune's Top 500 Southeast Asian companies (Fortune Southeast Asia 500) and among the top 36 dairy companies with the highest revenue in the world.
In terms of brand value, Vinamilk is valued at US$2.6 billion by the international organization Brand Finance - placing it among the Top 10 most valuable dairy brands in the world, and is the most promising brand globally, with a brand strength score of AAA+.