Vaccines produced in Vietnam were eligible for export, according to Lahouari Belghabi, a representative from the World Health Organisation.

Belghabi was speaking at a WHO review of National Regulatory Authorities (NRA) in Hanoi on April 17.

He said the main control functions of the NRA achieved a score of more than 90 per cent.

The assessment was made by 14 WHO specialists over one week on the NRA system's critical control functions.

These include a set of requirements for licensing, surveillance of vaccine performance in the field, regular inspections for good manufacturing practice and evaluation of clinical performance.

The specialists said Vietnam had met international vaccine-management standards so vaccines it produced could be exported to other countries.

It is expected that Vietnam will become one of the world's leading vaccine producers in 20 or 30 years.

The country is among 39 countries that meet WHO's strict vaccine standards.

Vietnam started a programme to build up a NRA for vaccines in 2001 and accelerated preparations in May 2013, with the active participation of four agencies under the Health Ministry. These are the Drug Administration, Agency of Science, Technology and Training, General Department of Preventive Medicine - and the National Institute for Control of Vaccine and Biologicals.

"This is a good opportunity for the vaccine production industry to produce for home and abroad," Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said.

He said not many vaccine producing countries passed the assessment for the first time like Vietnam.

Vietnamese experts have been invited to join the WHO's delegation to assess Russia's NRA in December.

Long said Vietnam is expected to be able to produce 6-in-1 vaccine by 2018 to overcome a shortage. It will also soon be able to export vaccine against measles.

VNS