VietNamNet Bridge - Artificial intelligence now plays an increasingly important role in enterprises’ operation as it helps increase productivity, thus optimizing profit. However, Vietnamese businesses still hesitate to invest in it.

In 2004, Nguyen Minh Kien, CEO of mIdeas, a technology firm, had the opportunity to take part in programs on artificial intelligence research, organized by Japanese professors specifically for Vietnamese students. 

Kien learned many new concepts such as big data and artificial intelligence. “This is knowledge that can only be applied in reality 10-15 years later,” Kien said.

In early 2016, Hana, mIdeas’ virtual consultancy officer, was completed after many years of experiments. Hana can provide online consultancy to satisfy 70-80 percent of clients’ information in all fields, from telecommunication to healthcare, from education to food & drink. Hana can give advice about recipes and addresses of good restaurants and related information at very high speed.

Some Vietnamese businesses, including a big telecom brand, have become mIdeas’ strategic partners, using Hana.

Not only are they able to solve problems quickly, Hana can also ‘learn’ very well, and can update information very regularly. Hana can undertake the workload of giving advice to 500 clients which must be done by five consultants.

“Artificial intelligence can liberalize human’s labor,” Kien said.

Artificial intelligence now plays an increasingly important role in enterprises’ operation as it helps increase productivity, thus optimizing profit. However, Vietnamese businesses still hesitate to invest in it.

“We have given up making small products. 3D printers can take this work very well,” said Tran Viet Tien, director of Lavanto Home Décor.

“Automation and robotization have become a growing tendency. If you do not prepare for the automation era right now, you will meet difficulties in the future,” Tien said.

The businessman commented that enterprises now have to pay a lot for labor training costs, corporate governance and other labor-related areas. Therefore, business owners will prefer automation to minimize risks.

Nguyen Chien Thang, managing director of Scansia Pacific, said the company last year allocated a budget of $1 million to buy new machines and equipment. 

The company’s number of workers increased from 800 to 1,200 in the last five years, or 40 percent. Meanwhile, the productivity increased by 250 percent. This was attributed to the policy on investing in machines, automatic production lines and management software.

However, Hai Pham from Open Consultant said that businesses were still hesitant to invest though their demand for automation is high. This is blamed on the high investment rate, limited management capability and limited knowledge about technology.

However, Hai warned that businesses do not have much time to linger. “If Vietnamese businesses’ automation capability cannot improve after seven years, they will not be able to expand the market and keep business operations stable,” he said.


Mai Chi