Nguyen Khac Lich, head of the Authority of Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the new AI category reflects Vietnam’s priority of developing and mastering artificial intelligence as a new driver of economic growth.

Speaking at the launch of the Make in Vietnam 2026 Awards on August 28, Lich said the annual program is Vietnam’s official and prestigious awards scheme for digital technology. Held since 2020, it was established to help implement the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 01 on developing Vietnamese digital technology enterprises.

The awards honor Vietnamese ingenuity, recognizing products researched, designed, created and manufactured in Vietnam by Vietnamese people, addressing domestic challenges while bringing Vietnamese brands to global markets.

They also serve as a channel for supporting trade and investment promotion and helping digital technology companies expand in both domestic and international markets.

Lich said that over six years, the awards have attracted more than 1,000 entries and honored 299 outstanding Make in Vietnam digital technology products.

Many award-winning products have been widely adopted in support of Vietnam’s national digital transformation and the development of its digital economy and digital society, while some have also been exported to overseas markets.

The Make in Vietnam Awards have become a recognized mark of credibility and a platform for helping Vietnamese digital technology companies reach the market.

According to Lich, the Make in Vietnam 2026 Awards, now in their seventh year, will feature eight categories. Five are organized by industry and field of application: industry and construction; agriculture, natural resources and environment; transportation, postal services and logistics; education, healthcare, culture and society; and finance, banking, commerce and services.

The remaining three categories are Outstanding Digital Technology Product for International Markets; Outstanding Artificial Intelligence Product, a new category introduced in 2026; and Outstanding Potential Digital Technology Product. Each category will have one Gold Award, one Silver Award, one Bronze Award and a Top 10.

This is the first time the awards have included a dedicated category for outstanding artificial intelligence products. The category was introduced to align with Vietnam’s policy of prioritizing the development and mastery of AI technology.

Another reason is the speed and breadth with which AI is spreading across industries, creating a new source of momentum for economic growth.

The focus on AI is intended to encourage Vietnamese companies to develop higher-value AI products, strengthen the country’s AI ecosystem, improve labor productivity and enhance competitiveness.

Lich said Vietnam now has companies capable of developing their own models, algorithms and Vietnamese-language datasets, and that they need a platform commensurate with those capabilities.

Applications for the Make in Vietnam 2026 Awards will be accepted from August 28 through October 15, 2026.

Entries can be submitted through the awards’ official portal.

Thai Khang