Consumer trust helps Nature’s Way expand into Vietnam

For Nature’s Way, Vietnam is emerging as a standout export market. The Australian brand’s strategy – built on consumer trust and reputation – has helped it weather industry change and generate lasting revenue.

Nature’s Way is a staple of Australian healthcare, offering a range of vitamins and food supplement products across major pharmacies and grocery outlets.

Its parent company, PharmaCare, has Australian wellness products on shelves all over the world. In Southeast Asia, Nature’s Way is available in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

In 2019, Nature’s Way launched in Vietnam. Seven years later, Vietnam is the largest market for Nature’s Way in Southeast Asia and growing. For the 2026 financial year, the company expects to record a 75% increase in revenue, year-on-year.

Strategy built on reputation

Nature’s Way Country Manager Trung Tran partly attributes this success to the strong reputation of Australian supplements. Before the official launch, Vietnamese people in Australia would send products home to family. He says this proved there was demand for Australian health supplements.

Australian brands are synonymous with quality; known to adhere to high standards for safety and effectiveness, he notes.

‘Vietnamese consumers trust brands from Australia,’ says Tran. ‘That created confidence to bring our products to the country.’

The other key driver of growth has been dominance in the children’s category — something that’s unique to this market.

In the initial rollout, there was plenty of competition in the adult supplements space, including well-regarded brands from other nations.

In the children’s category, however, there was much less competition but equally high demand.

‘Parents in Vietnam are ready to spend for their children,’ says Tran. ‘In the children’s category, we can win. We sell more children’s products than anything else.’

Weathering market turbulence

For Tran, the focus has always been on the quality of Nature’s Way products, and on reinforcing trust among consumers in Vietnam.

And, when facing its biggest challenge in the market to date — a challenge that shook the whole industry — it was that trust that carried the brand through.

In 2025, Vietnamese authorities discovered a counterfeit milk powder ring producing almost 600 fraudulent products that didn’t deliver the nutritional value they claimed.

This prompted a review of food safety regulations and led to the introduction of stricter rules for registering, testing and importing food supplements.

Regulatory change is always a challenge, Tran says. However, as Nature’s Way meets Australian standards, it also met new Vietnamese standards, and could prove it.

Amid a major market shake-up, consumer trust in Nature’s Way held strong, and it ultimately gained new customers.

‘We invested in brand-building around the efficacy, authenticity and compliance of our products,’ Tran says.

‘We had been building trust for a long time. Consumers knew us.’

PharmaCare CEO Glenn Cochran visited Vietnam to see how Nature’s Way is embraced by locals.

Austrade’s role in building trust

In Vietnam, Austrade has provided Nature’s Way with ongoing, varied support, including government and embassy engagement. Austrade has joined strategic events and helped build that all-important trust and credibility among key corporate and government stakeholders.

Austrade has also facilitated opportunities for Nature’s Way to showcase its credentials as a premium Australian brand and to share the Vietnamese growth story.

‘Austrade plays a very critical role for credibility and access,’ Tran says. ‘Their presence builds more trust with retailers, stakeholders and consumers.’

Behind the scenes, Austrade has helped smooth out processes while dealing with government departments. On one occasion, the regulating authority in Vietnam requested a particular certificate that the Australian Government no longer issued, Tran recalls.

‘Austrade coordinated to provide a substitute for that submission,’ says Tran. ‘That support from Austrade has helped the whole industry, not only Nature’s Way.’

The Vietnamese opportunity

Vietnam is a market of 100 million people, with a growing middle class of consumers willing to spend on premium products, Tran says. But it’s not necessarily an easy one to crack.

He advises any brand considering exporting here to do its research first.

‘Be prepared for a lot of brand-building activity and to work on building trust,’ he says. ‘Ensure Vietnamese consumers are ready for a new brand in the space you’re in.’

For businesses operating in highly regulated sectors, it’s also important to understand local legislation and everything required to prove compliance.

‘A lot of documents are required to prove products pass those requirements,’ says Tran.

‘It can be very, very hard to get products approved. Compliance is the most important thing right now.’

With that said, for the right businesses, the opportunity is huge, Tran says.

‘It’s my vision to scale this market to the next level in 2026, and beyond.

‘There’s huge potential for Nature’s Way to expand in Vietnam. This is just the beginning.’