When Bloomberg aired its interview on Vietnam’s AI ambitions, with Hanoi’s streets buzzing in the background, it instantly pulled me back to my own trip there just this April for the Vietnam Improv Festival. I could still hear the hum of motorbikes, smell the smoky scent of grilled street food, and feel that quiet determination in people’s eyes.
“This looks so familiar,” I remember murmuring in my cab from the airport into Hanoi. Something in the architecture, the energy, even the colours reminded me of where I grew up. That sense of familiarity stayed with me.
Vietnam feels on the cusp of something transformative — not in a brash, Silicon Valley way, but in a grounded, quietly ambitious way. This is a place where progress is built on humility, patience, and a refusal to take shortcuts.
A grounded vision for AI
Vietnam’s AI story isn’t just about one company, though FPT is a standout example. It’s about a national ecosystem shaped by long-term vision and steady, disciplined execution.
The government’s National Strategy on AI to 2030 aims to place Vietnam among ASEAN’s top AI hubs. It’s not just about building algorithms, but making AI a productivity multiplier for the whole economy, from leaders to factory workers. FPT’s “AI for all” approach fits squarely into this plan, as does its AI Factory built with Nvidia, cutting the time to test and deploy ideas from months to days.
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In Vietnam, bold moves are rarely noisy. They’re deliberate, precise, and quietly relentless.
Education as a national advantage
Vietnam is betting that its greatest asset isn’t cheap labour — it’s young, well-trained talent. And it’s making generational investments to unlock that potential.
In July 2025, the National Assembly approved a sweeping resolution to provide free tuition for all public school students from preschool through high school. This move ensures that every child, regardless of background, gets access to foundational education — a powerful base for later technical skills.
“In Vietnam, education isn’t just a policy, it’s part of the national fabric, woven with the belief that skill and knowledge come from dedication, not shortcuts.”
On the AI front, FPT has already trained 150,000 students and aims for half a million more, introducing AI concepts as early as age six. By Grade 5, students aren’t just using AI — they’re building with it.
They’re not alone. Phenikaa University launched AI-focused programs in 2023. Vingroup’s VinUni partners with Cornell and UPenn, blending global expertise with local drive. AI4VN — the country’s annual AI Day, backed by the Ministry of Science and Technology — connects researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to turn theory into real-world impact.
Not just tech hubs: Real-world applications
Vietnam’s AI growth isn’t limited to glossy campuses, it’s rooted in solving real problems with local insight.
- Trusting Social uses AI-powered credit scoring to bring financial access to the unbanked, now serving markets across Asia and the US.
- VNG Corporation, one of Vietnam’s tech titans, integrates AI into products from online games to its homegrown messaging app, Zalo.
- Cinnamon AI, founded in Japan by a Vietnamese entrepreneur, focuses on enterprise document-processing AI with a strong Vietnam base.
- Adayroi Health (formerly VinBrain) develops AI diagnostics for radiology, targeting rural healthcare gaps where doctors are scarce.
These companies reflect a national character: hard work over hype, practical solutions over vanity projects, and a deep appreciation for the impact technology can have on everyday life.
Values that shape innovation
For a country shaped by war, scarcity, and decades of rebuilding, Vietnam’s innovation mindset is quietly distinctive. It’s not about domination — it’s about uplift. Technology is applied with an eye to accessibility, utility, and sustainability.
I remember sitting at one of the railway cafés on a late morning, together with other tourists, waiting for the train to thunder through just inches away — a popular spot to watch the rails come alive. As we waited, I noticed something remarkable. Local shoe shiners weaved through the crowd, carrying all their tools by hand, ready to polish shoes for anyone who’d pay.
These weren’t café employees, they were independent solopreneurs, making a living on their own terms, wherever the moment allowed. It was a humble, resourceful hustle. That simple scene captured something essential about Vietnam, a culture defined by humility, hard work, and the ability to seize opportunity in the smallest moments. A spirit of self-reliance runs deep here, quietly shaping everything from street corners to tech labs.
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Humility keeps the ambition grounded. Dedication ensures the work is done thoroughly. Simplicity strips away waste, focusing only on what matters. Gratitude, for peace, for opportunity, for progress, keeps the drive human.
These aren’t just cultural values, they’re competitive advantages in a world often distracted by speed over substance.
What the world can learn
In a global AI race dominated by VC-fuelled land grabs, Vietnam offers a counterpoint: patience, practicality, and perseverance. It’s a model built on education for all, inclusive innovation, and technology that serves real needs.
For other emerging markets, Vietnam’s approach might just be the quiet playbook worth studying: pair long-term policy with grassroots talent-building, empower innovators to solve their own problems, and move forward with steady, unshowy resolve.
It may move softly, but Vietnam’s steady blend of patience, purpose, and perseverance shapes a future few can ignore.
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