Ahead of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, many overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and entrepreneurs have expressed their hope that Viet Nam will continue to maintain strategic stability, accelerate institutional reform, and proactively enter the AI era with political resolve, development discipline, and responsibility towards the international community.
A reporter from Nhan Dan spoke with Abraham Nguyen Quang Huy, Co-Chair of 9S UNION (Global Economic Union), Founder and Co-Chair of the Global Investment Forum for Peace and Prosperity, and member of the Standing Committee of the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese (ALOV).
AI – A new layer of national capability
Q: Why is AI now regarded as a new “layer of power” or “layer of capability” of a nation, rather than merely a technology?
A: AI directly and comprehensively affects the foundations of national power — from economic productivity and State governance capacity to national defence and security, as well as the ability to participate in and shape international standards. In previous stages of development, advantages were largely based on resources, labour, and capital. In the AI era, core advantages lie in data, computing capacity, high-quality human resources, and, crucially, institutions that are flexible enough to transform knowledge into productivity and added value.
AI creates not only new products or services but also standards. Countries that proactively participate in building and leading standards will gain long-term advantages in competition and international integration. Therefore, AI must be viewed as a critical component of national capability and power in the new era.
Q: In the context of strategic competition and global fragmentation, what is the biggest question facing nations today?
A: The fundamental question is how to develop both rapidly and safely, while remaining sustainable. Development speed without discipline and governance can create systemic risks; conversely, excessive caution and a lack of innovation can result in missed opportunities. Hence, national governance capacity in the AI era becomes decisive — encompassing the ability to choose the right priorities, organise and coordinate resources effectively, and design institutions that match the pace of technological change.
Expectations of overseas Vietnamese ahead of the 14th National Party Congress
Q: Why do overseas Vietnamese place particular expectations on the 14th National Party Congress as Viet Nam enters the AI era?
A: For overseas Vietnamese, the 14th National Party Congress is a strategically significant milestone that will shape the country’s development trajectory over the next five to ten years. We see the Congress not only as a major political event but also as a strategic message from Viet Nam to the international community regarding its development path and its approach to governing emerging technologies, including AI.
The overseas Vietnamese community hopes that institutional trust will continue to be strengthened towards greater transparency, stability, predictability, and effectiveness. This is a crucial foundation for attracting and effectively mobilising the intellectual, financial, and international network resources of overseas Vietnamese in service of sustainable national development.
Q: In your opinion, where is the Party’s leadership and the State’s unified management most clearly reflected in the AI era?
A: It is most evident in the capacity to organise and coordinate resources, and to open institutional pathways for innovation. AI is a highly interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral field that requires unified coordination, long-term vision, and strict development discipline. Without a sufficiently strong strategic centre, resources can easily become fragmented and opportunities lost.
Effective leadership means both fostering an environment conducive to innovation and establishing necessary safeguards such as data sovereignty, cybersecurity, ethical standards, and market discipline, thereby ensuring rapid yet sustainable and humane development.
National mission in the AI era
Q: Could you elaborate on the concept of a “national mission in the AI era”?
A: I think that this mission can be viewed through three closely interconnected dimensions.
The first is the mission of development: mastering and effectively applying technology to boost labour productivity, improve people’s quality of life, and build a knowledge-based economy and an efficient, effective digital State.
Second is the mission of protection: safeguarding data sovereignty, ensuring cybersecurity, and preserving truth and social trust in the digital space. These are prerequisites for sustainable development.
Third is the mission of contribution. Viet Nam should not develop solely for its own benefit, but also proactively contribute to building a peaceful, sustainable development model that places people at the centre. AI only truly has meaning when guided by humanistic values and social responsibility.
Q: How would you like Viet Nam to be recognised on the global AI map?
A: I hope Viet Nam will be recognised as a responsible innovator which is growing through intelligence, competing through standards, and cooperating through trust. In the AI era, a nation’s brand is measured not only by speed, but by its ability to “do things right” and “do things sustainably”, upholding the rule of law, ensuring ethics, data security, and social responsibility.
AI governance and mobilising overseas Vietnamese resources
Q: What are the key institutional priorities for Viet Nam’s sustainable AI development?
A: The focus should be on foundational priorities such as mechanisms for piloting and commercialising new technologies, effective data governance and utilisation, protection of intellectual property rights, and the establishment of AI risk management and ethical frameworks. At the same time, attention must be paid to building “social immunity” against fake news, deepfakes, and high-tech crime, as social trust is a particularly important form of soft infrastructure for development.
Q: What would encourage overseas Vietnamese to make long-term commitments to Viet Nam?
A: It is when Viet Nam offers sufficiently large development challenges, clear and transparent cooperation mechanisms, and durable institutional trust. When overseas Vietnamese are able to co-create, are respected and evaluated based on real effectiveness, overseas Vietnamese intellectual resources will converge more strongly and contribute more substantively to national development.
Q: Ahead of the 14th National Party Congress, what message would you like to send to overseas Vietnamese and the younger generation?
A: Our country is standing before a historic development opportunity. I have strong confidence in the Party’s leadership and the State’s unified management in guiding Viet Nam into the AI era with confidence, sustainability, and responsibility. I hope overseas Vietnamese and the younger generation will turn expectations into concrete action — contributing intelligence, standards, and a spirit of service — to help Viet Nam develop for the benefit of the nation and make a positive contribution to lasting peace and prosperity for humanity.
