Vietnam needs comprehensive solutions to master AI
Vietnam is regarded as having significant potential for breakthroughs, but to turn challenges into opportunities, comprehensive solutions are required, ranging from institutional reforms and resources to skilled workforce training.
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - In the digital era, technology is no longer just a supporting tool, but is increasingly becoming an essential 'creative assistant', enabling countries to accelerate development.
Vietnam is regarded as having significant potential for breakthroughs, but to turn challenges into opportunities, comprehensive solutions are required. These range from institutional reforms and resources to skilled workforce training.
Speaking at the 'Aptech Talk: Rising Vietnam in the AI Era' on August 23, Chu Tuan Anh, director of the Aptech International Programmer Training System, said Vietnam’s success lies in grasping technology as well as in building on a 'three-legged foundation' of patriotism, national pride and the ability to apply technology in its own way.
He stressed that AI is simply a tool comparable to electricity in modern society.
“Instead of being apprehensive, young people need to be proactive in learning and turning AI into a powerful assistant,” he said.
From an international perspective, Kallol Mukherjee, vice president of India’s Aptech Group, noted that Aptech has accompanied Vietnamese youth since 1999, helping to lay the groundwork for the country’s information technology development.
According to Mukherjee, this longstanding presence across different technological generations is a testament to Vietnam’s potential and readiness in the age of AI.
Experts at the event also highlighted that to harness AI effectively, clear objectives and roadmaps, along with structured training programmes, are vital. In the context of information overload, unstructured learning cannot yield good results. Learners need solid foundational knowledge and consistent practice, treating AI as a familiar tool in the same way Google once transformed search habits.
On the topic of strategy, Anh suggested that in the short term, Vietnam should 'stand on the shoulders of giants', leveraging leading global AI models to rapidly expand applications across sectors, driving productivity and efficiency.
൲ In the longer term, he emphasised that developing domestic AI models is indispensable to ensure technological sovereignty and to create specialised applications tailored to Vietnam’s specific needs./.
Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Science and Technology Pham Huynh Quang Hieu highlighted data as a strategic asset determining the competitive capabilities of both businesses and the whole nation, and data as a tool transforming scattered data into knowledge, thereby creating substantive values and innovation power.
The programme is the result of cooperation between the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC), HUST, and the US-based tech giant NVIDIA, aiming to implement the cooperation agreement signed between the Vietnamese Government and NVIDIA.
Up to 99% of Vietnamese consumers express excitement about AI, 86% are familiar with the technology, and 99% want to use AI in their future travel plans, according to the Global AI Sentiment Report by Booking.com.
Amidst robust digital transformation across all sectors, the food processing industry has tapped such digital technologies as Internet of Things, AI, blockchain and Big Data to optimise production process, control supply chain, and meet consumers’ demands.
The French side pledged to share technical guidelines and safety standards, with the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) ready to provide training for Vietnamese specialists.
Vietnam now has more than 940,000 private enterprises and over 5 million household businesses, contributing approximately 50% of GDP, over 30% of state budget revenue, and employing 82% of the national workforce.
Businesses underlined the need for expanding green credit and non-collateral concessional loans for circular agriculture projects, facilitating their participation in national key projects, and fostering alliances among Vietnamese enterprises as well as cooperation with regional partners.
State-owned Vietcombank currently leads the banking system with total assets exceeding 85 billion USD and a market capitalisation of over 20 billion USD, while maintaining strong financial safety indicators. Its non-performing loan ratio remains the lowest in the sector at 0.97%.
Malaysia is Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth globally, as well as a key investor with 731 valid projects worth about 13 billion USD. Bilateral trade reached 9.23 billion USD by July 2025, up 8% year-on-year, nearing the 18 billion USD target.
Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang noted that free trade agreements such as the UK–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have expanded opportunities for businesses in both countries.
Lotte Shopping currently operates three department stores and 16 supermarkets in Vietnam, alongside one department store and 48 supermarkets in Indonesia. The company highlighted the success of its flagship Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, which opened in 2023, describing it as a model for future premium complexes. Kim said the group intends to replicate this concept in other major Vietnamese cities.
In the EU, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a major obstacle to Vietnam's efforts to have the European Commission (EC)'s “yellow card" lifted. The bloc’s dense and constantly changing regulatory framework also affects farming zones, production processes and quality standards.
The Vietnam Private Sector Forum 2025 (VPSF 2025) opened in Hanoi on September 15, packing in over 1,500 entrepreneurs, economists, and international organisations across four thematic sessions to reshape Vietnam’s private sector landscape.
The economic picture in the first eight months of 2025, whether viewed from the overall economy or from a local perspective, is very positive. Major economic centres have recorded extremely impressive growth in the period, the Ministry of Finance stated in its recent report on the socio-economic situation, sent to the Government.
Cross-border e-commerce is set to become one of the strategic pillars in Vietnam’s national master plan for e-commerce development during 2026–2030, as the country looks to build a sustainable digital export ecosystem and enhance global competitiveness for its businesses.
The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 25,208VND/USD on September 16, down 8 VND from the previous day.
The shift of global supply chains, coupled with the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is opening up both opportunities and challenges for the Vietnamese economy.
According to preliminary statistics from Vietnam's Customs Department, as of August 15 this year the country's shrimp exports to China (including Hong Kong) surged by up to 76% over the same period last year, reaching nearly 767 million USD and accounting for nearly 29% of the country's total shrimp export turnover.
Exquisite craftwork, diverse dishes, and vibrant music have captured the attention of international visitors at the National Entrepreneurs Day (HUN) 2025 held in Kuala Lumpur from September 12-16.
The 13th Mekong–Republic of Korea (RoK) Business Forum provided a platform to seek solutions for strengthening collaboration, overcoming economic challenges, and expanding opportunities for sustainable development in a volatile global environment.
The ratification of the agreement not only reaffirms its steadfast commitment to a rules-based, fair, and sustainable international trading order but also brings tangible domestic benefits.
