The company was established in 1976 as the state-owned Southern Coffee-Dairy Company, to nationalize and take over the operations of three previously private dairy factories in South Vietnam: Thống Nhất (belonging to a Chinese company), Trường Thọ (formerly owned by Friesland Foods, best known for its production of condensed milk that was widely distributed across the South) and Dielac (Nestlé).

Vinamilk’s main competitors are Dutch Lady Vietnam (a division of Friesland Foods), Nestlé Vietnam, Abbott, Mead Johnson (a subsidiary of Reckitt), Friso and Nutifood.

Vinamilk is also exported to 43 countries around the world such as the US, France, Canada, Poland, Germany, Japan in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, etc. After more than 40 years of launching to consumers, Vinamilk now has built 14 production factories, 2 logistics enterprises, 3 branch sales offices, a dairy factory in Cambodia (Angkormilk), and a representative office in Thailand.

According to Wikipedia