Three decades of Unilever's "For a healthier Vietnam from smiles"

(Dan Tri) - Unilever has accompanied many generations of Vietnamese people to improve their overall health, especially through school dental care programs, helping to form proper hygiene habits and build healthy, sustainable communities.

Three decades of dental care

Three decades of presence in Vietnam has been a journey of continuous sharing, where Unilever has become a connecting factor in the common effort for a healthy and sustainable future for the community. Not only providing essential products to meet the needs of hygiene, health and personal care, the company also actively promotes many meaningful community programs.

Unilever with school dental care programs helps build healthy, sustainable communities (Photo: Unilever).

Summarizing 14 years of implementing the sustainable development plan, Unilever Vietnam has contributed to improving the health and living conditions of people across the country through cooperation projects with partners such as the Ministry of Health , Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association (VOSA) and many other organizations. Health and hygiene initiatives have been maintained continuously through many generations, not only raising awareness of self-care but also spreading into a healthy lifestyle in the community.

One example is the cooperation between P/S brand and VOSA for nearly 3 decades to bring oral care knowledge to more than 40 million people. Since 1996, the program "P/S - Protecting Vietnamese Smiles" has implemented free dental examination programs for more than 7 million students, especially in rural areas, contributing to a reduction of 11.8% of tooth decay nationwide through educational activities and oral health consultation hotlines at schools and in the community.

P/S and the Dental Association bring access to dentists to students, especially in rural areas (Photo: P/S).

These numbers are not just statistics, but also represent healthier generations, stronger communities and a brighter future for oral health in Vietnam. The familiar image of mobile dental vans has become a symbol of this journey.

From the South to the North, thousands of schools welcomed doctors, dentists and propagandists to visit, advise and guide students on dental care. For many children in rural areas, it was the first time they had access to formal dental services, and free dental check-ups right in the school yard.

The trips bring knowledge and care to every corner, sowing the seeds of healthy hygiene habits, contributing to building healthier generations of Vietnamese people through smiles. In the Vietnamese concept - "Teeth and hair are the cornerstones of a person" - healthy teeth are not only for maintaining health, but also the foundation of confidence and quality of life for each person.

Continue writing the story of Vietnam's smile

At the Vietnam International Dental Conference (VIDEC) 2025 held in Hanoi recently, Mr. Ankush Wadehra - General Director of Unilever's personal care products in Southeast Asia and Japan continued to affirm the simple but profound mission of the P/S brand and Unilever: The journey to protect Vietnamese smiles will continue and never stop until all people have access to quality oral care services.

“This year is particularly meaningful for us as it marks 30 years of Unilever’s presence in Vietnam – three decades of working with partners like the Vietnam Dental Association to brighten the lives of every household by improving the health and hygiene of millions of Vietnamese people,” said Mr. Wadehra at VIDEC – one of the most prestigious dental exhibitions in the region.

According to the representative of the P/S brand, the cooperation between the two sides is a journey of development, overcoming challenges and achieving many proud achievements. “Looking back, Unilever Vietnam not only sees the great milestones achieved, but also deeply feels the sustainable relationships”, Mr. Ankush affirmed.

Mr. Ankush Wadehra - General Director of Unilever's personal care products in Southeast Asia and Japan spoke at the Vietnam International Dental Conference (VIDEC) 2025 (Photo: Unilever).

After three decades of persistently cultivating oral care habits in the community, the foundation for a healthier and more confident generation has been formed. On that basis, Unilever Vietnam and the P/S brand continue to take a new step forward by collaborating with VOSA to launch the National Oral Health Survey 2025 from August 2025.

This is not only a professional activity to comprehensively assess the oral health situation nationwide, but also a strategic step to shape long-term solutions, accompanying the Ministry of Health in the Project "Improving the capacity of dental examination and treatment and preventing community oral diseases in the period 2021-2030".

This initiative demonstrates the determination of Unilever Vietnam and P/S in continuing to expand positive impacts, towards a healthier Vietnam through smiles.

From the first days of presence in Vietnam until today, Unilever and P/S consider Vietnam as a common home to be nurtured. Sustainable development is therefore not only a business strategy, but also a sharing and connection for the health of each member in that "home". When smiles are protected, health is preserved, that is also the way Unilever continues to write the story "Because Vietnam is home" - a more confident and radiant Vietnam through each generation.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ba-thap-ky-vi-mot-viet-nam-khoe-manh-hon-tu-nhung-nu-cuoi-cua-unilever-20250916134636415.htm