In addition to providing free AI tools for lesson planning and teaching materials, more than 30,000 Vietnamese teachers will receive training in applying AI to lesson design and classroom activities by the end of this year through a partnership between the National Innovation Center (NIC) and Canva.

According to an OECD survey in Vietnam, 64% of teachers said they had used artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching. However, 71% said the educational institutions where they worked still lacked adequate digital infrastructure and tools. Among those who had never used AI, 60% cited insufficient skills as the main reason.

The figures suggest that the gap lies not only in access to equipment but also in teachers’ ability to use technology, in a country whose education system has more than one million teachers and 25 million pupils and students.

Technology must start with teachers

“If we want technology to enter the classroom, we have to start with the people who teach there every day. The question is no longer whether AI should be brought into education, but how teachers can use it as simply and effectively as possible in their actual lessons,” Lam Trung Quan, Country Manager of Canva Vietnam, said at a partnership signing ceremony with the National Innovation Center (NIC) on the morning of Aug. 25.

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Lam Trung Quan, Country Manager of Canva Vietnam, discusses the company’s education program in Vietnam. Photo: Du Lam

Under the program, teachers will have access to an ecosystem of tools for lesson planning, presentations, interactive exercises, assignment distribution and grading. The approach is designed to reduce the need for complex prompts when working with AI.

Speaking with VietNamNet, Quan said Canva’s AI models for education are designed in layers, allowing teachers to edit content and add their own teaching methods and personal touch to each lesson.

The solution also combines cloud computing with offline storage, automatically synchronizing content once an internet connection becomes available. This enables teachers in areas with limited network infrastructure to use the tools even on basic devices.

According to the Canva Vietnam executive, localization is also an important part of the company’s strategy, including the development of a community of Vietnamese creators and designers who can contribute content tailored to local culture and needs.

30,000 teachers to receive training in 2026

To help close the skills gap, the program aims to provide intensive eight-hour training courses for more than 30,000 teachers nationwide between now and the end of the year.

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Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the National Innovation Center, says the partnership with Canva demonstrates cooperation among the state, schools and businesses. Photo: Du Lam

The training will focus on developing interactive learning materials and using AI in real-life teaching situations. Canva has also committed to providing its platform free of charge to teachers and students from preschool through Grade 12 under the Canva Education program.

Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the National Innovation Center, said connecting Vietnam with international technology resources was a concrete step toward promoting cooperation among the state, schools and businesses.

“Our shared goal is to use technology tools more creatively so that we can integrate into the world with greater confidence, particularly students and young people,” Thinh said. He added that Canva’s approach of simplifying design technology also reflects a philosophy pursued by NIC: making complex problems simpler.

At a training session for 100 teachers held the same day, Pham Thi Kim Duyen, a physics teacher and head of the Natural Sciences Department at Doan Thi Diem School, said both teachers and students at the school were already using Canva for teaching and learning. In her view, AI is becoming an essential support tool, helping make lessons more visual, diverse and accessible.

Alongside the program for teachers, the “Creating Digital Citizens” project is expected to equip 30,000 students with design thinking and digital skills during the 2026-2027 academic year. The goal is to gradually make digital tools part of everyday teaching and learning rather than focusing solely on expanding access to technology.

Du Lam