Country Overview
Vietnam has moved faster than most Southeast Asian peers toward binding AI regulation. The Politburo's Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW (signed December 22, 2024) elevated science, technology, innovation and digital transformation to a top national strategic priority, with an explicit goal of ranking among the top three ASEAN countries in AI research and development by 2030; a government Action Program (Resolution 03/NQ-CP, January 9, 2025) followed to implement it. Building on this, the National Assembly adopted Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on Artificial Intelligence on December 10, 2025 โ Vietnam's first standalone AI statute โ which took effect March 1, 2026. The law, comprising 35 articles across 8 chapters, introduces a three-tier risk classification (high/medium/low) with pre-market approval for high-risk systems in sectors like finance, healthcare and justice, mandatory data-source disclosure and watermarking for generative AI, and penalties of up to VND 2 billion for violations.
On the industrial side, Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement with Nvidia in December 2024 to establish an AI research and development centre and support data-centre buildout (including at state-owned Viettel), part of a reported $250 million Nvidia commitment; Nvidia separately acquired Vingroup's AI healthcare unit VinBrain, and FPT Corporation announced a $200 million AI 'factory' with Nvidia in 2025. Domestic research strength is anchored by VinAI Research (founded 2019, part of Vingroup), described in some rankings as among the world's top 20 AI research organisations, alongside university-based AI institutes such as VNU's AI4SD.
At a Glance
Overall AI policy direction
Binding, risk-tiered AI law now in force
4
Major AI companies
2
Research institutions
3
Live debates
- Latest development
- June 2026
- Regulatory approach
- Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on Artificial Intelligence โ a binding, three-tier risk-based framework in force since March 1, 2026
- Major AI companies
- VinAI Research, FPT Corporation, Viettel +1 more
- Major cloud providers
- Nvidia (AI R&D Center / partnerships)
- Leading research institutions
- Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) โ AI4SD, VNU University of Engineering and Technology
- Key ministries
- Ministry of Science and Technology, National Assembly of Vietnam
- Government involvement
- High and centrally directed โ Politburo-level Resolution 57 frames AI as a top national strategic priority, translated into a binding national AI law and coordinated ministry/province implementation plans
- Industrial strategy
- Building a 'Make in Vietnam' domestic AI ecosystem (VinAI, FPT, Viettel) alongside large partnerships with Nvidia on R&D centres and AI 'factories', with a stated target of three major data centres and three AI centres by 2030
- International partnerships
- December 2024 cooperation agreement with Nvidia on AI R&D and data centres; broader semiconductor-industry ambitions targeting over $100 billion in annual revenue by 2050
- Primary policy focus
- Implementing the new AI Law's risk-classification and registration requirements, and building out domestic AI compute and talent, appear to be near-term priorities based on recent government statements
Current Direction
Tightening
Vietnam has moved unusually quickly among Southeast Asian countries from strategic framing (Resolution 57, December 2024) to a binding, risk-tiered AI statute in force since March 2026 โ a notably faster and firmer trajectory than most regional peers, which remain at the guideline or draft-bill stage. Implementation capacity and enforcement consistency for the new law's pre-market approval and audit requirements remain to be tested in practice.
Recent Developments
Vietnam features prominently in Nvidia's 'sovereign AI' push: on June 3, 2026 FPT and Viettel are named among a limited group of national partners, with FPT and Nvidia releasing an open, population-scale Vietnamese dataset ('Nemotron-Personas-Vietnam') and Viettel AI building a national legal-sector AI application by fine-tuning Nvidia's Nemotron open models.
The Government issues Decree No. 142/2026/ND-CP (effective May 1, 2026), the first master implementing decree for the Law on Artificial Intelligence โ operationalising the three-tier risk regime with a national AI portal and systems database run by the Ministry of Science and Technology, mandatory labelling of AI-generated media, serious-incident reporting within 72 hours, and transition notices for pre-existing systems within 60 days.
Major2026-04-30Viettel puts into operation Vietnam's first Nvidia DGX B200 supercomputer (eight Blackwell GPUs) at its technical centre in Hoa Lac, Hanoi, describing it as a step toward sovereign, trusted AI capability and the training of Vietnamese-language models.
2026-02-07SourceVOV (Voice of Vietnam)Vietnam's Law on Digital Technology Industry (No. 71/2025/QH15, passed June 14, 2025) takes effect on January 1, 2026 โ described as the world's first dedicated digital-technology-industry law, covering AI, semiconductors, IoT, cloud and digital assets with tax and investment incentives; its AI chapter was subsequently superseded by the standalone Law on Artificial Intelligence that took effect March 1, 2026.
2026-01-01SourceVietnam BriefingNational Assembly adopts Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on Artificial Intelligence, Vietnam's first standalone AI statute, which takes effect March 1, 2026 with a three-tier risk classification and penalties of up to VND 2 billion for violations.
Major2025-12-10FPT Corporation and Nvidia announce plans to build a $200 million AI 'factory' using Nvidia GPUs and software.
2025-04SourceVietnamNetGovernment issues Action Program Resolution No. 03/NQ-CP to implement Resolution 57, followed by ministry- and province-level implementation plans and steering structures.
2025-01-09SourceRegulations.AIPolitburo issues Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, elevating science, technology, innovation and digital transformation to a top national strategic breakthrough, with a goal of ranking Vietnam among ASEAN's top three countries in AI R&D by 2030.
Major2024-12-22SourceVietnamPlusVietnam signs a cooperation agreement with Nvidia to establish an AI research and development centre and support AI data-centre development (including with state-owned Viettel), as part of a reported $250 million Nvidia commitment; Nvidia separately acquires Vingroup's AI healthcare unit VinBrain.
2024-12-05SourceBloomberg
Policy and Regulation
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW
Politburo resolution (signed December 22, 2024) framing science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as Vietnam's top strategic breakthrough, with an explicit AI R&D leadership target within ASEAN by 2030.
Law on Artificial Intelligence (No. 134/2025/QH15)
Vietnam's first standalone AI law, adopted December 10, 2025 and in force since March 1, 2026. Establishes a three-tier risk classification (high/medium/low), pre-market approval and registration for high-risk AI in sectors like finance, healthcare, education, infrastructure and justice, mandatory data-source disclosure and watermarking for generative AI outputs, prohibited uses (e.g. manipulation causing serious harm, exploitation of vulnerable groups), and penalties of up to VND 2 billion for non-compliance.
Official text โDecree No. 142/2026/ND-CP (implementing the Law on Artificial Intelligence)
Issued April 30, 2026 and in force since May 1, 2026; the first master decree detailing implementation of Law No. 134/2025/QH15. Operationalises the three-tier risk classification, establishes a one-stop national AI portal and a national database of AI systems managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology, mandates labelling of AI-generated media and serious-incident reporting within 72 hours, and required systems already operating before March 1, 2026 to file a transition notice within 60 days.
Official text โLaw on Digital Technology Industry (No. 71/2025/QH15)
Passed June 14, 2025 and in force since January 1, 2026; reported as the world's first dedicated law on the digital technology industry, covering AI, semiconductors, IoT, cloud computing, digital data and digital assets, with tax and investment incentives and a target of building 150,000 digital-tech firms by 2035. Its original AI chapter was superseded by the standalone Law on Artificial Intelligence (No. 134/2025/QH15) that took effect March 1, 2026.
Decision No. 1131/QD-TTg (Strategic Technologies List)
Prime Ministerial decision (June 12, 2025) listing AI as a top strategic technology and strategic technology product for national development.
Research Ecosystem
Vietnam's most prominent dedicated AI research organisation is VinAI Research, founded in 2019 as part of the Vingroup conglomerate, headquartered in Hanoi with additional offices in Ho Chi Minh City, the US, Europe and Australia; some industry rankings have placed it among the world's top 20 AI research-based organisations, and it draws researchers with prior experience at Google DeepMind, Adobe, Stanford Research Institute and other major labs, though such rankings have not been independently re-verified here. University-based research includes the VNU Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Development (VNU-AI4SD), established May 2025 under Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and a 2026 partnership between FPT, VNU Hanoi's Quantum AI & Cyber Security Institute (QACI), and the University of Engineering and Technology focused on AI, quantum computing and cybersecurity talent development.
Major AI Companies
VinAI Research
AI research organisation founded in 2019 as part of Vingroup, headquartered in Hanoi with offices in Ho Chi Minh City, the US, Europe and Australia; reported in some industry rankings among the world's top 20 AI research-based companies.
FPT Corporation
Vietnam's largest IT services and technology group; announced a $200 million AI 'factory' with Nvidia in 2025 and has separately committed roughly $100 million toward AI, quantum computing and cybersecurity capability-building.
Viettel
State-owned telecommunications group receiving Nvidia technical support for AI data-centre development as part of Vietnam's December 2024 cooperation agreement with Nvidia.
VinBrain
Vingroup's AI healthcare startup, acquired by Nvidia as part of its expanded Vietnam presence.
Cloud Infrastructure
- Frontier AI
- Emerging / sovereign models
- Compute
- Building fast: Viettel's Nvidia DGX B200 supercomputer (Hoa Lac), FPT's US$200M AI factory, and a planned 140-MW Viettel data centre
- Chip access
- Import-reliant, channelled through Nvidia 'sovereign AI' partnerships with FPT and Viettel
Nvidia (AI R&D Center / partnerships)
Established a Vietnam AI research and development centre following a December 2024 cooperation agreement with the government, alongside technical support for Viettel's data-centre buildout and a $200 million AI factory partnership with FPT.
Leading Universities
Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) โ AI4SD
Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Development, established May 2025 under VNU Hanoi.
VNU University of Engineering and Technology
Partnered with FPT and VNU Hanoi's Quantum AI & Cyber Security Institute (QACI) in 2026 to develop AI, quantum computing and cybersecurity talent.
Think Tanks
Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR)
Independent Vietnamese economic policy research institute; covers technology and digital-economy policy among broader economic research, though dedicated AI-governance publications are limited.
Government Institutions
Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry responsible for AI strategy and the Law on Artificial Intelligence; formed via the merger overseen initially by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, who presented the draft AI Law to the National Assembly before Vu Hai Quan became minister in April 2026.
National Assembly of Vietnam
Adopted Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on Artificial Intelligence on December 10, 2025.
Notable Gaps
Enforcement track record
Law No. 134/2025/QH15 took effect only in March 2026; there is not yet a public track record of enforcement actions, high-risk-system approvals, or penalty cases to assess how rigorously the law is being applied.
Independent AI-focused think tanks
Compared to some regional peers, Vietnam has fewer independent (non-government-affiliated) think tanks publishing dedicated AI-governance analysis; most authoritative commentary comes from government bodies, law firms, or industry associations rather than independent policy institutes.
Frontier foundation-model developers
No Vietnamese organisation is known to have trained a frontier-scale foundation model from scratch; VinAI and other domestic players focus on applied research and, in some cases, fine-tuning or building on existing model architectures.
Key People
Nguyen Manh Hung
GovernmentFormer Minister of Science and Technology (previously Minister of Information and Communications)
Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Vietnam
Vu Hai Quan
GovernmentMinister of Science and Technology (from April 2026)
Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Vietnam
People and Organisations to Follow
Current Debates
IndustryAI-driven job displacement in Vietnam's IT workforce vs. talent shortages
Vietnam's roughly one million IT engineers face significant AI-driven role disruption even as employers report acute shortages of AI-skilled talent.
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AI-driven job displacement in Vietnam's IT workforce vs. talent shortages
Vietnam's roughly one million IT engineers face significant AI-driven role disruption even as employers report acute shortages of AI-skilled talent.
A mid-2025 Microsoft Vietnam report cited in local reporting estimated that as many as half of Vietnam's IT engineers may need to switch to substantially different roles because of AI, and the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association has reported some companies cutting workforce by as much as 70% after adopting AI tools. At the same time, employer surveys report that a large share of companies struggle to find suitably AI-skilled candidates even while planning to expand headcount, producing what some analysts describe as a 'K-shaped' labour market โ rising demand and pay for AI-skilled workers alongside declining demand for others. The scale and permanence of these effects, and how much is genuine displacement versus role transformation, remains actively debated.
IndustryBuilding a self-reliant 'Make in Vietnam' AI ecosystem vs. dependence on Nvidia and foreign partners
Vietnam's stated ambition for a self-reliant domestic AI ecosystem under Resolution 57 coexists with heavy reliance on Nvidia for compute infrastructure, R&D centres and corporate partnerships.
โพ
Building a self-reliant 'Make in Vietnam' AI ecosystem vs. dependence on Nvidia and foreign partners
Vietnam's stated ambition for a self-reliant domestic AI ecosystem under Resolution 57 coexists with heavy reliance on Nvidia for compute infrastructure, R&D centres and corporate partnerships.
Official commentary around Resolution 57 has emphasized building a 'self-reliant and sustainable domestic AI ecosystem,' yet the concrete steps taken since December 2024 โ the Nvidia AI R&D centre, Nvidia's technical support for Viettel's data centres, Nvidia's acquisition of VinBrain, and FPT's Nvidia-powered AI factory โ are all built substantially around a single foreign chip and compute partner. Some domestic commentators frame this as a pragmatic bootstrapping phase toward eventual self-reliance, while others may see it as underscoring how far Vietnam's compute base remains from genuine independence.
GovernmentEnforcement capacity for a binding, risk-tiered AI Law taking effect March 2026
Vietnam's AI Law introduces a detailed risk-classification and pre-market-approval regime, but questions remain about the government's practical capacity to assess and audit AI systems at the scale the law envisions.
โพ
Enforcement capacity for a binding, risk-tiered AI Law taking effect March 2026
Vietnam's AI Law introduces a detailed risk-classification and pre-market-approval regime, but questions remain about the government's practical capacity to assess and audit AI systems at the scale the law envisions.
Law 134/2025/QH15 requires mandatory government assessment and registration for high-risk AI systems in sectors like finance, healthcare, education, infrastructure and justice, alongside sample audits for medium-risk systems and incident-driven monitoring for low-risk ones. Because the law only took effect March 1, 2026, there is not yet a public record of how consistently or rigorously these classification and approval processes are being applied in practice, which is an open question for a regulatory regime this detailed and centrally administered.
Knowledge Hub
Think tank reports
- Vietnam: Artificial Intelligence Law - Foundation and Outlookโ Baker McKenzie
Sources
Deliberately sourced beyond government publications. The bars below show each categoryโs actual share of this pageโs citations โ an internal editorial guideline rather than a rigorously derived target, so treat it as a rough steer, not a precise benchmark.
- Resolution 57: Vietnam advances domestic AI ecosystemGovernmentVietnamPlus2024-12-22
- Nvidia Agrees to Open Vietnam AI Center in Southeast Asia PushNewsBloomberg2024-12-05
- Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Science, Technology, Innovation and National Digital TransformationGovernmentRegulations.AI2025-01
- Quantum, AI, cybersecurity: FPT's $100M bet on Vietnam's tech edgeNewsVietnamNet2025-04
- New Law on Artificial Intelligence Takes Effect on 1 March 2026Expert commentaryLexology2026-01
- Law No. 134/2025/QH15 dated December 10, 2025 of the National Assembly on Artificial IntelligenceGovernmentLuatVietnam2025-12-10
- First-ever Law on Artificial Intelligence approvedGovernmentMinistry of Science and Technology (Vietnam)2025-12-15
- VinAI Research company profileIndustryLinkedIn
- AI4SD - Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence Applications for Sustainable DevelopmentResearchVietnam National University, Hanoi2025-05
- AI's impact on Viแปt Nam's workforce: challenges and opportunitiesNewsVietnam News2026
- AI-ready workforce key to Vietnam's next decade, analysts sayNewsVietnam Investment Review2026
- Vietnam's tech giant FPT, Viettel join Nvidia's sovereign AI pushNewsTNGlobal2026-06
- Nvidia, Vietnam's tech giant FPT release open Vietnam AI dataset to advance sovereign AI developmentNewsTNGlobal2026-06
- Viettel launches Vietnam's first Nvidia DGX B200 supercomputer for AI developmentNewsVOV (Voice of Vietnam)2026-02
- Vietnam Passes First-Ever Law on Digital Technology IndustryNewsVietnam Briefing2025
- Decree 142/2026/ND-CP elaboration on Law on Artificial IntelligenceGovernmentThu Vien Phap Luat2026-04-30
- Vietnam Takes Major Step in AI Governance with New Guiding DecreeExpert commentaryTilleke & Gibbins2026-05