Vietnam’s First Comprehensive Industry AI Report at VinUni reveals the roadmap for building a new generation of AI-empowered experts

The transition from “experimenting” with AI to “scaling” is no longer a futuristic concept – it is happening now.

VinUniversity’s College of Business & Management recently hosted the launch of the “State of AI in Vietnam 2025-26” report. Based on insights from over 100 industry professionals and 10 real-world case studies, supported by Techcombank Research Grant, this first-of-its-kind industry report provides a grounded look at how Vietnamese organizations are navigating the AI era.

Why strategic interest alone is not enough to scale AI 

According to VinUni‘s Assistant Professor Dr. Abhishek Nayak, the report’s author, the data tells a story of rapid adoption but significant bottlenecks:

• 77% of Vietnamese businesses are already applying AI in specific functions.

• 56% of organizations plan to increase their AI spending in the coming year.

• 43% of leaders are now directly setting AI priorities and KPIs, signaling that AI is no longer just a “tech project” but a core business strategy.

Dr. Abhishek Nayak – Report Author | Assistant Professor, College of Business & Management, VinUniversity

However, the job of scaling AI faces a major hurdle: the talent and skills gap. While interest is at an all-time high, many organizations lack the technical and practical expertise to move beyond small-scale pilots to full-scale implementation.

Beyond the Tech: A Human-Centered Approach 

The launch event featured perspectives from leaders in various fields:

• Mr. Santhosh Mahendiran – Chief Data Analytics Officer, Techcombank

• Dr. Tran Quang Hung, Chairman, Hanoi Innovation Hub Joint Stock Company

• Mr. Ngo Quoc Hung – CEO, VinRobotics

• Mr. Rakesh Dayal – Managing Director, Ipsos Vietnam

• Dr. Abhishek Nayak – Report Author | Assistant Professor, College of Business & Management, VinUniversity

• Prof. Anant Mishra – Director of Research, College of Business & Management, VinUniversity

A major takeaway was that successful AI isn’t just about the technology itself, but about putting people first to ensure every innovation is fair and trustworthy.

Mr. Santhosh Mahendiran, Chief Data Analytics Officer at Techcombank, offered a vital reminder for the future of work:

“Education must be re-taught. We must prioritize critical thinking and judgment over memorization. As we enter the AI workforce era, our priority must be to ask: how do we take everyone along through reskilling and upskilling?” 

Mr. Santhosh Mahendiran – Chief Data Analytics Officer, Techcombank  

He emphasized that for AI to be sustainable in business, it must be built on a foundation of fairness, ethics, accountability, and transparency.

The VinUni Direction: Building the “AI-Empowered Expert” 

VinUniversity is actively aligning its strategic direction with the needs of this new era. As Provost Tan Yap Peng recently noted, the traditional university monopoly on knowledge is over. In an era where expert-level information is available at a click, the value of an institution lies in its learning velocity.

To bridge the gap identified in the report, VinUni’s strategic direction focuses on three pillars:

• Human Frontiers: Prioritizing judgment, ethical reasoning, and creativity – skills machines cannot replicate.

• Research Excellence: Moving from a teaching-focused model to a research-intensive one that solves real-world AI challenges.

• Institutional Agility: Integrating AI across all operations, from the classroom to administration, to ensure our students and faculty are “AI-empowered experts” rather than just “AI users.”

The “State of AI in Vietnam” report is more than a collection of data; it is a roadmap. For Vietnam to lead, we must move faster, build bolder, and, most importantly, ensure that our people are equipped to lead alongside the machines.