From AI startups to the creative economy

On the morning of October 28, in Ninh Binh , within the framework of Vietnam International Digital Week 2025, the Artificial Intelligence Startups Forum took place - a gathering place for experts, businesses, research institutes and investors in the field of AI.

According to experts, Vietnam is making efforts to build an advanced legal corridor for AI development and application, ensuring principles of transparency, safety, responsibility and encouraging innovation.

The forum was organized with the aim of introducing the policy environment supporting AI startup development in Vietnam; introducing the market and technological capacity of Vietnamese enterprises in this field. At the same time, promoting international cooperation, co-creation and creating a sustainable Vietnamese AI ecosystem, taking innovation as the driving force for development.

National AI Strategy: Supporting startups from data to computing infrastructure

Speaking at the Forum, Mr. Nguyen Khac Lich, Director of the Department of Information Technology Industry ( Ministry of Science and Technology ), emphasized the importance of developing AI associated with long-term investment in people, data and research. According to him, the Ministry of Science and Technology is proactively coordinating with ministries and branches to deploy new mechanisms and policies to support innovative startups, including identifying intellectual property as contributed capital, recognizing convertible instruments and developing domestic venture capital funds.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Lich added that Decree No. 264/2025/ND-CP issued by the Government on October 14, 2025 is an important strategic step in perfecting the legal framework for venture capital activities in Vietnam. The Decree aims to unblock investment capital from the public sector, promote capital transactions through the establishment and operation of national venture capital funds, local funds, as well as build a stock exchange for innovative startups.

Từ AI khởi nghiệp đến nền kinh tế sáng tạo - Ảnh 1. — *Speakers exchanged at the discussion session.*

"At the same time, investment projects for R&D, high-tech procurement mechanisms and strategic technology ordering policies will continue to be promoted," Mr. Lich affirmed.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Deputy Director of the Department of Information Technology Industry (Ministry of Science and Technology) said that entering the decade of AI, each technology not only has a huge impact, but also reshapes every area of life - from education, healthcare, transportation to entertainment and administration. AI is no longer an option, but a new development infrastructure that drives the economy. Vietnam is transforming strongly, towards a knowledge-based economy, innovation and deep technology.

AI, digitalization and automation, along with open infrastructure, innovation ecosystems and high-quality human resources, have now become the foundation for growth and development. However, this comes with high requirements for governance capacity, sustainable development and respect for human values.

Vietnam is making efforts to build an advanced legal corridor for AI development and application, ensuring the principles of transparency, safety, responsibility and encouragement of innovation. Along with that, new policies on research, open data, and support for innovative businesses will be implemented in the coming time.

From policy to action - creating a sustainable AI ecosystem

At the event, Dr. Le Vu Toan, startup expert, Center for Startup Development, Agency for Startups and Technology Enterprises shared key policies in the National Strategy on AI to 2030, identifying AI as a strategic technology of the fourth industrial revolution, with the goal of bringing Vietnam into the group of 4 leading ASEAN countries in AI research, development and application.

Along with that, the Draft Law on AI is being developed in a human-centered direction, ensuring ethical, fair, transparent and responsible factors, while applying a flexible governance model according to the risk level of each AI system - demonstrating Vietnam's humane and advanced approach to new technology.

From the perspective of human resource training, Mr. Tran Cong, Head of Machine Learning Department (Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology - PTIT), said that Vietnam has a great advantage in terms of young workforce and entrepreneurial spirit, but still faces challenges in the quality of "real-life" AI human resources. Currently, the whole country only has a few thousand well-trained AI engineers, while the market demand is many times higher.

PTIT proposes a two-tier training model: an "intensive" tier to form a team of scientists researching core technology and a "broad" tier to train engineers applying AI in fields such as healthcare, agriculture, logistics, and education. In addition, it is necessary to attract international experts, especially overseas Vietnamese, to jointly build three national AI centers under the public-private partnership model and promote the popularization of digital education and AI education from high school level.

"AI is not just a story of technology, but of national capacity. To have a strong ecosystem, there must be strong people," Mr. Tran Cong emphasized.

Along with these policies, Vietnam is vigorously implementing Project 844 on developing the national innovation startup ecosystem, supporting startups through incubators, investment funds, mentoring networks and international connections. Acceleration programs such as AI Accelerator Challenge (AAC) and global programs such as AWS Activate, Google for Startups, NVIDIA Inception have been providing valuable resources for Vietnamese AI startups, contributing to promoting a strong wave of AI startups and deep integration with the world.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, in Vietnam, the AI business and startup community is growing rapidly. Many businesses have begun applying AI in essential areas such as smart manufacturing, healthcare, finance and education.

Vietnamese startups are demonstrating their creativity, adaptability and ambition to reach out globally. The presence of international technology corporations such as NVIDIA, Google, Meta and many strategic partners is a testament to the world’s confidence in the potential for cooperation with Vietnam in the field of AI.

The AI 2025 Startup Forum is not only a meeting place for ideas and technology, but also a declaration of Vietnam's new development vision in the AI era - where technology, people and creativity together create a sustainable, humane and prosperous digital future./.

According to Vietnam Science and Technology Magazine

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/tu-ai-khoi-nghiep-den-nen-kinh-te-sang-tao-19725110919445241.htm