Author | Lucía Burbano
Vietnam has taken steps to incorporate ethics into its national roadmap for Artificial Intelligence. Specifically, ethical AI, transparency, and accountability are being integrated into policy design and legal frameworks, placing the country among the pioneering ASEAN nations not only in AI implementation but also in this ethical governance approach.
The recent AI Bill positions the country at the forefront of global AI regulation and as one of the first to introduce a comprehensive legal framework governing the development, implementation, and management of AI as a key element of its digital sovereignty.
Although it is still too early to assess the measures that are currently under review, the process itself already represents a major step forward and is part of a comprehensive long-term plan by this Southeast Asian country.
AI, Ethics, and Vietnam
Vietnam has developed a roadmap to build an Artificial Intelligence ecosystem based on responsibility. The 2025 Digital Technology Industry Law includes, for the first time, a section on AI, and the country is also one of the few that has incorporated AI ethical principles into its national strategies and legal frameworks.
To highlight this shift toward digital sovereignty, in 2024 Vietnam reached, for the first time, the “Very High” group of the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), ranking 71st worldwide.
The reasons behind this rise include the promotion of open data initiatives, with more than 10 million records published, and the fact that 87% of government agencies provide open data.
Internet access reaches 78.1% of the population, and mobile network coverage spans 99.8%. This extensive digital infrastructure helps reduce regional disparities and promotes more equitable access to technology.
In the scientific and educational fields, the number of AI-related scientific publications increased from 134 in 2010 to over 4,000 in 2023, placing Vietnam 26th worldwide.
The legal framework of AI in Vietnam
In June 2025, Vietnam issued the Digital Technology Industry Law, which includes the first comprehensive legal framework on AI and will take effect on January 1, 2026.
The law establishes a four-tier, risk-based approach, ranging from unacceptable to low risk, and includes provisions to promote innovation through incentives and the creation of a National AI Committee.
In October 2025, a more detailed AI bill was published, establishing the most comprehensive regulatory system based on risk levels and principles inspired by the EU. Key aspects include a risk-based approach to AI governance, a human-centered principle, and specific prohibitions on certain applications, such as non-consensual facial recognition and emotion analysis in educational settings.
Principles ensuring AI governance
Following this approach, all AI-related activities must adhere to nine basic principles, including a human-centered approach and requirements for safety, fairness, transparency, and accountability:
1. Broad scope
The jurisdiction applies not only to domestic AI-related activities but also holds international entities accountable if their AI systems affect Vietnam’s market, users, or legal interests.
2. Fundamental AI definitions
Article 3 of the AI bill sets out a series of fundamental definitions, although several of them remain conceptually broad and open to interpretation.
3. Risk-based classification of AI systems
Article 8 of the AI bill introduces a regulatory framework that classifies AI systems into four risk categories: unacceptable, high, medium, and low. Before launching any AI product in Vietnam, companies must conduct a self-assessment.
4. Prohibited applications
Article 11 of the AI bill prohibits AI applications that pose unacceptable risks, including: manipulating human behavior to cause physical or psychological harm; altering social credit scores in a way that results in unfair discrimination; and collecting large-scale facial recognition databases through indiscriminate data access.
5. Registration in the National AI Database
Article 22 of the AI bill establishes a National AI Database to enhance transparency and accountability.
6. Public-private partnerships for national AI infrastructure
An innovative mechanism is introduced that allows AI data and models to be treated as legal capital contributions in public-private partnership projects, enabling private investors to provide technological resources alongside traditional capital to accelerate the development of the country’s AI infrastructure.
7. National Fund for AI development and support programs for startups and SMEs
This fund is established as an off-budget financing vehicle to support AI research, innovation, and capacity building, funded through state allocations and private contributions.
8. Creation of AI clusters
Specific innovation zones will be created to concentrate talent, data resources, and infrastructure.
9. Government intervention and corrective measures
Authorities will have the power to intervene in AI operations that violate regulations.
Photographs | Unsplash/Tron Le, Unsplash/Igor Omilaev, Unsplash/İsmail Enes Ayhan
