Artificial intelligence is surging across Vietnam and a new wave is taking shape, according to findings in the report "Unlocking Vietnam’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Potential in 2026."

The report was conducted by Strand Partners, an independent global research firm, surveying business executives, startup founders across various industries and enterprise scales, as well as citizens nationwide.

The study noted a distinct mindset shift among enterprises: moving from questioning "whether to adopt AI" to asking "how to scale impactful solutions." Initial adoption serves merely as the starting line; generating measurable impact represents the real race.

Commenting on the specific adoption metrics highlighted in the report, Mr. Eric Yeo, Country Manager of AWS Vietnam, said the study found that 26% of Vietnamese enterprises have deployed AI technology, up from 18% in 2025. This eight-percentage-point increase in a single year represents a 44% year-on-year growth rate.

In absolute figures, approximately 75,000 enterprises implemented AI for the first time over the past year. This pace translates to more than eight businesses per hour—or a new business every seven minutes—adopting AI in Vietnam. This momentum has lifted the total number of AI-enabled businesses in the country to nearly 245,000.

However, the report also revealed that most of these firms remain in the early phases of their AI journey. Roughly 61% are still at the exploratory or experimental stage, while only 8% have fully integrated AI into their core business workflows and daily operations.

"That is not a weakness, but an opportunity," the head of AWS Vietnam noted, adding that Vietnam has built a broad foundational base and is witnessing fast-growing adoption. The critical next step is supporting more enterprises in moving from experimentation to comprehensive AI-driven transformation.

Through AI implementation, nearly two out of three enterprises are not only saving time but also generating higher revenues, and roughly eight in ten expect to sustain this growth momentum.

This reflects a clear shift in Vietnam’s AI landscape over the past year. While businesses merely pinned hopes on AI a year ago, they are now substantiating those expectations with concrete figures.

To sustain this momentum and convert it into durable business value, the study outlined three top priorities:

Strategy and governance: Currently, 23% of enterprises maintain a structured AI strategy, nearly double the 12% recorded last year. However, this also indicates that most firms are scaling AI tools faster than they are standardizing workflows. Sound governance will be essential for companies to scale with confidence.

Measurement capabilities: About 46% of businesses reported lacking reliable methods to measure returns on their AI investments. While companies perceive the benefits of AI, they struggle to quantify them with hard data. Improved measurement frameworks will be vital to unlocking subsequent investment rounds, as businesses rarely allocate capital to unmeasured outcomes.

Skills and critical judgment: 57 percent of surveyed businesses asserted that the most critical AI skill over the next five years will not be pure technical proficiency, but critical discernment—the ability to interpret, verify, and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs.