Vietnam needs “open technological sovereignty” to strengthen position in AI era
Rather than pursuing absolute technological self-sufficiency, Vietnam should adopt an approach of “open technological sovereignty” by retaining control over strategic technology layers and remaining deeply integrated into the global innovation ecosystem.
According to Dr Nguyen Thanh Hai, CEO of French deep-tech company AIDATACY, technological sovereignty should not be understood as owning every component of a technology ecosystem. Instead, countries need to identify which strategic technology layers are critical to national interests and ensure they are protected through appropriate governance and policy mechanisms.
Hai shared that Vietnam possesses significant advantages for deeper participation in the global technology value chain. Its young engineering workforce, strong capacity to absorb new technologies and strategic location have made the country an increasingly attractive destination for technology-related foreign direct investment.
However, Vietnam remains concentrated largely in manufacturing and assembly, while higher value-added areas such as research and development (R&D), data management and digital infrastructure require further development.
He also highlighted the country's limited capability in encryption and cryptographic key management – technologies that ultimately determine who controls data regardless of where it is stored. At the same time, Vietnam’s legal framework for AI and data governance still needs to be further refined to provide greater confidence for long-term investors.
To enhance its competitiveness in the AI era, Hai proposed three priorities for Vietnam, namely establishing national cybersecurity certification standards for infrastructure handling sensitive data; creating demand for domestic innovation through government-led technology projects in areas such as digital identity, AI applications in public healthcare and cybersecurity for the banking and financial sectors; and accelerating the development of a comprehensive national AI policy with clear regulations on data governance, technology testing and legal accountability.
He stressed that rapidly improving Vietnam’s policy environment and strengthening core technological capabilities will be essential to enhancing the country's position in the increasingly competitive global AI landscape.
Deputy PM outlines five strategic pillars for AI development
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has called for focus on five strategic pillars to advance artificial intelligence (AI) in the new development phase while attending a forum on building a cooperation ecosystem for AI development in Hanoi on July 17.
