Vietnam's digital economy will grow 11-fold, reaching 220 billion USD by 2030

Mr. Marc Woo, Managing Director in charge of Vietnam, Google Asia-Pacific, forecasts that Vietnam's digital economy will grow 11 times by 2030 and reach 220 billion USD, equivalent to nearly half of the current GDP.

Mr. Marc Woo, Director in charge of Vietnam, Google Asia - Pacific, forecasts that Vietnam's digital economy will grow 11 times by 2030. (Source: MPI)

Sharing at the Vietnam AI Future Creation Program launched by the National Innovation Center (NIC), the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Google on July 11, Mr. Marc Woo said that the current digital economy of Southeast Asia is growing rapidly, reaching a value of 100 billion USD (8 times in just 8 years) and is forecast to reach 835 billion USD by 2030, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).

“Of which, Vietnam's digital economy will grow 11 times by 2030 and reach 220 billion USD, equivalent to nearly half of Vietnam's current GDP,” said Mr. Marc Woo.

According to Google representative, AI will be one of the key factors for Vietnam to realize the above forecast.

According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong, in the wave of AI technology development, Vietnam is taking strong steps to participate in promoting research, application and development of AI human resources. After 3 years of implementing the "National Strategy on Research, Development and Application of Artificial Intelligence to 2030", Vietnam has achieved encouraging results, including in 2022, Vietnam ranked 55th in the world in the AI ​​Readiness Index, up 7 places compared to 2021.

However, Vietnam is also facing a major challenge, which is the shortage of human resources and experts in the field of AI. It is estimated that there are only about 300 AI experts in the Vietnamese workforce. The scarcity of human resources, combined with the lack of access to high-quality AI training programs, further widens the gap between market demand and human resource supply.

In addition to the shortage of talent, AI startups in Vietnam also face challenges such as lack of access to experts and advisors to evaluate and validate AI products to suit market needs.

Vietnamese AI startups also lack access to enterprise-ready infrastructure, platforms, and tools, which are considered essential for developing, commercializing, and scaling AI products.

To address these challenges and promote inclusive AI development in Vietnam, the Vietnam AI Future Program focuses on two main pillars: Talent Creation and Enterprise Creation. Each pillar addresses key areas to support Vietnam’s human resource development, nurture a thriving startup ecosystem, and strengthen the foundation to maximize AI adoption.

Specifically, the “Creating Talents” pillar focuses on a digital talent development program that provides 40,000 scholarships with 10 courses, including the newly launched additional course - Google AI Essentials, to equip the latest AI skills for the young generation of Vietnam, including many officials, lecturers and students of more than 80 universities and colleges across the country.

For the “Building for Business” pillar to promote innovation and develop solutions for local startups, through Google for Startups Accelerator, Google aims to support and promote Vietnamese startups in the AI ​​era by equipping the startup ecosystem with business knowledge, supporting potential Vietnamese AI startups to develop, commercialize and expand their AI products to new markets...

Deputy Minister Tran Duy Dong affirmed that the Program demonstrates the commitment and strong support of the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Google in promoting the AI ​​ecosystem in Vietnam to equip human resources with the necessary skills to seize opportunities in the AI ​​era, while supporting startups to innovate based on AI technology platforms.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nen-kinh-te-so-cua-viet-nam-se-tang-truong-gap-11-lan-dat-muc-220-ty-usd-vao-nam-2030-278792.html