Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely seen as a golden opportunity for Vietnam to break out of the middle-income trap and avoid repeating a growth model based on low-cost labor and outsourcing. With global growth rates of 30–40% per year, AI is expected to account for an increasingly large share of the world economy over the coming decades. It is one of the very few fields that allow Vietnam to overcome the limits of its domestic market and participate directly in the global value chain.
However, this opportunity will not come automatically. If Vietnam stops at trend-driven AI adoption, low-cost outsourcing, or merely “fine-tuning” foreign models, the risk of repeating a path of dependent industrialization is very real. AI is not just a technological issue; it is a long-term strategic challenge tied to the economy, security, data, and national sovereignty.
AI Is Borderless – But Vietnam Cannot Rely Solely on Its Domestic Market
AI has nearly erased geographic barriers, enabling products and services to be exported instantly on a global scale. This creates enormous opportunities for Vietnam, but it also forces the country to leave its “comfort zone” and compete directly with others on quality, reliability, and value creation—rather than on low costs alone.
Lessons from Japan show that innovation combined with excessive inward focus can lead to stagnation. A domestic market may be large enough to sustain survival, but not large enough to drive rapid growth. In the AI era, without a global orientation, it will be difficult for Vietnam to build technology companies of meaningful scale and global influence.
AI Sovereignty – A Matter of Survival
A critical question arises: whose AI will Vietnam rely on, whose data, and whose rules? This is the essence of AI sovereignty. Total dependence on foreign, general-purpose AI models carries significant risks—from distortions in historical, legal, and cultural contexts to violations of data regulations and national security concerns.
To mitigate these risks, Vietnam needs to develop national-level foundational AI models that accurately reflect its laws, culture, and national interests, while ensuring that sensitive data is stored and processed domestically. Although the cost of developing and maintaining such models may reach hundreds of millions of USD per year, on a per-capita basis this is a reasonable and necessary investment for the long term.
Not “Bigger AI,” but “Smaller, Smarter AI”
As large language models (LLMs) continue to grow in size, consuming enormous amounts of energy and posing increasing reliability risks, a more suitable path for Vietnam is to focus on small, specialized, high-accuracy AI models. These models can run on-device, save energy, enhance data security, and be tailored to specific use cases in manufacturing, healthcare, education, finance, and public administration.
The future of AI does not lie in a single, centralized “all-knowing intelligence,” but in a decentralized network of expert AIs, interconnected to solve specific problems. This is precisely the space where Vietnam can realistically participate and build competitive advantages.
Enterprises, Infrastructure, and Education Must Transform Together
AI creates real value only when enterprises transform quickly and decisively. Companies that adapt slowly will fall behind, while those that move fast will gain disproportionate advantages. At the same time, AI infrastructure is not limited to large data centers; it also includes decentralized computing systems, high-speed telecommunications networks, and open ecosystems that allow multiple stakeholders to participate.
Finally, the AI revolution will trigger a revolution in education. AI-powered personalized learning—Education 4.0—will fundamentally change how teaching, learning, and assessment are conducted. This is also a massive market, offering Vietnam opportunities to develop AI-driven education solutions for domestic use and global export.
AI represents a historic opportunity for Vietnam to leap forward, but it will only become reality with the right strategic choices: investing in AI sovereignty, prioritizing quality over low cost, developing specialized AI, building decentralized infrastructure, and reforming education. The question “whose AI, whose data, whose rules” is not merely a technological one—it is a question that will determine Vietnam’s position in the future global economic and technological order.
(Source: tiasang.com.vn)