Digital technologies and AI are no longer peripheral tools in Vietnam’s green transition, they are becoming central to how industries operate, make decisions, and pursue sustainability. At the Green Economy Forum (GEF) 2025, leaders from the manufacturing, logistics, software engineering, and renewable energy industries shared how AI is reshaping efficiency, safety, and long-term growth. Their insights point to a future where responsible digital adoption is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for competitiveness.
AI as a catalyst
Experts attending the Forum agreed that the path to greener growth increasingly depends on the ability to measure, optimize, and connect complex systems.
Dr. Brendan Gibson, Engineering Director and Head of the Hanoi Office at Bosch Global Software Technologies, said sustainability sits at the heart of Bosch’s mission. The company has taken a holistic approach, focusing on climate conservation, people, and circularity. Bosch achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, and its Dong Nai plant near Ho Chi Minh City has installed solar power systems and had adopted water-recycling practices long before regulations required them. With 4,000 employees in Vietnam, Dr. Gibson said digitalization is critical: “It allows us to measure and optimize systems,” he told the gathering. “Sustainability is not only good for the environment; it also helps reduce waste and save resources.”
For Mr. Pavel Poskakukhin, General Manager of SGH Asia, sustainability in smaller organizations tends to be embedded quietly in day-to-day operations. SGH Asia has been cutting paper use, encouraging hybrid working to reduce commuting, and even exploring renewable-powered electric bike chargers for its office. He noted that European clients increasingly expect sustainability certifications, prompting the company to pursue new ISO standards in this field.
But he also pointed to a less-discussed challenge: the sustainability of AI itself. Measuring the carbon footprint of AI tools remains difficult, and companies must decide where AI adds value and where it becomes wasteful. “If you’re proofreading contracts, use AI instead of printing paper,” he said. “But generating unnecessary marketing images isn’t the best use of energy.” Clear governance, he added, is essential.
Dr. Gibson echoed that point, saying AI adoption is challenged by both responsible use and a workplace culture struggling to keep pace. Bosch has developed an internal AI codex and checklists to ensure tools are used ethically, securely, and effectively, but guidance must continually evolve. “People need to understand when AI adds value,” he believes. “It shouldn’t replace existing automation for the sake of it, it should support associates and enhance their work.”
From a logistics perspective, Mr. Leo van Druenen, Senior Project Director at APM Terminals, said the industry’s largest barrier is data quality. “AI needs clean, structured data, but we often deal with fragmented systems,” he said. Upskilling is equally critical. Staff must learn how to work with AI and trust its outputs, he continued, while global companies must also navigate differing local regulations.
Representing the renewable energy sector, Mr. Son Bui, Country Business Director at the Stavian Group, highlighted the pace of technological change. Solar photovoltaics and inverters dominated the market just a few years ago; today, however, battery energy storage systems and EV charging technologies are expanding rapidly. Each comes with its own data architecture. “To achieve our profitability targets, we need a centralized platform that connects different technologies and consolidates data,” he said. “Only then can we analyze return on investment accurately and make the right decisions.”
Balancing intelligence, safety, and cost
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in industrial operations, companies are confronting a critical dual challenge: ensuring safety and reliability while reshaping financial strategies around new digital tools.
Dr. Gibson said industrial AI requires a “multi-layered” safety approach. Bosch first constrains AI systems within strict technical and physical boundaries, ensuring that even if a model recommends an incorrect action, the hardware cannot exceed safe operating limits. Before deployment, the company rigorously tests each model against historical and simulated data to identify unusual behavior.
From a financial perspective, Mr. Poskakukhin noted that AI can offer tangible cost savings. He shared an example from his company’s German headquarters, where an executive replaced many routine tasks of a personal assistant with an AI-powered tool, which is far cheaper than hiring a PA in Germany. While the system once mistakenly canceled a meeting on his behalf, Mr. Poskakukhin said the broader point stands. “There are clear cases where AI reduces financial pressure,” he said. “We need to focus on these practical benefits.”
Mr. Bui believes AI is already central to daily operations. Renewable systems generate enormous volumes of real-time data, and AI tools help forecast performance, detect errors, and produce predictive maintenance reports. “But the key is evaluating the AI output,” he said, emphasizing the need for human validation. He noted that some employees still misunderstand AI’s role. “Our engineers use AI every day, but they also assess whether the results are accurate and useful,” he explained.
For Mr. van Druenen, AI is both a sustainability and efficiency tool. Terminal operations depend on speed and precision, from reducing vessel idle time to optimizing container yard strategies. “We rely on huge amounts of data,” he said. Digital twins and real-time monitoring now allow APM Terminals to constantly track equipment condition and schedule preventive maintenance - reducing breakdowns, waste, and unnecessary emissions. Automation also enhances safety by minimizing the need for personnel to work near heavy containers.
Building alignment
As Vietnam accelerates its digital transformation agenda, the question now is how government, industry, and global partners can work together to ensure that AI adoption is both responsible and achievable.
Mr. Poskakukhin highlighted the role of structured policy dialogue, using EuroCham as a case in point. EuroCham operates more than a dozen sector committees, from green finance to automotive, and its Digital Sector Committee advocates on behalf of European businesses on emerging regulations in Vietnam. This includes harmonizing rules across the Decree on Personal Data Protection, the Law on Cybersecurity, the Chips Act, the AI Act, and other digital frameworks.
“These committees create one of the most effective platforms for industry stakeholders, government agencies, and NGOs to come together,” Mr. Poskakukhin said. “They allow us to align on priorities: how businesses should use AI, what the risks are, and how sustainability fits into the equation.”
Dr. Gibson also noted that cooperation between the public and private sectors in Vietnam has been improving. “The government is putting forward many positive initiatives, and they are open to taking advice and working with companies on pragmatic legislation,” he said.
For him, Vietnam’s next milestone is greater data accessibility. While data-protection rules are evolving, industries still need standardized access to critical datasets, such as weather and environmental data, to build solutions that benefit both business and local communities. “Standardized platforms for this information would help accelerate innovation,” he added.
Mr. Bui said one of Vietnam’s challenges is cultural rather than technical. “Many Vietnamese companies still don’t trust AI,” he explained. “They see it as just another search tool.” Though he does not view this distrust as an immediate threat, he stressed that organizations need clear AI strategies to guide adoption. Humans should still make the final decisions and validations, but employees must be empowered to upskill and learn how AI works. “With the right strategy, it’s a win-win situation,” he believes.
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