Vietnam has identified artificial intelligence (AI) as a key technology to boost its economy and announced a series of partnerships, investments and initiatives in this area. The country’s focus on AI is having a ripple effect in healthcare and generating significant growth in the sector. According to a report from DealStreetAsia’s Data Vantage, healthtech startups in Southeast Asia raised a total of $580 million through 60 deals in 2023. While Singapore and Indonesia led the region in attracting investments, Vietnam ranked third, obtaining 3.9% of total financing. Let’s explore Vietnam’s efforts to become an AI powerhouse and how this is transforming its healthcare sector.
Access Partnership, the world’s leading technology consultancy, recently presented an economic impact report titled “Driving Digital Growth in Vietnam”. The report highlights the immense economic potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for the country. According to the results, AI could make an estimated contribution of VNĐ1.89 trillion ($79.3 billion) to Vietnam’s economy by 2030, representing almost 12% of its GDP.
Recognizing the immense potential of AI, Vietnam has identified it as a key technology for national development. The country launched the National Strategy on AI Research, Development and Application to position Vietnam among the leading AI countries in ASEAN and the world by 2030. strategy includes ambitious goals, such as creating 10 high-profile AI brands in the region. and develop three national centers for big data and high-performance computing, which will be interconnected via a dedicated network. In addition, Vietnam plans to create around 50 open datasets to support AI research, development and applications in various economic sectors.
The Vietnamese government has launched a human resources development program aimed at strengthening the country’s AI capabilities. The goal is to train 5,000 AI engineers by 2030 as part of a broader initiative to integrate AI into various industries. The National Innovation Center (NIC) collaborates with national and international partners to create a center for AI research, training and application. This center will focus on supporting AI startups, advancing research and providing specialized training to meet global standards. By 2030, NIC plans to train 7,000 AI experts and support around 500 AI startups.
The Vietnamese government is working with industry leaders like Google to help the country achieve its AI ambitions. Google is focusing on human resource development and enabling Vietnam’s growing startup ecosystem to fully embrace AI. Through its partnership with the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC), an agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Google has offered 40,000 Google Career Certificates scholarships at 80 universities and launched a local Google accelerator program for startups focused on AI.
The Google for Startups Accelerator Southeast Asia – Vietnam is a three-month, action-free initiative supported by the NIC. This program is designed to accelerate high-potential AI startups in Vietnam by providing access to Google’s AI products, expert advice and infrastructure. Startups selected for the program will benefit from AI tools on Google Cloud, including Vertex AI and Gemini Pro, through Google Startup AI Space, an online sandbox that facilitates rapid development and prototyping of AI applications .
AI Innovations in Healthcare
“The Vietnamese healthcare system is increasingly integrating AI technologies, such as machine learning and data analytics, to optimize clinical practices and decision-making processes. For example, AI applications are used to analyze medical data to aid diagnosis and inform treatment choice, thereby facilitating better patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare services. This particularly concerns the private sector with sufficient resources and equipment, with the public health system falling far behind. This is exemplified by the internationally accredited Vinmec healthcare system, which is owned by Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest conglomerate,” said Dr Andrew Taylor-Robinson, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, VinUniversity.
One of the leading companies in this field in Vietnam is VinBrain, a health technology company owned by the country’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup. VinBrain is developing a suite of pathology AI solutions called DrAid, which supports early disease detection across the country. Similarly, South Korean medical AI company AITRICS received approval from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health for its AI software, designed to predict patient deterioration. Japanese company Fujifilm has launched AI-based health tests, focusing on cancer in Vietnam. In a related effort, the Vietnam Young Doctors Association (VYPA) proposed a volunteer program to screen one million people for diseases using an AI platform, boosting the country’s health capacities.
Companies are combining AI and genomics to deliver more personalized, efficient and accessible healthcare solutions across the region. A striking example is Gene Solutions, a pioneering genetic testing company that has become a leader in precision medicine in Asia. With a focus on reproductive health, clinical oncology and advanced genomics, Gene Solutions offers services such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), multi-cancer early detection (MCED) and comprehensive genomic profiling ( CGP). The company uses cutting-edge technologies, including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) tracking, to provide personalized, data-driven care. With over 1.5 million tests completed, Gene Solutions is expanding beyond Vietnam, moving its headquarters to Singapore and forming partnerships with leading hospital groups and cancer institutes in South Asia -East, notably in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Another key player is GeneStory, a Vingroup Corporation-backed startup pioneering the use of genetic data for personalized healthcare in Vietnam. Building on research from the 1,000 Vietnamese Genome Sequencing Project, GeneStory offers genetic reports that cover a wide range of health indicators, such as disease risk, response to medications, and nutrition. The company aims to develop a proactive healthcare roadmap for individuals, with a strong focus on promoting preventive medicine and national healthcare initiatives.
Genetica Company is another example. In partnership with global leaders like Illumina and Thermo Fisher Scientific, Genetica has developed a proprietary genetic decoding chip tailored specifically to the Asian population. By analyzing hundreds of genes, Genetica provides reports that provide comprehensive insight into an individual’s health risks, genetic potential, and behavior. The company recently launched a product that uses AI to detect genetic risks related to respiratory viral infections, expanding the scope of personalized healthcare.
Vietnamese healthcare innovation leader Thabis has partnered with US-based Genomate Health Inc. to bring personalized, data-driven cancer treatments to Vietnam. Digosys will distribute Genomate through the Genous service, combining next-generation sequencing and molecular tumor array interpretation to deliver tailored cancer therapies across Southeast Asia.
N2TP offers a unique approach to precision medicine through its SmartDoseAI clinical decision support software. Designed to help healthcare providers individualize medication dosing for patients with narrow therapeutic ranges, SmartDoseAI helps optimize treatment outcomes and improve patient safety.
Challenges and solutions
Despite promising advances, the integration of AI into the Vietnamese healthcare sector as a whole faces several challenges. Speaking about the issues, Dr Taylor-Robinson said: “While the situation is changing rapidly, it was highlighted a few years ago that successful implementation of AI requires a combination of technical expertise, financial sustainability and socio-political engagement. Each of these factors is crucial to fostering an environment conducive to AI adoption. For the ambitious private health sector, all these criteria are now met, but the same cannot be said for the public system, which is antiquated and overburdened in comparison. Although there is some interest, entrenched culturally conservative attitudes often reluctant to accept change currently prevent faster adoption. Additionally, the extent of expertise and research in AI applications remains limited compared to high-income countries.
For Vietnam to become a leading AI destination, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive legal framework to support AI initiatives. “The framework is essential to address ethical concerns, data privacy and overall governance of AI technologies in healthcare, which are essential to building public trust and ensuring the safe deployment of AI systems. AI. From a patient perspective, there are currently significant apprehensions, justified or not, regarding data security, accuracy of robotic surgery, and other safety issues. These concerns highlight the need for transparent communication and medical oversight to alleviate fears and promote acceptance among patients,” said Dr. Taylor-Robinson.
Of course, anything associated with technology raises concerns about the quality and security of patient data. Sharing details on this, Dr Taylor-Robinson said: “The effectiveness of AI algorithms is highly dependent on the quality of data used for training, which can lead to potential biases and inaccuracies in clinical settings . Healthcare professionals in the Vinmec system are highly qualified and often have acquired experience and professional accreditation in Western countries. This therefore poses fewer problems in the private sector. As there is no referral system in the Vietnamese healthcare system, public tertiary care centers in large cities are heavily oversubscribed and therefore record keeping is generally still manual. In this context, the transition to electronic systems is a long-term aspiration rather than an urgent priority and is therefore a process still in its infancy.
To this end, Vietnam announced the nationwide expansion of its electronic health records (EHR) system. The government is expanding the implementation of the digital health records system, initially tested in Hanoi and Thua Thien-Hue province, across the country.
As the country takes the lead in AI advancement, we can expect to witness groundbreaking innovations that will not only benefit its citizens but also contribute to the advancement of health technologies in the South Asian region -East.
Ayesha Siddiqui