In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has transitioned from a buzzword to a critical component of business strategy in Vietnam, particularly in marketing. Companies are now leveraging AI to enhance market analysis, content creation, customer experience personalization, advertising optimization, and automated customer care. A report by McKinsey in 2024 indicated that the adoption of AI in advertising could boost conversion rates by as much as 30% compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, Statista forecasts that the AI market in Vietnam could reach $1.3 billion by 2025.
Duong Gia Phat, a digital marketing solutions provider, has been implementing AI since 2020. The company began with SEO content creation and has since expanded its use of AI to optimize advertising and deploy chatbots. CEO Duong Cong Dong shared with Tạp chí Doanh Nhân Sài Gòn that their strategy is methodical: "We do not apply AI haphazardly. Everything starts with supporting SEO content writing, then expands to ad optimization and chatbot deployment." This step-by-step approach has allowed AI to enhance productivity without disrupting existing marketing processes.
By 2022, with the emergence of generative tools like ChatGPT, Duong Gia Phat accelerated its application of technology in marketing strategies. Currently, the company focuses on three main areas: personalizing customer experiences, content creation, and automated customer care. Tools such as ChatGPT, Google Performance Max, and internal chatbots have significantly reduced customer acquisition costs while increasing order closing rates by 15%.
However, not all businesses find it easy to implement AI. From his extensive experience in providing digital marketing solutions, Dong identified three major barriers: a lack of skilled AI personnel, inconsistent data systems, and unprepared business processes. To overcome these challenges, he suggests that companies start with simple tools, standardize their data, and invest in employee training.
MOODBIZ, another digital marketing consultancy, founded by Tran Minh Thien, also employs AI to analyze data, provide feedback, and optimize content strategies. Thien noted that AI has enabled the company to significantly speed up processes that previously took hours or days. "Before, analyzing Japanese documents could take many hours or even days; now it only takes seconds thanks to AI. Staff can use AI agents to make suggestions instead of waiting for advisor feedback," he explained.
Despite the advantages, MOODBIZ faces similar challenges as Duong Gia Phat, including uneven AI usage across departments and the risk of data inaccuracies. Thien emphasized the importance of standardizing processes and creating a set of sample commands, along with having personnel thoroughly review output content. He believes that to fully harness AI's value, companies must clearly understand their products, competitive advantages, and target customers. "AI is a tool, but if you don't know what you want, no matter how powerful the tool is, it will be hard to achieve results," he stated.
At the AISC 2025 conference held in Hanoi in March, Professor Young-Sup Joo from Seoul National University highlighted that AI has evolved beyond being a mere technology; it is now a driving force for sustainable economic development. He pointed out that one of the biggest challenges is ensuring AI serves humanity rather than just focusing on profit or technology alone. Joo proposed two strategic directions for Vietnam's AI development: 'Fast Follower' and 'First Mover.'
Vietnam is encouraged to pursue both strategies simultaneously, learning from successful models abroad while also taking the initiative in specific sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. Joo explained, "Instead of directly competing with AI powerhouses like the US or China, Vietnam can focus on applying AI in industries where there are still many opportunities to lead. Investment in AI should not stop at technology but must also include developing human resources, building digital infrastructure, and collaborating with global partners."
Both Dong and Thien agree that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should adopt AI in their marketing strategies to avoid falling behind. They recommend starting with simple, low-cost tools such as ChatGPT, Canva AI, Google Performance Max, and chatbots for tasks like content creation, ad optimization, and customer care. Dong added that SMEs should implement AI as soon as possible to keep pace with competitors but should begin with straightforward, cost-effective solutions that deliver immediate results.
In addition to marketing, AI is also reshaping the hardware landscape in Vietnam, particularly with the introduction of AI-integrated laptops. The rapid development of AI is not only changing how people search for information and process data but is also redefining familiar devices like laptops. In less than a year, the term "AI PC" has become a common keyword in global technology conferences, with major players like Microsoft, Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD participating.
According to Gartner, by 2025, about 43% of all PCs shipped worldwide will have AI-supported hardware, with AI laptops expected to account for over 51% of total laptop sales. In Vietnam, laptops that meet the Copilot+ PC standard are characterized by AI processing performance of 40 TOPS or more, optimizing multitasking experiences and deeply integrating with the AI features of Windows operating systems.
Eric Lee, Director of Southeast Asia at ASUS, noted that while AI laptops have started to be introduced in Vietnam since 2024, the adoption rate remains low. He reported that 30-40% of laptops sold still use older generation CPUs, while only 2-5% are equipped with newer chips. "Choosing an older CPU reduces laptop prices by about 10%, but it can diminish performance, long-term usability, and compatibility with new AI technologies," Lee stated.
Despite the challenges, the emergence of AI laptops in Vietnam signifies a shift from traditional criteria like price and design to more sustainable values such as long-term performance, software compatibility, and AI support. While the rate of users transitioning to new CPU platforms remains low, data from companies and product realities indicate that initial changes are underway.
For instance, the Zenbook A14 weighs only 980g and can operate for up to 32 hours with stable performance. Another model, the Zenbook 14, can run some AAA games well, even though it is classified as an ultrabook, which would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.
Lee concluded, "CPUs with AI support are a solution for ensuring the future," reflecting the industry's direction in the next phase of laptop development. With many major manufacturers entering the market and the rapid pace of software updates, AI laptops are expected not only to be a passing trend but to become the default standard in most personal computing products going forward.
