Vietnam, with a population of nearly 90 million people, is the 12th most populous country in the world, and the country’s pharmaceutical industry therefore has huge potential. Most major pharmaceutical companies have had a formal presence (in the form of representative offices) in the country since the mid-1990s, and they generally have well-established distribution networks in Vietnam. However, foreign pharmaceutical companies that market their products in Vietnam face numerous intellectual property challenges in the jurisdiction on issues such as trademark infringement and unfair competition, patent protection and enforcement, and data protection.