The lab aims to help research teams in Vietnam narrow the gap between academic research and practical application. Participating teams will be supported to develop prototypes with potential use in daily life, businesses and socio-economic sectors.

Under the partnership, Google Labs’ AI Futures Fund will work directly with research teams at Saigon AI Hub. These teams will have early access to selected Google technologies and receive technical support from Google and Google DeepMind.

The AI Futures Fund, launched globally by Google in early 2025, supports AI organisations at different stages of development. Saigon AI Hub is the first research organisation in Vietnam selected to join the initiative.

Josh Woodward, Vice President in charge of Gemini applications at Google Labs and AI Studio, said the cooperation is not limited to providing tools but aims to create an environment for Vietnamese researchers to bring research results closer to practical application.

Le Hong Minh, founder and chairman of VNG, said the major challenge for AI research in Vietnam is not talent but limited resources and supporting conditions. Through cooperation with Google Labs, researchers at Saigon AI Hub can access technologies at the same time as other AI organisations globally.

Alongside the launch, Saigon AI Hub introduced 10 research teams, comprising nearly 60 researchers from universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The teams were selected based on practical applicability, research capacity and orientation towards responsible AI development.

Research topics cover linguistics, computer vision, human-robot interaction, healthcare and information security. Each team pledges to publish results at international conferences and journals and develop at least one applicable prototype.

According to Saigon AI Hub, the centre is poised to become a place for AI research activities in Vietnam, while providing infrastructure, expertise and connections with international partners.

The cooperation between Google Labs, VNG and Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City takes place as Vietnam promotes AI development programmes, with expectations that more research ideas will move from laboratories to practical products.

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