On December 10, the National Assembly officially passed the Law on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with 429 out of 434 participating deputies (90.70 percent) voting in favor, effective from March 1, 2026.

With a high approval rate, the National Assembly affirmed strong consensus on the necessity of issuing the AI Law, a landmark piece of legislation evaluated to create a pioneering legal corridor to help Vietnam catch up with the global AI development trend and enhance national competitiveness in the digital age.

This is the first time Vietnam has drafted and enacted a separate law on AI. The Law comprises 35 Articles, designed under the principle of "managing for development," ensuring a balance between risk control and innovation promotion, in line with international practices, and supporting Vietnam's proactive integration with new technology standards.

The AI Law places humanity at the center, stipulating that AI serves people, does not replace people, and must have human oversight in critical decisions.

The AI Law lays the foundation for AI autonomy, from computing infrastructure to data and research capacity, helping Vietnam build an AI force strong enough to compete internationally; allowing the State to invest in a national AI computing center and build a controlled open data system.

These directions are expected to reduce computing costs, remove market-entry barriers, and promote a more competitive and transparent AI ecosystem.

The law also introduces mechanisms to promote AI development, such as establishing a National AI Development Fund, implementing an AI Voucher scheme to support enterprises in adopting AI, and creating a controlled sandbox for sensitive AI solutions.

These tools help reduce risks, lower experimentation costs, and enable tech companies, especially deep-tech startups, to test sensitive AI applications in an environment where certain legal liabilities are temporarily exempted.

The AI Law also addresses emerging issues such as AI-generated content, algorithmic ethics, and the responsibilities of cross-border AI service providers, paving the way for Vietnam to integrate more deeply with international standards while maintaining digital sovereignty.

A key feature of the law is its risk-based management approach. AI systems are categorized according to their potential impact and risk levels, with corresponding legal obligations.

Applications posing high risks to lawful rights and interests (in finance, healthcare, justice, labor, education) will be subject to stricter requirements on data, auditing, supervision, and human intervention.

This approach balances two goals: encouraging AI innovation and controlling potential societal risks.

Alongside technological and regulatory provisions, the AI Law gives significant attention to human resource development. It requires the creation of a long-term national AI workforce strategy, integration of basic AI knowledge into general education, encouragement for universities to open new AI-related majors, expanded academic autonomy, and incentives to attract international experts.

The national program for AI human-resource development will help build a future workforce of high-quality AI experts and engineers.

The approval of the AI Law is considered timely and necessary as AI is rapidly permeating all areas of life. A clear and comprehensive legal framework will help Vietnam avoid falling behind, ensure data safety, protect privacy, and support sustainable development of the AI ecosystem.

From this point forward, Vietnam officially enters a new stage, that of proactive, responsible, safe, and innovative AI development, forming the foundation for AI to become one of the most important growth drivers of the digital economy.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy, at a recent event, stated that Vietnam is building a national AI supercomputing center, an open data ecosystem, and Vietnamese AI infrastructure aiming for autonomy, while simultaneously implementing comprehensive AI integration at a rapid pace, making AI a "smart assistant" widely available to all citizens to enhance social productivity and expand access to knowledge, "a step forward that previously only high-level leaders had access to."

Vietnam is committed to developing AI technology according to the philosophy of openness: open standards, open data, and open source. "Openness" is the path to receiving global knowledge, mastering technology, developing Make in Vietnam, and contributing back to humanity. "Openness" is also a condition to ensure safety and transparency in AI applications.

For AI to develop, the domestic market must be large enough; without applications, there is no market, and Vietnamese AI businesses cannot mature. Therefore, the State will strongly promote AI application in State agencies and industries, and the National Technology Innovation Fund will allocate 30 to 40 percent of its resources for support, including AI vouchers for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises, so that the Vietnamese market truly becomes the cradle for strong AI enterprises.

Thai Khang