CaliToday (02/12/2025): Vietnam is poised to redefine its technological landscape with a dual-pronged policy announcement expected later this month. The Government is finalizing the details of a revamped National AI Strategy alongside the highly anticipated draft of the Law on Artificial Intelligence.
This move signals a fundamental shift in the nation's digital philosophy: AI is no longer viewed merely as a technology sector, but as "Critical National Intellectual Infrastructure" essential, utilitarian, and foundational, much like electricity or transportation.
From Tool to Infrastructure
The core of the updated strategy is the elevation of AI status. By designating AI as "infrastructure," the government aims to integrate artificial intelligence into the backbone of every industry, from agriculture to semiconductor manufacturing.
The Vision: To democratize access to AI power. The goal is for businesses of all sizes, and even individual citizens, to utilize AI utilities for productivity without needing to build the technology from scratch.
Sovereign AI: A key focus is expected to be on developing "Make in Vietnam" Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on Vietnamese data, preserving cultural nuances and data sovereignty.
The Law on AI: Balancing Innovation and Safety
Set to be unveiled by the end of 2025, the Law on AI will be Vietnam’s first comprehensive legal framework dedicated to governing this technology.
Legal Certainty: For years, foreign investors have sought clearer guidelines. This Law is expected to provide a "safe harbor" for R&D while defining strict penalties for misuse (such as Deepfakes used for fraud).
Ethical Guardrails: The law will likely categorize AI systems based on risk levels (similar to the EU AI Act), ensuring that high-risk applications in healthcare and finance undergo rigorous testing before deployment.
The Semiconductor Connection
This strategic update is closely linked to Vietnam's booming semiconductor industry. The government recognizes that chips power AI, and AI designs better chips. The updated strategy is expected to incentivize a feedback loop between chip fabricators and AI software developers, solidifying Vietnam's position in the global supply chain.
Economic Ambition
With these policy updates, Vietnam reaffirms its ambitious targets:
Becoming a Top 4 nation in ASEAN and Top 50 globally in AI research and development.
Building 10 recognized AI brands of regional stature by 2030.
The impending announcement is seen as a "green light" for major tech conglomerates and startups to accelerate their investment in Vietnam's digital future.