Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer of the Bhasha India Digital Language Division and the startup hub under India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said Vietnam and India hold complementary advantages in their startup ecosystems, with both countries possessing high-quality human resources and actively developing advanced and emerging technology sectors.

Vietnam and India share the aspiration of becoming developed countries by 2045 and 2047, respectively. Startup organizations and associations from the two countries could therefore jointly build shared cooperative ecosystems serving not only domestic demand but also expansion into other markets, he added.

Speaking about artificial intelligence (AI) and language data, Nag stated that the field holds strong cooperation potential because it is closely tied to each country’s cultural identity.

According to him, India is implementing the Bhasha Interface project to build AI models and data repositories for multiple languages, including languages with limited digital resources. India has developed a national language technology platform integrating AI models and language data, while making most of the system open-source to improve interoperability and connectivity with international languages.

Notably, Nag said Vietnamese has already been integrated into India’s language platform, allowing content in Indian languages to be converted into Vietnamese text or speech.

He expressed hope that the two countries would further strengthen cooperation in startup ecosystems, AI and language data in the coming period.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ranit Chatterjee, co-founder of RIKA India, RIKA Institute and DTECH, highlighted the significance of the Vietnam-India Innovation Forum, describing it as a future-oriented initiative and an important platform linking startups from both nations.

According to Chatterjee, one of the most promising areas for cooperation is disaster management and climate change response, as Vietnam and India share many similarities in disaster risks. In this field, startups could play an important role in developing technological solutions for future disaster management and response, not only in South Asia but also in Southeast Asia.

Chatterjee also said Vietnam and India could cooperate in developing AI-powered robots and other advanced technologies, including quantum technology, to support the mitigation and effective management of risks faced by both countries.

The Indian experts expressed confidence that the State visit by Party General Secretary and President To Lam would create fresh impetus for Vietnam-India cooperation in innovation, digital technology and startups, thereby contributing to the more substantive and effective development of the two countries’ Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Vietnam-India relations enter new phase of development: Indian expert

The elevation of bilateral ties to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reflects the increasingly deep convergence of geopolitical, economic, maritime and civilisational interests between the two countries, former Indian Deputy National Security Adviser S.D. Pradhan told Vietnam News Agency correspondents.