What is the model for AI in Vietnamese education?

This is a common scene in the classroom of iSMART Education (iSMART), one of the pioneers in applying technology in general and AI in education . In addition to the ISACC robot, according to Mr. Nguyen Tien Trinh, CEO of iSMART, in the 2025-2026 school year, iSMART will also continue to introduce "virtual characters" to enhance engagement and personalize the experience, including AI Consultant "Jessie" to support parents 24/7 and Virtual Teacher (AI Teacher) to guide students to explore engaging, experiential lessons.

Not only iSMART but also in many other educational institutions, AI is infiltrating the teaching process at an unprecedented speed.

Education's "Window of Opportunity"

The question of applying AI to Vietnamese education up to this point has no longer been "whether to apply it or not?" but has changed to "how to apply it?". That shows that the Vietnamese education sector is at a time when it is forced to transform with technology.

According to the "White Book on Vietnam Education Technology 2024", in Vietnam, up to 60% of education technology (EdTech) products use AI and this number is constantly increasing every day.

This relentless growth is driven by a number of factors. First, infrastructure and users have reached a “tipping point”: Vietnam has around 79.8 million Internet users, or nearly 80% of the population. Ninety percent of primary schools have Internet access, and the target of 100% by 2025 is very close.

In addition, leaders at all levels have also been very determined to issue policies to promote technology and AI in education in recent times. Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo clearly identifies: innovation, science and technology and digital transformation are strategic breakthroughs for national development. The Ministry of Education and Training has also implemented a plan to improve digital and AI capacity for teachers and managers, with training programs and specialized forums nationwide. Workshops, seminars and courses on AI for teachers have been continuously organized in recent times.

International competitive pressure is also a factor driving the application of AI in education. While the world is accelerating, Vietnam cannot stand aside. In North America, IBM Watson Education and Edmodo have partnered to use artificial intelligence to help teachers understand students' needs and minimize knowledge gaps. In Asia, Singapore and South Korea are deploying AI to improve the quality of education, from improving student assignments to personalizing learning paths. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also introduce AI into the curriculum in public schools as an official subject from the 2025-2026 school year. In India, Embibe has also applied AI technology in education to explain complex mathematical and scientific concepts in a more understandable way.

All of the above have converged into a "window of opportunity" for Vietnamese education and forced educational institutions to transform promptly, or fall behind. However, this is not an easy problem. Many educational institutions are ready to invest heavily in technology and AI applications, but the big question is: what is the right direction?

What is the model for AI in education?

Although everyone knows that in this era, education is an environment that must gradually apply AI more deeply. However, choosing a model or a way to learn is not easy.

Mr. Bung Tran, co-founder of AI Education, a unit that cooperates with the world's leading technology companies in promoting the digital transformation of education in Vietnam, said that one of the very important points in introducing and training artificial intelligence for students is to design and provide a suitable and correct platform and mindset so that students can use AI effectively, becoming collaborators in performing tasks. The second is the skills to use artificial intelligence by first equipping digital capacity, instead of just focusing on work related to "giving orders". Using tools is just the final application. That means it is necessary to equip mindset and skillset before equipping toolset. Educational units that apply this correctly in applying AI will be a good model for others to refer to.

One of the units that started applying technology to education very early is iSMART Education with its journey of bringing technology into teaching English through Math and Science since 12 years ago. After more than a decade, iSMART has built an educational technology ecosystem, providing many products to meet the diverse learning needs of students, in which AI is deeply and comprehensively integrated.

Talking about his unit's story, Mr. Nguyen Tien Trinh, CEO of iSMART shared: " We always keep in mind that education must be serious: seriously investing in digital lectures, seriously with each knowledge, each program to ensure suitability and effectiveness for students. Applying AI today is not a sudden turning point, but a continuation of the path that the founders of iSMART have outlined from the beginning: pioneering the application of technology, using English as the key to expanding learning opportunities. Over the past 12 years, iSMART has always researched and introduced the latest technological advances into the program, with the sole goal of bringing the best and most appropriate learning experience to students".

It can be seen that technology is the "bridge" that iSMART creates for students to benefit to the fullest. Students are at the center, learning through digital lectures - the core product, and from there accessing a comprehensive ecosystem, guaranteed by key factors: quality academic content, modern technology platform, diverse deployment models and prestigious international accreditation.