Why did you decide to return to Vietnam to start a business in AI instead of continuing your career in the UK, and what factors led you to assess that this is the ideal time to do so?

The decision was driven by multiple factors, with the most important being the opportunity. The Vietnamese market is experiencing a strong wave of demand for new technologies, particularly AI. After more than a year working with partners like Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy and others, I had the chance to thoroughly study the market. I realized that now is a great time to enter the Vietnamese market. Personal factors such as family and lifestyle also played a role. I feel that life in Vietnam right now aligns well with this stage of my life.

Another key factor is the familiarity and openness of Vietnamese users and businesses to new technologies, especially AI. In the past, when working with AI vendors, we had to spend a lot of time explaining the benefits of AI. But now, people are already very familiar with its potential and its applications in their businesses. Rather than needing to persuade them or deliver lengthy presentations, customers now proactively suggest use cases they want to implement. This shift indicates that the Vietnamese market has matured significantly in its awareness and adoption of AI.

How would you assess the openness of AI policies in Vietnam today, and what is your opinion of the potential the Vietnamese market holds compared to other countries in the region and globally?

From what I have observed, the government is very supportive of AI applications, not just in administrative management but also in attracting international businesses and Vietnamese people from abroad to work in Vietnam. This is a positive sign.

When it comes to market potential, I think Vietnam is more open to experimenting with AI solutions compared to Europe. In Europe, businesses face numerous regulations, which makes them hesitant to adopt new technologies, as they must ensure compliance with strict rules. In contrast, businesses and startups in Vietnam can quickly deploy new technologies with fewer barriers. Having studied the Southeast Asian market, I find Vietnam to be one of the most promising, particularly when compared to Malaysia or Thailand, as it remains more open and welcoming of new technologies.

In addition to the positive factors mentioned, what difficulties or barriers do you think are hindering the development of AI in Vietnam?

One of the biggest challenges for AI in Vietnam is data. Many Vietnamese businesses currently have inadequate data infrastructure. To deploy AI effectively, the prerequisite is that the data must be of high quality, but here, data is often scattered and in different formats. This creates a major obstacle when applying AI.

There are other challenges. For example, in markets like the US or Europe, when talking about new concepts like “AI reasoning” (the ability of an AI system to draw logical conclusions based on available information), people can easily understand. But in Vietnam, users and businesses are still unfamiliar with some of the latest trends.

Another noteworthy point is that, in Western countries, labor is very expensive, so using AI to replace or improve workplace efficiency is a strong motivator. However, in Vietnam, labor costs are not yet too high for businesses, so the incentive to use AI to improve efficiency is sometimes not strong enough.

From your perspective, what strategic directions should Vietnam focus on to develop AI?

Finding a suitable path for AI development is not only a concern for Vietnam but also for many places around the world, as everyone is wondering how to be part of this “giant pie”. I see that, even in Vietnam, businesses are mainly focused on resolving specific use cases rather than investing in developing platform models like those in Silicon Valley or China. The reason for this is that building a platform model is very costly, requiring huge resources, and the market is already highly competitive with major players. For businesses in developing markets like Vietnam, being part of the pie can be extremely difficult.

However, applying AI to specific use cases and resolving particular problems brings significant value and faces less competition than developing a platform model. Therefore, I think Vietnamese businesses should focus on use cases that serve domestic customers first and then expand to international markets.

Specifically, what use cases is Actable AI trying to bring to businesses in Vietnam?

Actable AI is mainly focused on developing real-time voice chatbots - a type of voice chatbot that can communicate as naturally as possible. This solution can replace call centers, customer service, or even serve as personal assistants on a large scale, not only in Vietnam but also in the Southeast Asian market.

In the US and Europe, this technology already exists, but it’s not yet fully optimized. This is still a challenge that needs to be resolved perfectly. I want to optimize this solution for the Vietnamese market first, as it has unique characteristics that require adjustments and fine-tuning of AI models to suit.

Many businesses are focusing on specific use cases rather than large AI platform projects. How do you assess the competition in the Vietnamese market right now?

I think the level of competition is quite high, and there are many parties working on similar applications. However, one point to note is that many businesses focus on the upper layers, meaning specific applications, but pay little attention to optimizing AI models at the lower layers. This is the area that Actable AI aims to focus on.

How do you assess the use of open source software for developing AI, and what benefits can it bring to AI development in Vietnam?

I believe we should leverage open source software as much as possible. It’s a high-quality, free resource developed extensively by the global community. Competing with open source solutions should be avoided. Instead, we should build on open source to develop our own technology and contribute back to the community. This approach helps everyone progress faster and more efficiently. There’s no reason to “reinvent the wheel” when others have already done it well.

Open source software is not only benefiting Vietnam; it’s a global trend. It’s one of the reasons smaller startups can grow faster and more effectively than large corporations. Startups are more flexible, enabling them to use the best technologies from the open source community to build their products. In contrast, large companies are often restricted by internal systems and can only use in-house developed tools, limiting their ability to adapt quickly. This creates a significant barrier that makes it harder for large companies to release products quickly and efficiently compared to startups.

To build successful AI models, human resources are undeniably key. How do you assess Vietnam’s tech talent, especially in the AI sector? And is it difficult to recruit AI professionals locally?

I see many talented software engineers in Vietnam, especially in application development. However, when it comes to AI, particularly at the low-level, such as model optimization or data training, the talent pool is still quite limited. There are many engineers who can build applications, but far fewer who are deeply skilled in AI. This gap suggests a need for retraining or greater investment in research and education to enhance capabilities in this area.

In terms of competition for talent, companies definitely need to offer attractive compensation to recruit the best people, that’s fundamental. But beyond salary, the working environment matters a great deal. Flexibility, such as allowing remote work and flexible hours of work, or providing a space for creativity and experimentation, is just as important. If a company sticks to rigid, traditional work models, top talent can quickly lose interest.

Most importantly, I believe retaining great people comes down to the quality of the problems you’re asking them to solve. The more capable someone is, the more they’re drawn to complex, meaningful challenges. If your problems are too simple or don’t demand deep thinking, they’ll get bored and look elsewhere. You have to give them something intellectually stimulating.

As for our company, hiring isn’t too difficult when it comes to application-level roles. But for low-level AI work, like optimizing models for speed and efficiency, or training data effectively, it’s extremely tough. These tasks require deep expertise and practical experience, which are still relatively scarce in Vietnam’s current workforce.

How do you envision the future of Vietnam’s AI market in the coming years?

I believe the AI market in Vietnam will be very dynamic.

Firstly, its young people are highly responsive when it comes to creating localized solutions for domestic customers.

Secondly, while Vietnam will follow global trends, there will also be unique barriers - possibly cultural, economic, or political - that aren’t yet fully visible.

Notably, if technologies like AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) are achieved in the next few years, as some researchers predict, the impact will be profound, not just for Vietnam but globally. If AI surpasses human intelligence, it could replace many existing jobs and even create entirely new ones that didn’t exist before.

At that point, the question will be: what role will humans play? This is a global challenge, and with Vietnam’s specific context, it’s difficult to predict the exact implications. In the near term, I expect to see an increasing number of new use cases built on modern AI models, with gradual improvements in quality.

Lately, the concept of AI Agents has been drawing a lot of attention. In your view, how will AI Agents develop in Vietnam in the near future?

AI Agents are going to flourish. They will unlock many new use cases, not just in Vietnam, but globally. In other countries, AI Agents are already being used to replace tasks like programming, legal consulting, and more.

However, a key challenge lies in the gap between technical and business understanding. People who are well-versed in technology and AI Agents often lack business knowledge, while business professionals who clearly understand the problems that need solving are not yet familiar with AI Agents.

If Vietnam can foster a community that bridges this gap - connecting engineers and entrepreneurs into collaborative problem-solving teams - it will accelerate the creation of startups with global potential.