Glycopeptide antibiotics are considered against the often fatal infection of gram positive bacteria as the last line of defence. At present, vancomycin resistance is common, and new antibiotics should be developed to cope with multidrug resistant strains. Although the nature structure and mode of action of vancomycin antibiotics have been studied a few decades ago, but these subtle details of the molecular recognition process is still not fully understood. So far, NMR method (solution and solid state), X-ray crystallography, in-silico calculations and microcalorimetry will contribute to a better understanding of the antibacterial effect. Surprisingly, some recent semi-synthetic glycopeptides have significant antiviral effects, thereby extending the scope of new studies.