According to Google's research on Vietnam's digital economy, it is predicted that by 2030, the annual economic impact of digital technology in Vietnam could reach VND1,733 trillion (equivalent to USD74 billion). Of which, AI is expected to make a major contribution to many areas of the digital economy.

"Vietnam is in a unique position to lead AI innovation in Southeast Asia and beyond," said Nguyen Duc Toan, Google Cloud Country Director, at the 2024 Artificial Intelligence Conference recently held in Ho Chi Minh City.

In terms of human resources, Vietnam possesses a young and talented workforce, a great advantage in developing AI. " With more than 70% of the population under 35 years old and an increasing rate of university graduation, Vietnam can train and attract top AI talents ," said a Google representative. In addition, with about 80 million Internet users under 30 years old, Vietnam is also considered a fertile and potential market for AI products and applications.

At the conference, speakers also agreed that Vietnam has many advantages in developing AI, thanks to its market, human resources and startup ecosystem.

Regarding the ecosystem, according to statistics, Vietnam has attracted more than 1 billion USD in investment in technology startups in 2023. The rapid growth of the startup ecosystem has reached a level of maturity equivalent to Singapore and Malaysia, showing the potential for innovation and the ability to create breakthrough AI solutions.

The Vietnamese market is receiving great support from the Government and domestic technology corporations to “catch the wave” of AI. Vietnam is expected to need an additional 100,000 AI experts in the next 5 years to meet market demand.

From a personal perspective, Dr. Le Viet Quoc, a senior expert from Google, said: " The Vietnamese government has been introducing many policies to encourage startups and investment in technology. This creates favorable conditions for AI businesses to develop and compete in the international market ."

Dr. Vu Duy Thuc, who received his PhD in artificial intelligence from Stanford University (USA), Founder of OhmniLabs, assessed that Vietnam has a great advantage in human resources in the field of AI. According to him, in large corporations around the world, there are Vietnamese people holding important positions.

In terms of talented human resources, Vietnam has a good educational tradition, especially in the fields of mathematics and science. Vietnamese students regularly achieve high results in international mathematics competitions, demonstrating their ability to think logically and solve problems - skills necessary for the development of AI. This is the premise for creating a high-quality human resource for the AI ​​industry.

Despite its potential, Vietnam still faces many challenges in building AI infrastructure and attracting talent, especially in the fields of mathematics and science. To address this issue, at the 2024 Artificial Intelligence Conference, experts suggested that Vietnam should promote cooperation between universities, businesses and the Government to build an AI ecosystem.

Grasping and promoting advantages, realizing potentials, connecting the Government, businesses, educational institutions, and creating favorable conditions for technology startups are key conditions for Vietnam to become a bright spot on the global AI map.

What did Google's chief scientist say when he visited Vietnam? Jeff Dean, Google's chief AI scientist, believes that Vietnam has an advantage in attracting young people to pursue the field of artificial intelligence.