Vietnam is standing on the threshold of a historic development period, where the convergence of 5G technology and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to become the core driving force for the country to grow strongly.
This assessment was made and discussed enthusiastically at the workshop “Developing the digital economy in the new era” organized by the Finance-Investment Newspaper on November 25. The event opened up a space for multi-dimensional dialogue about the future of the country’s digital economy with the participation of policymakers, economic experts, and representatives of domestic and international technology enterprises.
“Intelligent” infrastructure
In his opening remarks, Mr. Pham Van Hoanh, Editor-in-Chief of the Finance-Investment Newspaper, emphasized that 2025 is not only a time to mark important milestones for the country but also a pivotal year to open a new era - the era of national development. To escape the middle-income trap and realize the aspiration of becoming a high-income developed country by 2045, Vietnam chooses science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as the central driving force.
“In the context of the world witnessing profound changes in geopolitics and technology, the digital economy has emerged as a universal 'key'. This is an era where knowledge, creativity and technology are the most important production resources for Vietnam to rise strongly in the era of AI, big data and digital economy,” said Mr. Hoanh.
Vietnam's digital economy has made progress recently with the goal of increasing the added value of the digital economy compared to GDP to 30% by 2030. This shows the great political determination of the Party and State.
According to Mr. Pham Van Hoanh, the convergence of 5G and AI is becoming a global trend, acting as an infrastructure for innovation, promoting smart manufacturing, high-tech agriculture and logistics. Up to now, Vietnam is rushing to complete the legal corridor to catch up with this wave. Accordingly, the updated AI Strategy and AI Law are expected to be issued by the end of this year.
“This is not only a legal framework, but also a declaration of national vision, AI must become the country's intellectual infrastructure, serving the people and enhancing national competitiveness,” Mr. Hoanh emphasized this.
In addition, the birth of the "four pillars" including breakthrough strategic resolutions (Resolutions 57, 68, 59, 66...) focusing on science and technology, international integration, legal reform and private economic development will open up new development space, creating momentum for the business community to make a breakthrough.
Leverage from 5G infrastructure
If policy is the compass, then technology infrastructure is the way for the digital economy to operate. At the conference, Ms. Rita Mokbel, President of Ericsson Vietnam, assessed that after a decade of laying the foundation for connectivity infrastructure, Vietnam is entering a more ambitious phase, led by innovation from 5G, AI and cloud computing.
Furthermore, the recent commercialization of 5G not only realizes the Government's vision, but also accelerates the nationwide deployment of Industry 4.0.
“5G is expected to create the next wave of comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic development for Vietnam. Digital transformation has almost become the 'golden solution' to address global challenges, helping countries unlock growth potential,” said Rita Mokbel.
Citing Ericsson research, Rita said every 10% increase in mobile broadband penetration could boost GDP by up to 0.8%.
The President of Ericsson Vietnam also shared successful international lessons to demonstrate the power of 5G. Typically, India - the country with the fastest 5G deployment in the world with 90% coverage in just 21 months, or Malaysia with the DNB network model has reached more than 80% coverage. These telling numbers show that 5G is bringing a clear competitive advantage to pioneering countries.
The real value of 5G lies beyond just the connection speed for end users, in its applications in industry and administration. Rita Mokbel gave examples of Rotterdam World Gateway (Netherlands) which operates entirely on electricity and is carbon neutral thanks to 5G infrastructure; and the National University Hospital of Singapore pioneering the application of 5G in remote surgery.
To keep Vietnam from missing a beat, Ericsson representatives recommended a "three-legged stool" strategy that includes upgrading old network infrastructure, expanding fiber optic networks, and strongly deploying 5G.
“5G is the seamless connectivity platform that ensures the success of advanced applications and enterprise solutions, thanks to its seamless, reliable and secure connectivity,” she emphasized.
Solution to the human resource problem
No matter how modern the infrastructure of a digital economy is, it cannot operate effectively without the human factor. Dr. Dong Manh Cuong, Dean of the Faculty of Business, British University Vietnam (BUV), has frankly pointed out that the biggest "bottleneck" today is the shortage of human resources at the intersection of business and technology.
According to Mr. Cuong, Vietnam does not lack good technology engineers or management experts, but is "thirsty" for personnel who understand both worlds. These are people who have a solid mindset in understanding the technical principles of AI, Blockchain, 5G, and at the same time, understand business models and market strategies.
“What we need is not just people who know how to 'use AI', but people who know how to 'apply AI in business models', know how to ask the right questions and understand the impact of AI on the business value chain,” Mr. Cuong analyzed.
According to Mr. Cuong, this human resource gap is causing many businesses to possess huge amounts of data but struggle to turn it into a competitive advantage.
To address this, training models must erase the boundaries between sectors. Here, technology is not taught as a separate subject but is directly integrated into the business context. Students are exposed to real-life situations, from using AI to optimize demand, to analyzing the impact of 5G on financial models.
“At BUV, we not only bring businesses into the university, but also aim to bring students directly into the technology and innovation ecosystem. Through a network of strategic partnerships with technology corporations and innovation centers, students get to work with real data and solve real business problems,” Mr. Cuong shared.
The convergence of 5G and AI is also redefining how education is delivered in schools. Specifically, Mr. Cuong shared about cross-border classrooms, virtual reality business simulations with zero latency, and AI systems that personalize learning paths that have been deployed to create a generation of students ready to lead in the digital age.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/kinh-te-so-but-pha-trong-ky-nguyen-hoi-tu-giua-cong-nghe-5g-va-ai-post1079170.vnp
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