Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân presents the Labour Hero title to Vinamilk in recognition of the company's outstanding contributions to innovation, production and national development. — Photos courtesy of Vinamilk

HÀ NỘI — Dairy producer Vinamilk was awarded the Labour Hero title for the second time on Thursday, marking the company's 50th anniversary and recognising its contributions to Việt Nam's dairy industry, public health and socio-economic development.

The ceremony, held at Hồ Gươm Opera House in Hà Nội, was attended by Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, who also serves as First Vice Chairwoman of the Central Council for Emulation and Commendation.

The event received congratulatory floral tributes from Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and other current and former senior Party and State leaders.

Under the theme '50 years – Serving Việt Nam's aspirations', the programme retraced Vinamilk's five-decade journey through artistic performances, highlighting the company's role in developing the dairy industry and improving access to nutrition for Vietnamese families.

From restoring the nation's first dairy factories after the war and pioneering domestic dairy farming to expanding into international markets, Vinamilk has grown into a global dairy brand valued at US$2.6 billion.

The company is currently the only Vietnamese dairy producer ranked among the world's 36 largest dairy companies by revenue and has been recognised as the world's most promising dairy brand, with a brand strength rating placing it among the top five per cent globally.

Addressing the ceremony, Vice President Xuân said the Labour Hero title recognised not only the achievements of Vinamilk's current leadership and workforce, but also the contributions of generations of employees who helped build the company into one of Việt Nam's leading dairy producers.

She said Vinamilk had made significant contributions to economic growth, the development of the domestic dairy farming industry, the enhancement of the national brand and the international standing of Vietnamese enterprises.

The company had also fulfilled its social responsibilities through programmes to improve nutrition, health and physical development, particularly among children, while creating jobs, supporting social welfare and pioneering green transformation and sustainable development.

According to the Vice State President, Vinamilk's success demonstrates that sustainable business growth requires strong ambition, strategic vision, sound governance, continuous innovation and a commitment to aligning corporate development with the country's long-term interests.

She noted that the Party Central Committee's 14th-tenure third plenum is discussing major policies aimed at removing development bottlenecks, unlocking resources and building a growth model driven by productivity, knowledge, technology and human capital.

In that context, she said Vietnamese enterprises play a critical role not only in generating wealth, creating jobs and contributing to the State budget, but also in strengthening national competitiveness and economic resilience.

Expressing confidence in Vinamilk's future, Xuân said the company was well positioned to continue supporting the Party and State's efforts to improve public health, especially children's nutrition, while contributing to the country's sustainable development in the new era.

Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân (right) awarded the Third-Class Independence Order to Mai Kiều Liên, Labour Hero, member of Vinamilk's Board of Directors and the company's chief executive officer.

At the ceremony, Xuân presented the Labour Hero title to Vinamilk in recognition of its outstanding achievements in innovation and production. She also awarded the Third-Class Independence Order to Mai Kiều Liên, Labour Hero, member of Vinamilk's Board of Directors and the company's chief executive officer, for her exceptional contributions to national development.

To mark the anniversary, Vinamilk donated 100,000 nutritional products worth VNĐ1 billion (US$38,000) to the Vietnam Association for Protection of Children's Rights. The company also presented 500,000 cartons of milk, valued at about VNĐ3.5 billion, to the Vietnam Children's Fund for distribution to 11,000 disadvantaged children through the Standing Tall Việt Nam Milk Fund programme.

Since its launch nearly two decades ago, the programme has delivered more than 43 million cartons of milk worth nearly VNĐ210 billion to over 550,000 children nationwide.

Founded in 1976 as the country began post-war reconstruction, Vinamilk was established with the mission of improving nutrition for Vietnamese children and building a self-reliant dairy industry.

Starting with two inactive condensed milk factories and an unfinished milk powder plant, the company gradually restored production and, in 1989, successfully produced the country's first domestically made milk powder.

In the early 1990s, Vinamilk launched the 'White Revolution' initiative to develop domestic fresh milk supplies. Today, the company operates 15 farms in Việt Nam and overseas certified to Global S.L.P. standards, manages a herd of around 130,000 dairy cows and has the capacity to supply approximately 1.1 million litres of fresh milk each day.

Vinamilk entered export markets in 1997 under the leadership of CEO Mai Kiều Liên. From its first shipments to Iraq nearly three decades ago, the company has expanded to 65 countries and territories, with cumulative export revenue reaching nearly $3.9 billion.

The company undertook a comprehensive transformation in 2023, covering brand identity, digital transformation and business restructuring. By the end of 2025, it had launched or relaunched more than 300 product stock-keeping units across 15 categories, responding to growing demand for premium, specialised and sustainable nutrition products.

Vinamilk has also invested heavily in advanced production technologies, including dual vacuum extraction, ultra-filtration, whole-grain milling and Việt Nam's first infant formula featuring a 6HMO formulation.

The company's products have received international recognition through awards including Monde Selection, the Clean Label Project, the Purity Award, the First 1,000 Day Promise Certification, the Superior Taste Award and the World Dairy Innovation Awards.

By the end of 2025, Vinamilk's charter capital had risen to nearly VNĐ20.9 trillion, 14 times higher than at the time of its equitisation in 2003. Between 2004 and 2025, consolidated revenue increased more than 15-fold from VNĐ4.2 trillion to VNĐ63.7 trillion, while net profit rose more than 18-fold from VNĐ518 billion to VNĐ9.4 trillion.

Vinamilk is currently the only Vietnamese dairy company included in the Fortune Southeast Asia 500 ranking and remains among the world's top 36 dairy companies by revenue.

Brand Finance has also ranked it among the world's 10 most valuable dairy brands, while recognising it as the world's most promising dairy brand with the highest AAA+ brand strength rating. — VNS