Vanessa Hudgens’s role as teenage ingénue Gabriella Montez in the Disney film series High School Musical (2006 to 2008) catapulted her into stardom, establishing her as a household name and a force to be reckoned with. Since then, she has pursued other endeavours outside the Disney brand.

In March 2023, she was awarded the Global Tourism Ambassador Award by President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr to promote Philippine tourism. It marked her first visit to her mother's homeland, Gina Guangco Hudgens, and served as the perfect opportunity for the actress to connect with her Filipino heritage. She was also featured on Tatler Philippines’ July 2023 cover.

The success of the High School Musical franchise earned Hudgens a recording contract with Hollywood Records. She released two pop and R&B albums: V in 2006 and Identified in 2008. She made her Broadway musical debut in 2015, playing the title role in the revival of Gigi. She also starred in the Netflix Christmas film The Princess Switch (2018) and co-produced its sequels, The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021). Her latest film, Downtown Owl (2023), premiered in June 2023 at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Additionally, Hudgens keeps herself occupied with business ventures, including founding the organic beverage company, Caliwater, with longtime friend Oliver Trevena. Early in 2023, she re-launched KNOW Beauty, a vegan cruelty-free cosmetics brand, with the Glacial Bay Clay Mask. The company was founded in 2021 and has since created over a thousand beauty products. She is now engaged to be married to baseball player Cole Tucker.