According to Microsoft leadership in Vietnam, the country must simultaneously transform three key pillars - enterprises, people and infrastructure - to make artificial intelligence the new operating foundation of its economy.

Turning the global AI wave into a competitive advantage

Vietnam’s first Law on Artificial Intelligence was passed on December 10, 2025 and will take effect in March 2026, making Vietnam one of the few countries to enact a dedicated law governing artificial intelligence.

Experts say the law positions AI as an “intellectual infrastructure,” marking 2026 as a turning point in the country’s national AI transformation. The goal is to boost productivity, strengthen competitiveness and support sustainable development.

Dhanawat Suthumpun, managing director of Microsoft Thailand and emerging markets including Vietnam, said Vietnam should view AI not merely as a technological tool but as a new operational platform for the entire economy.

From Microsoft’s perspective, he explained, turning the global AI wave into a national advantage requires synchronized transformation across three pillars: enterprises, people and infrastructure.

Specifically, Vietnam should encourage the rise of “AI-native” enterprises - organizations designed from the outset to operate on data and artificial intelligence.

In the future, competitive advantage will not lie in simply owning advanced technologies, but in how deeply AI is integrated into everyday decision-making processes.

At the same time, data and computing infrastructure should be treated as a new form of national infrastructure. Investments in data centers, cloud platforms, cybersecurity and AI governance will provide the foundation for Vietnamese businesses to deploy AI at scale.

Suthumpun emphasized that in an era where AI is becoming the operating layer of the economy, the ability to act early and strategically will determine Vietnam’s competitive position over the coming decade.

Looking ahead to 2026, he added, unlocking the full potential of AI requires more than adopting technology. It also involves equipping people with practical skills to work confidently with AI, investing in data and cloud infrastructure as a new engine of growth, and ensuring AI is developed responsibly, safely and with humans at its center.

“This is how AI can open entirely new possibilities for Vietnamese enterprises of all sizes,” he said. “It empowers individuals to use AI as both a tool and a strategic platform, generating meaningful impact and helping Vietnam become more competitive globally.”

Seven AI shifts businesses should understand

Reinforcing the need to develop organizations built on data-driven operations, the Microsoft expert noted that a significant gap still exists between the potential of AI and its real-world implementation.

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2025 report shows that only a small number of companies globally are applying AI strategically, while most still use it in fragmented ways.

The challenge, he said, lies not only in technology but also in organizational mindset, workforce skills and the willingness to trust AI as a “digital colleague.”

Suthumpun highlighted seven major shifts in artificial intelligence expected to reshape how organizations operate, innovate and compete in the coming years.

These include AI enhancing what people can achieve through collaboration; AI agents entering the workforce with new safeguards; AI helping narrow global healthcare gaps; AI becoming central to research processes; AI infrastructure becoming smarter and more efficient; AI learning programming languages and the context behind them; and the next breakthroughs in AI-driven computing.

“These are major trends that Vietnamese businesses must quickly understand to strengthen their competitiveness in international markets,” he said.

According to Microsoft, the future of AI is not about replacing humans but enabling them to perform at a higher level.

“The year 2026 will usher in a new era of collaboration between technology and people. We must learn to work with AI rather than compete against it,” he concluded.

Van Anh