But it’s not all success and there is still room for improvement. The Golden Star balm maker saw success returning to the market because they had promoted their product in a way that retained the Vietnamese identity, while still meeting the demand of the widely varied world consumption. He once heard a Japanese girl who arrived in Los Angeles, look around and said to her mother: ''Look, mom, they have McDonald's here too.'' The famous American journalist and columnist was startled and began to look for the most satisfying answer possible for what is the position of each individual and country in a globalised world. The journey of the Golden Star balm tin reminds us of how Thomas Friedman got his inspiration to write about globalisation in his 1999 book ‘The Lexus and the Olive Tree’. The story of Golden Star balm is nothing particular as more and more companies are exporting products made of natural ingredients employing traditional Vietnamese medicine methods. But after the Eastern bloc collapsed, Golden Star balm also virtually disappeared, even in the domestic market.īut since 2013, this Vietnamese-made cream has been selling like hot cakes in many countries at a price of around VND40,000 a tin, excluding shipping fees. This small balm tin became indispensable for many Vietnamese people and one of Vietnam’s key exports to the former Soviet Union and many countries in Eastern Europe. Research and production of this product began post-1954.

‘Out of stock’ and similar phrases are the messages usually displayed on famous online retailers such as eBay and Amazon, as well as online pharmaceutical shops in many countries such as the UK, the US and Australia when users search for Golden Star balm. This Vietnamese-made ointment has a special history and can provide a useful example for the pharmaceutical industry and other businesses in Vietnam.

Golden star aromatic balm