Ton Singh Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam in India, on Monday invited Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers to set up shop in Vietnam. India is the largest exporter of pharmaceutical products in the South East Asian country.

The Vietnamese Ambassador was speaking at a meeting organised by the MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata.

“Only three to four pharma companies have set up shop in Vietnam. The rest are only interested in selling. Like the Made-In-India campaign, we would also like the pharmaceutical exporters to make products in Vietnam,” he said.

Referring to Indian pharma exports, he said Indian products are cheaper. However, the quality of Indian products is “lower” than those made in Europe.

Hanoi had recently banned many Indian companies from supplying medicines to Vietnam. This is based on an enquiry carried out by the Vietnamese drug regulator between January 2011 and October 2013.