More than 93% of Vietnamese businesses have already engaged with artificial intelligence, and the technology is increasingly evolving from an experimental tool into a strategic growth platform that could help shape the country's digital economy and support ambitions of creating billion-dollar startups.

A report by Deloitte found that 93% of Vietnamese enterprises have adopted or explored AI, primarily in support functions such as marketing and customer service. However, businesses are increasingly moving beyond surface-level applications and integrating AI into core operations, a shift that could significantly transform the competitiveness of domestic companies.

From experimentation to a growth engine

The growing integration of AI into business operations is blurring the line between experimentation and real-world deployment.

Khoi Le, Country Director of Meta in Vietnam, believes Vietnamese businesses have begun moving beyond the stage of viewing AI as a technology to test out of curiosity.

"I believe Vietnamese enterprises are starting to move past the phase of seeing AI as something to try for the sake of trying. The fact that 93% have already engaged with AI shows that it is becoming an essential tool for day-to-day operations," he said.

Businesses are increasingly using AI not only to identify new customers or facilitate communication but also to create measurable value through higher conversion rates, automated sales consultation and lower operating costs without increasing headcount.

As a result, AI is becoming a genuine growth engine rather than a simple technological experiment.

The shift is being driven in part by changing consumer behaviour. According to industry data, 89% of Vietnamese consumers communicate with businesses through messaging platforms at least once a week.

As customers increasingly expect instant responses and highly personalised experiences, these capabilities are no longer competitive advantages but minimum requirements for brands.

This trend is creating favourable conditions for the rise of Agentic Social Commerce, a model in which AI assistants support customers around the clock, from consultation and product discovery to sales and after-sales service.

According to Khoi Le, Vietnam is well positioned to become a leader in this emerging field.

Removing barriers and redefining success

Despite widespread adoption, Vietnamese businesses continue to face three major obstacles: data and trust concerns, management mindset and technical infrastructure.

Concerns over security, implementation costs and the perception that AI requires highly specialised expertise continue to discourage many small and medium-sized enterprises.

In reality, the market is increasingly offering AI solutions that are easy to deploy and require limited technical knowledge, including tools such as Meta AI-powered advertising assistants.

As technological barriers begin to fall, companies face a new challenge: redefining how performance is measured.

In the past, response times and conversion rates were constrained by human resources and business hours. AI is removing many of those limitations.

"The question is no longer whether AI can improve results. The real question is whether businesses are ready to raise their expectations," Khoi Le said.

To remain competitive in 2026 and beyond, he believes companies should focus on three priorities: developing Agentic Social Commerce capabilities, creating content through short-form video and livestreaming, and using AI-powered analytics to make faster business decisions.

Local strengths support unicorn ambitions

The AI wave is not only helping companies optimise operations but also supporting Vietnam's broader ambition of building globally competitive technology firms.

Under Resolution 86, Vietnam aims to create five startups valued at more than $1 billion by 2030.

According to Meta, one of Vietnam's greatest advantages lies in its people.

"Vietnam has a young, dynamic workforce that learns quickly and adapts rapidly to new technologies. More importantly, people are increasingly becoming creators of technology solutions rather than simply users," Khoi Le said.

The country's startup ecosystem is also benefiting from initiatives such as ViGen, which provides high-quality open-source Vietnamese-language datasets that enable local engineers to develop AI models with a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture and language.

Talent development is another priority. One example is the OctoAI initiative, which has already trained more than 1,000 teachers in artificial intelligence skills.

Looking toward 2030, industry leaders expect Vietnam's digital economy to undergo a profound transformation.

The country's strong messaging-based commerce ecosystem, combined with the power of generative AI, is expected to provide a launchpad for Vietnamese companies to strengthen their domestic positions while expanding into regional and global markets.

The combination of supportive policies, human capital and access to global technology platforms is helping lay the foundations for Vietnam to emerge as one of Southeast Asia's next centres of innovation.

Du Lam