New cooperation opportunities in promoting the application of Artificial Intelligence between Vietnam and Korea

On October 29, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology coordinated with the Ministry of Science and Information Technology of Korea to organize the Vietnam-Korea Digital Forum 2025.

The forum is an annual activity within the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in 2022 and is also a highlight of Vietnam International Digital Week 2025.

With the theme “From industry-specific AI to inclusive AI: Korea-Vietnam co-creating the future,” the event gathered dozens of leading technology enterprises of the two countries, expected to open up many new cooperation opportunities in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital industry, smart education , etc.

Vietnam to build national AI supercomputing center

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh emphasized that AI is not only an applied technology but is becoming a national infrastructure. Whoever masters AI will have a superior advantage in production, business, healthcare , education, national administration, and national defense and security.

With a young, dynamic, tech-savvy population of 100 million, Vietnam has the conditions to be both a fast user and a creator of AI products for itself and the world.

Regarding the strategy, policies and orientation for AI development in Vietnam, Deputy Minister Hoang Minh said that Vietnam must have AI infrastructure. The Prime Minister has issued a list of strategic technologies, in which AI is the key technology that will prioritize resources for development.

Vietnam will quickly build a national AI supercomputing center and open shared AI data.

According to Deputy Minister Hoang Minh, computing infrastructure, data ecosystem, domestic digital technology enterprises and research forces, startups... will help Vietnam accelerate AI development. Vietnam also pursues an open AI strategy, promoting AI applications in enterprises, state agencies and key areas to develop AI, creating AI enterprises Make in Vietnam.

“The Ministry of Science and Technology’s NATIF Technology Innovation Fund will spend at least 40% to support AI applications and issue vouchers to Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises using AI,” Deputy Minister Hoang Minh emphasized.

Korea is a leading country in the field of digital technology and an important partner of Vietnam. The two sides have many things in common and opportunities for cooperation, especially in the field of digital government development and digital human resources.

Therefore, Deputy Minister Hoang Minh believes that through the forum, Vietnam can learn more from Korea about lessons and good practices to maximize the role of digital technology in general and AI in particular in the activities of state agencies, promote economic development, create a humane digital society, narrow the digital gap, support and help disadvantaged groups. At the same time, through the Forum, many new cooperation opportunities will be found in promoting AI applications among relevant entities.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh speaks at the Vietnam-Korea Digital Forum 2025. (Photo: VGP)

Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Young Sam said digital transformation is a key breakthrough to innovate productivity in the technology sector and efficiency in the public sector, helping countries rise to become powerful countries. Vietnam and Korea have built a solid foundation for cooperation in many fields and it is time to expand to the digital field.

As the two countries' supply chains are connected in many industrial sectors such as semiconductor technology, electronic components, etc., it is necessary to actively integrate AI into the production field, improve productivity and jointly ensure product competitiveness in the international market.

To do this, Ambassador Choi Young Sam proposed through the forum that the two countries cooperate in building core digital infrastructure such as Next Generation Network and AI data centers. In addition, cooperate in training excellent students to become professional talents, leading innovation; at the same time, invest in and nurture start-up projects with leading potential.

Further promoting digital growth between Vietnam and Korea in all fields

According to information shared at the forum, by the end of 2024, 80% of businesses and 88% of knowledge workers in Vietnam will have used AI, showing an unprecedented level of penetration. In state agencies, due to the sharp increase in workload compared to 5 years ago, the application of AI is no longer an option but a necessity.

Vietnam aims to be in the top 3 ASEAN and top 20 in the world by 2030, and in the top 10 countries in AI by 2045, with about 10 AI brands made in Vietnam, 50,000 AI engineers, 2 national high-performance computing centers, and 100% of civil servants using virtual assistants to support their work.

Mr. Ho Duc Thang, Director of the National Institute of Digital Technology and Digital Transformation (Ministry of Science and Technology) said that Vietnam's viewpoint in developing AI is not to compete with big companies, not to compete in infrastructure, general AI models, but to focus on mastering core technology through specific problems of Vietnam in each field. Typically, developing a large language model for Vietnamese language and Vietnamese culture to preserve national identity.

Mr. Ho Duc Thang proposed that Korean enterprises cooperate in investing in digital infrastructure and AI data centers in Vietnam, developing specialized AI solutions for the market; especially calling on Korean institutes and schools to cooperate closely in research, development and training of 50,000 AI engineers.

The theme of the forum, “From Industry-Specific AI to All-Inclusive AI: Korea and Vietnam Create a Future Together,” clearly demonstrates the direction of digital cooperation that Vietnam and Korea are aiming for. Korea is promoting a simultaneous development strategy of Industry AI focusing on the industrial environment and All-Inclusive AI with human-centered.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is a hub for AI innovation in Southeast Asia thanks to its rapidly growing digital market and young, dynamic workforce.

Mr. Park Yoon Kyu, Director of the National Information Technology Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, affirmed that AI is not only a technology, but also a bridge connecting people and industry based on trust. With that meaning, the forum will become a starting point for cooperation to connect the digital ecosystem between the two countries.

The Korea National ICT Industry Promotion Agency pledged to continue to cooperate closely with the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology in all areas including AI, data, startups and talent exchange.

The forum focused on industry-specific AI and inclusive AI with about 20 presentations from management agencies, businesses and leading Korean corporations such as: LG AI, Naver, SK Telecom, Furiosa AI, Rebellions, SAPEON, Nextchip...

Within the framework of the forum, a technology exhibition, startup connection and the signing of cooperation agreements between Vietnamese and Korean enterprises took place, demonstrating the strong potential for cooperation between the two innovation ecosystems, opening up many new cooperation opportunities in AI development.

Thereby contributing to promoting the Vietnam-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to become increasingly substantive, effective and sustainable./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/co-hoi-hop-tac-moi-trong-thuc-day-ung-dung-tri-tue-nhan-tao-viet-nam-han-quoc-post1073586.vnp