Vietnam seeks lessons from the UK on strategic technologies

THE HANOI TIMES — Vietnam will speed up cooperation with leading British firms, including Revolut, iProov and Cundall, to advance strategic technology sectors including fintech, biometric identity verification and sustainable design.

The new partnerships took shape during Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung’s visit to London on October 31, where he met senior executives from the three firms to promote innovation and green growth.

At a meeting with Revolut, one of Europe’s top fintech companies, Dung welcomed its plans to expand into the Asia Pacific and highlighted Vietnam as a  fast-growing market    for digital finance.

He encouraged Revolut to share its experience in building fully digital banks and managing financial risks and to consider opening a representative office or technology hub in Vietnam to serve Southeast Asia.

Revolut currently offers a full digital financial ecosystem spanning mobile banking, foreign exchange, crypto assets and AI-based financial analytics, serving over 40 million individuals and 500,000 businesses in 35 countries.

The deputy PM then met with iProov, a global leader in biometric identity verification. He praised the company’s face authentication technology used in digital identity systems in advanced digital economies.

He proposed that iProov explore cooperation in building Vietnam’s national digital ID and e-verification system, VNeID and in training local talent in data security, AI and cybersecurity.

Later the same day, he met Cundall, a leading UK consultancy in sustainable and low-carbon building design.

He called on the company to share its expertise in net zero carbon construction, smart urban planning and energy-efficient infrastructure, while advancing training and technology transfer through partnerships with the National Innovation Center (NIC).

Apart from meetings with businesses, the deputy PM attended a forum on promoting innovation and developing strategic technologies in Vietnam, joined by nearly 100 Vietnamese experts, scientists and entrepreneurs working in the UK.

Speakers shared insights on renewable energy, semiconductors, AI, quantum technology, green finance and next-generation telecommunications.

The forum also witnessed the signing of an MoU between NIC and the Vietnamese Intellectual Society in the UK and Ireland (VIS), paving the way for key technology projects and an international-standard innovation ecosystem in Vietnam.

The deputy prime minister stressed the pivotal role of the Vietnamese knowledge community in the UK as a bridge for strategic technology cooperation and reaffirmed the government’s appreciation of global Vietnamese talent in building a creative and prosperous nation.