The US magazine Forbes published the article “Vietnam’s AI Leadership Status Is Blossoming” on Feb 23rd. This article summarizes a number of research sources to give a sense of where Vietnam’s leadership is in the field of AI.
The readiness of a country or territory toward AI technology is evaluated through three pillars – the government, technology, and data infrastructure.
Vietnam has ambitious plans for its AI leadership, and Vietnam hopes to be among the top four countries in Asia, when it comes to artificial intelligence advancement.
Vietnam currently has over 64,000 digital technology enterprises, an increase of 5,600 enterprises compared to 2020, and there are nearly 1,000 Vietnamese branded ICT products and services.
It is estimated that Vietnam has over 1 million IT workers, and over 80,000 university and college graduates with majors in information and communications technology.
Currently, there are around 50 universities and academies teaching AI-related majors in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government has been investing heavily in AI and other digital technologies, such as machine learning, blockchain, big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing.
Recently the country approved the National Digital Transformation Programme by 2025, with an orientation toward 2030. This demonstration of confidence is laying a solid strategy foundation for Vietnam to become a powerful AI innovator in the years to come.
These are all positive signs, but the real challenge for Vietnam is it is short on human capital resources with the required expertise needed in the field of AI.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there are less than 2,000 Vietnamese studying and working in AI-related fields, and less than 300 are considered to be AI experts./.
