Meta and NIC launch Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2025
The activity is part of the International Al-Semiconductor Conference 2025 ( AISC25) held on March 12-14 in Hanoi.
The Hanoi Times — US Meta and Vietnamese National Innovation Center (NIC), under the Ministry of Finance, today [March 14] launched the third annual Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2025 to boost AI development in the Southeast Asian country.
Delegates attend the launch ceremony of the event. Photos: NIC
This year's theme focuses on the ViGen project to create high-quality, open-source Vietnamese datasets for training and improving large language models (LLMs) so that AI models can better understand Vietnamese culture, context, and idiom. This will enhance the representation of the Vietnamese language in AI while supporting Vietnam's economic growth.
ViGen is the result of a tripartite partnership between Meta, NIC, and the AI for Vietnam Foundation. The foundation is the implementing partner while Meta provides technical and financial support. NIC is the coordinating and monitoring partner, ensuring alignment with Vietnam's national goals. Strategic partners include NVIDIA, Viettel, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
The ViGen project enables AI models to comprehensively support the Vietnamese language, unlocking the potential of AI applications in Vietnam. It aims to develop large-scale, high-quality, open-source Vietnamese datasets for AI training and evaluation. It also helps ensure that AI development is in line with Vietnamese cultural values and ethical standards, contributing to the establishment of a responsible and locally adapted open-source AI ecosystem.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said the Vietnam Innovation Challenge is a strategic initiative to seek global innovative solutions to address Vietnam's national challenges.
"This initiative requires close partnership in the public and private sectors among national and international stakeholders. Together, we will implement innovative solutions for a prosperous Vietnam," he said.
Since 2022, the Vietnam Innovation Challenge has attracted more than 750 solutions annually from more than 20 countries and territories. It was featured in the Whitehouse Factsheet during President Biden's visit to Vietnam in 2023 as a flagship technology partnership between the US and Vietnam.
To support the project, Meta is contributing a range of open source datasets from its AI and Data for Good program, ranging from insights on mobility and social connections, as well as training data from its own AI-powered population maps.
Speaking at the event, Sarim Aziz, Director of Public Policy at Meta, said that this is a defining year for AI in Vietnam. “By empowering Vietnamese researchers, developers, and businesses with open source AI models like Llama and resources that understand their unique context, we’re making it easier for them to unlock their full potential and drive meaningful innovation in AI that's uniquely suited to Vietnam’s needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vo Xuan Hoai, Deputy Director of NIC, said: "AI is changing the world. Therefore, the development of large-scale, high-quality, and open-source Vietnamese datasets for AI training and evaluation has become an urgent priority."
Vo Xuan Hoai, NIC Deputy Director, speaks at the event.
ViGen aligns well with Resolution 57, which aims to drive breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation. The project requires a collective effort from different stakeholders, including policymakers, think tanks, and users. "Together, we will transform AI into a powerful tool for every Vietnamese and make Vietnam a global AI powerhouse," he said.
Hung Tran, Founder/CEO of the AI for Vietnam Foundation, said that ViGen will increase the availability of high-quality datasets for Vietnamese - a language that has been historically underserved in AI. It also exemplifies the transformative potential of open source foundation models like Llama, which enable global innovation and foster impactful solutions tailored to the Vietnamese context.
At the event, Meta, in partnership with Deloitte, launched the guide "Transforming the APAC Public Sector through Open Source AI: Unlocking Innovation with Llama" in Vietnam, making it the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to launch the guide.
The guide presents best practices for open source AI adoption and explores real-world Llama use cases in critical public sector areas, including citizen engagement, government administration, regulatory compliance, education, healthcare, and public safety.
The Ministry of Science and Technology partnered with MISA to pilot a virtual assistant that reduced information retrieval time by 98% and increased productivity. Viettel deployed a Llama-powered virtual legal assistant that cut legal research time by nearly 30%.
Chris Lewin, AI & Data Capability Leader, Deloitte Asia Pacific, said as the Asia Pacific region experiences rapid digital transformation, open source AI is emerging as a key force in shaping the future of public service delivery.
This guide aims to support public sector stakeholders in their adoption of Gen AI with actionable recommendations rooted in the principles of trustworthy AI, he said.
The activities are part of the International Al-Semiconductor Conference 2025 (AISC25) running on March 12-14 in Hanoi.
