According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong, Vietnam has clearly identified two core areas: research and development and application of AI, with the ultimate goal being self-reliance in core technologies.
Speaking at the GStar 2026 event themed "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Humanity" held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 29th, Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong emphasized that Vietnam aims to become one of the top three countries in Southeast Asia in artificial intelligence research and development by 2030. In 2025, Vietnam enacted the Law on Artificial Intelligence, becoming one of the few countries to have an early law on AI. This is seen as a proactive institutional approach to pave the way for technological development, creating a safe legal environment based on risk management to promote innovation.
Following the establishment of the legal framework in 2025, 2026 will be the period when the nation accelerates its development, according to Deputy Minister Phuong. Vietnam will not only stop at applying AI in isolation, but instead aim for a larger strategic goal: a comprehensive national transformation through artificial intelligence.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong speaks at the event on the morning of May 29. Photo: Bao Lam
Focusing on investing in infrastructure development for data and AI
According to the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, after the Government issued the list of strategic technologies and strategic products, the Ministry will focus on investing in infrastructure development for AI, developing databases serving AI, and training people with sufficient capacity and qualifications to research and develop AI.
"However, the State alone is not enough. The involvement of the business community, research institutes, universities, and scientists both domestically and internationally is very much needed," Deputy Minister Phuong said. "If we can do this, Vietnam can promote the research and development of artificial intelligence in the future."
With the orientation of strengthening and promoting the application of AI, Deputy Minister Phuong believes that the most important immediate goal is to change mindsets and popularize AI skills among the people, businesses, and agencies and organizations. Furthermore, it's crucial to understand that the application of AI isn't simply about purchasing a software product, but about changing mindsets in handling work.
For example, during a business trip abroad, Deputy Minister Phuong recounted a professor's experience. He explained that the first step isn't changing how things are done, but rather, when faced with a difficult problem, the first thing to consider is how to use technology to solve it in the best way possible.
"Only when every individual, citizen, business, and organization in Vietnam knows how to use AI as an assistant will the AI transformation truly take place," Deputy Minister Phuong emphasized.
However, he also acknowledged that in the process of widespread AI application, it's necessary to address the impacts of AI on society, especially changes in employment structures and the potential risks to ethics and fairness. Accordingly, "training and career transition for workers must go hand in hand, ensuring inclusive development, with people at the center, and leaving no one behind in the application and development of AI," Deputy Minister Phuong said.
Regarding AI institutions and governance, Deputy Minister Phuong assessed that research, development, and application of this technology all require a solid foundation in terms of management institutions. The challenge of harmonizing the promotion of innovation and risk management must be addressed. The legal framework needs to be proactive, with clear regulations to ensure the safe and secure use of AI, protecting personal data and digital sovereignty.
The Deputy Minister of Science and Technology also expressed his desire to promote cooperation, interoperability, and sharing in AI research, development, and application among countries in building computing infrastructure, interconnecting databases, and sharing AI governance experiences. "The whole world is facing this challenge. We need to strengthen cooperation and share experiences to maximize the power and benefits that AI brings, while contributing to building a global AI ecosystem and ensuring national interests," he said.
AI makes fake news "unpredictable"
Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan newspaper and Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, believes that the speed of AI application in Vietnam is very rapid. According to him, 15 years ago, when this technology was mentioned, not many people knew about it, and even those who did didn't fully understand it. Many even thought that what was happening in the world would have a certain "delay" before reaching Vietnam.
"However, in reality, the speed of AI entering Vietnam is very strong," Mr. Minh emphasized. "AI is currently applied in many fields such as education, healthcare, climate change, and journalism, significantly reducing human labor."
Mr. Le Quoc Minh speaking at the event. Photo: Bao Lam
Citing examples from the field of journalism, Mr. Minh argued that content is operating in entirely new ways. Previously, when searching on the Internet, users received "blue links" and chose reliable sources to read. But today, they only need to ask a question and the system will provide a series of answers. Many new concepts have emerged, such as "liquid content," which is multimedia content that "flows" across multiple platforms and adapts to each context of use; or adaptive content, which is adjusted to suit each platform and receiving needs.
However, Mr. Minh believes that the strong application of technology brings many consequences. Around the world, there are websites entirely run by AI, capable of producing many times more content than major newspapers like the New York Times or Washington Post.
The issue of copyright has also become more serious. Previously, copyright infringement mainly involved copying or "repackaging" journalistic content. Now, AI systems scan journalistic content to train models without paying any fees to the content producers.
Furthermore, AI also brings with it many other social risks. Input data is inherently biased and lacks ethical standards, so if left unchecked, AI systems can create an "echo chamber"—an environment that only reinforces pre-existing biases such as sexism, discrimination, or social prejudice. "Without a monitoring mechanism, this situation could spiral out of control," Mr. Minh said.
Professor Preslav Nakov, Head of the Department of Natural Languages at Mohamed bin Zayed University for AI (MBZUAI), assesses that the development of AI is creating a revolutionary and transformative impact on society, similar to the recent industrial revolution. However, he argued that AI security is of paramount importance, and security mechanisms must be in place at every level: training data, the model itself, the control prompt, and the deployment system.
According to Professor Nakov, no layer of protection is perfect when operating in isolation. He cited the example of Wikipedia, which contains conspiracy theory content, so data filtering cannot completely eliminate harmful information.
Professor Preslav Nakov, Head of the Department of Natural Languages at Mohamed bin Zayed University for AI (MBZUAI). Photo: Bao Lam
Another topic is the authenticity of AI. Professor Nakov argues that generative AI has created the "third revolution" in information production. If social media helps people become "publishers," generative AI allows anyone to create fluent and persuasive content. This increases the risk of fake news, propaganda, and information manipulation.
To reduce the "illusion" of AI, Professor Nakov proposes several approaches such as data filtering, post-training, or using larger models and building information verification systems. According to him, the larger the model, the less illusion there is, because it has the ability to remember more facts instead of having to "create" answers.
"The future will not have one dominant AI model; instead, there will be many specialized models for different languages, fields, and tasks, from video processing and robotics to biomedical science," Nakov predicted. "Of course, future AI needs to meet four criteria: transparency, understanding native languages, security, and information reliability."
The GStar 2026 Forum is a continuation of the annual AI events organized by NTI, formerly VietAI, since 2018, with the goal of connecting the Vietnamese AI community with global experts. Previous events have featured several experts and prominent figures in artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Stanford University AI lab director Christopher Manning at AI Day 2023, or Google's chief scientist Jeff Dean at GenAI 2024.
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