FPT CEO Nguyen Van Khoa affirmed that the company is making a shift towards mastering core technologies, transforming national strategies into its own corporate strategies.
FPT CEO ponders the Minister's question.
At the Vietnam National Forum on Digital Technology Enterprise Development, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa began with a personal story that reflected the transformation of a nearly 38-year-old corporation.
For him, "Make in Vietnam" is not simply a slogan, but a life-or-death choice, stemming from a question posed by the Minister of Science and Technology, Nguyen Manh Hung, to FPT: What is FPT's outsourcing ratio?
That question was both an encouragement and a challenge, forcing FPT's leadership to question their future path and core values.
Previously, FPT primarily expanded internationally through outsourcing. At times, outsourcing accounted for up to 90% of the corporation's operations.
However, in the last five years, this figure has decreased to approximately 35%. For FPT, "Make in Vietnam" is the strategic turning point to change that proportion. Mr. Khoa acknowledged that this was a difficult and challenging decision, but one that could not be postponed.
In the new era, where science, technology, and innovation have become central tasks, FPT identifies itself as a Vietnamese technology enterprise proactively changing its strategy not only to optimize profits but also to serve the nation.
Mr. Khoa describes this as a fundamental shift in development thinking, moving from pure growth to long-term investment in the country's endogenous capabilities.
FPT CEO: Mastering core technologies to serve the nation. Photo: DN.
From here, FPT Group affirms that it will not pursue technology as a trend, but will proceed with a long-term strategy, investing systematically in areas that few businesses have the patience to pursue, such as digital data, cybersecurity, and core technology platforms.
Years of overseas expansion have helped the company accumulate global experience, from system integration to deploying large-scale solutions for international clients. This foundation enables FPT to transfer, master, and develop products more quickly in the current period.
The pressure on FPT's executives is immense, given its workforce of nearly 85,000 employees and the daily struggle for survival, while its core technology strategy demands perseverance over 5 to 10 years. This places high demands on shareholder understanding and the trust of government regulatory agencies.
Integrate national strategy into corporate structure.
For the first time in its history, FPT has integrated national strategy as an official part of its corporate strategic structure. The most concrete evidence of this commitment is the establishment of the Strategic Technology Steering Committee on December 3rd.
Accordingly, FPT will focus on five key areas: Quantum AI and Cyber Security Institute, FPT UAV, FPT Railway Technology, FPT Cyber Security, and DC5. According to Mr. Khoa, this is not just a simple organizational decision, but a concrete step to realize the commitment to mastering core technologies.
Alongside the restructuring, the group's education and research segment is also undergoing a significant transformation from a practice-based training model to a research and development model. FPT's faculty and experts worldwide are being mobilized to participate in research and product development, aiming to create a truly robust knowledge ecosystem.
At the same time, FPT announced specific commitments for 2026, focusing on bringing "Make in Vietnam" products into real life instead of just remaining in laboratories. The group committed to deploying the Long Chau healthcare virtual assistant product, supporting and advising 10 million people.
For administrative agencies, FPT will develop a virtual assistant to serve over 100,000 civil servants and public employees in handling work and serving the public.
Furthermore, the Vietnamese big language model is also targeted for large-scale application in the finance, banking, and retail sectors. These figures demonstrate an approach that closely links core technology with practical application problems.
However, this path is not paved with roses. The CEO of FPT frankly shared the unique difficulties in developing core technologies. Many research products cannot be held or directly flown in front of the eyes, but are deeply embedded within devices and operating infrastructure.
"The biggest question is who will be willing to experiment with these technologies," Mr. Khoa questioned whether the State is willing to place trust in and create a testing space (sandbox) for Vietnamese businesses. According to him, the most important factor right now is the commitment of both businesses and regulatory agencies.
From here, FPT representatives presented five major commitments to contribute to the nation's new era of progress. These are: investing in education and human resources; promoting the application of science and technology in practice; providing and exporting core technologies to the world; collaborating and forming alliances with the scientific community; and finally, accepting challenges, pioneering, including necessary mistakes and failures to create new products.
Viet Hung,
according to TheLeader