From family-run shops to frontier biotech, Le Uyen Thao believes Vietnamese innovation is no longer catching up — it’s catching fire.
While digital transformation often feels like a tech buzzword, Le Uyen Thao, founder of AI Leaders Vietnam, has a more grounded perspective: it’s a way for Vietnamese businesses to reclaim their stories and reimagine their futures.
With deep roots in both the AI and startup ecosystems, Thao has worked across sectors to help traditional businesses adapt, digitize, and thrive. In this conversation, she shares how the “rising era” is unfolding in Vietnam — and why identity, not just infrastructure, must be at the center of innovation.
Highlights
- A Nation on the Move — Powered by Scale, Trade, and Tech
- Where AI Creates the Fastest ROI
- A Framework to Humanize AI in Business
- A Generation That Builds with Purpose
- How Global Investors Can Win in Vietnam
- Innovation at the Intersections
- The Rising Era Isn’t a Slogan — It’s a Choice
- Beyond Building Vietnam’s Future: One Bold Leap at a Time
A Nation on the Move — Powered by Scale, Trade, and Tech
Q: You call this moment Vietnam’s “new era of rising.” What makes it such a pivotal period for growth and innovation?
A: For me, “rising” isn’t a metaphor — it’s something we can feel in the air. It’s in the resolve of entrepreneurs lining the streets on National Day. It’s in the momentum across the economy, and it’s in the pride that Vietnamese people now carry when talking about our role in the global landscape.
There are three major forces propelling us forward:
- Scale: Vietnam’s GDP is projected to grow 7.09% in 2024, creating new momentum after recent global and domestic challenges.
- Integration: We’ve signed 17 Free Trade Agreements with 60+ partners. In 2024 alone, our total trade turnover reached $786.3B, with a $24.77B trade surplus. U.S.–Vietnam bilateral trade reached $149.7B, up 360% from two decades ago.
- Technology: Our digital economy is valued at $36B (18.3% of GDP). Vietnam has launched its AI Strategy to 2030, aiming to become ASEAN’s innovation hub. The National Digital Transformation Program targets:
- 20% digital contribution to GDP by 2025
- 30% by 2030
- Green-standard infrastructure and AI-ready data centers
This isn’t just about digital tools. It’s about upgrading Vietnam’s entire economic engine — from Made in Vietnam to Created in Vietnam, and now Innovated in Vietnam.
Where AI Creates the Fastest ROI
Q: You work directly with AI implementation in Vietnamese enterprises. Where is AI driving the biggest changes right now?
A: AI is showing up in two major phases: quick wins in the short term, and deeper transformation in the medium term.
In the short term, AI creates the most immediate impact in:
- Marketing and Customer Experience: Personalized content, improved conversion rates, smarter targeting.
- Sales and Support: 24/7 AI agents that understand Vietnamese, auto-log CRM data, and suggest sales scenarios — especially valuable in social commerce, retail, and fintech.
But the real story is with SMEs. For small and medium businesses — over 95% of Vietnam’s economy — this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. AI enables them to:
- Reduce manpower for repetitive tasks (e.g., customer service, marketing)
- Reallocate talent to higher-value activities
- Compete with larger players by being more agile and cost-efficient
In the medium term, the impact will be in Operations and Management. But AI can’t work if the underlying processes aren’t ready. Businesses must:
- First, digitize and standardize manual workflows
- Then identify touchpoints where AI can boost efficiency
My principle is simple: Start where the work is repetitive, time-consuming, and measurable — then build from there.
A Framework to Humanize AI in Business
Q: As the founder of AI Leaders Vietnam, how do you help traditional businesses implement automation while preserving their identity?
A: That’s truly the mission I care most about. AI should never erase identity — it should amplify it.
At AI Leaders Vietnam, we’ve developed a 6-step approach to help businesses embrace AI without losing their soul:
- Readiness Assessment – Understand the business DNA, infrastructure, data, and objectives.
- Data Infrastructure – Brand Voicebooks, prompt guardrails, knowledge hubs (RAG, Knowledge Graph), and data governance.
- Use-case Prioritization – Focus on real business needs, not tech fads.
- Tech Selection – Align tools to the company’s pain points — not the other way around.
- Team Capability Building – Pilot programs (4–6 weeks) with human-in-the-loop, train internal teams.
- Testing & Optimization – Measure impact, iterate, and scale only what works.
This isn’t just about modernizing workflows. It’s about building trustworthy, purposeful, and distinctively Vietnamese brands in the age of AI.
A Generation That Builds with Purpose
Q: You’ve seen Vietnam’s startup ecosystem evolve over the years. What makes this current wave of founders stand out?
A: There’s an energy in this generation that’s hard to put into words — but easy to feel. I’ve watched our ecosystem grow from its early days, and this wave is different.
They bring four key traits:
- Born-global mindset: Built for the world from Day 1 — not “Vietnam first, export later.”
- Tech-native and compliance-smart: Using open source, AI, and deep tech to create entirely new markets.
- Financial discipline: Focused on unit economics, speed, and real traction — not just valuation.
- Community-driven: Growing through TECHFEST, Shark Tank, incubators, and hackathons.
But most of all, they carry a strong mission spirit. They’re not just building businesses. They’re building Vietnam’s next chapter.
How Global Investors Can Win in Vietnam
Q: For international investors and partners, how should they rethink their approach to working in Vietnam?
A: The biggest shift is this: stop viewing Vietnam as a cost play — and start seeing us as a partner in innovation.
Here’s how to succeed here:
- Think “Vietnam + ASEAN”, not just Vietnam. With our FTAs and young, tech-savvy population, we’re the natural gateway to 650 million regional consumers.
- Co-create, don’t just enter. Build together. Run 4–8 week pilots. Tap into the speed and hunger of our engineers.
- Align with our digital and AI strategies. Respect data privacy. Understand our context. Learn alongside us.
- And most importantly: invest in people. Partner with universities. Support continuous learning. The most powerful resource in Vietnam is our people — especially our young leaders, who are globally aware, locally rooted, and ready to build.
Innovation at the Intersections
Q: Are there any achievements or milestones that feel especially meaningful to where you are today?
A: It’s difficult to choose — because so many moments shaped who I am now. But a few stand out:
- AI Leaders Vietnam — We’ve grown into a full-stack community–academy–agency, focused on making AI accessible to SMEs. With 100K+ members and 20M+ reach, it’s become more than a company. It’s a learning ecosystem.
- Yeast Era (Biotech) — A project that transforms 9M tons of agricultural waste into clean protein using patented microbial technology. It reduces $30B in imports and contributes to net-zero goals by 2050.
What unites both is this: I’m always drawn to intersection points — where identity meets innovation, and where the traditional becomes transformational.
The Rising Era Isn’t a Slogan — It’s a Choice
Q: Final thoughts for fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem builders in Asia?
A: I grew up in the reform era — reading by oil lamp during blackouts. Today, I’m helping companies integrate AI and biotechnology.
That journey keeps me grounded. And grateful.
“Personal success only has meaning when it contributes to collective success.”
In this rising era, I don’t want to just witness change. I want to build with it.
And AI Leaders Vietnam is my way of helping others build — responsibly, ambitiously, and with heart.
Beyond Building Vietnam’s Future: One Bold Leap at a Time
What’s next for Le Uyen Thao? She’s doubling down on what she calls Vietnam’s “rising era” — by building tools, ecosystems, and communities that make digital transformation real for the businesses that need it most.
Whether it’s helping a legacy brand rediscover its voice through AI or scaling a biotech solution that turns waste into national resilience, her mission is the same:
make innovation accessible — and identity unshakable.
Through AI Leaders Vietnam, she continues to lead capacity-building programs, train SME founders, and partner with government agencies to align with Vietnam’s AI and digital strategies. And as part of TECHFEST and the national startup movement, she’s mentoring the next wave of builders ready to take Vietnam global.
“The rising era isn’t just something we observe. It’s something we choose to participate in — with discipline, with data, and with heart.”
For Thao, innovation isn’t the end goal. It’s the starting point — for a future built with purpose, and proudly made in Vietnam.
Highlights
- A Nation on the Move — Powered by Scale, Trade, and Tech
- Where AI Creates the Fastest ROI
- A Framework to Humanize AI in Business
- A Generation That Builds with Purpose
- How Global Investors Can Win in Vietnam
- Innovation at the Intersections
- The Rising Era Isn’t a Slogan — It’s a Choice
- Beyond Building Vietnam’s Future: One Bold Leap at a Time
Read the Chinese article here.
