As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly emerges as strategic infrastructure for the digital economy and data becomes a core asset for businesses and nations alike, the Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) – Southern Office, Quang Trung Software City Development Company Limited (QTSC) and the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Support and Consulting Center (DXCenter), jointly organized the seminar "AI and Data sovereignty in the digital era."

Overview of the seminar

The seminar marked a significant milestone as the first official activity of the Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) – Southern Office since its establishment.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Tran Huu Dung, CEO of QTSC and representative of VIA – Southern Office, emphasized: "AI is no longer the technology of the future—it has become the infrastructure of today. To achieve sustainable AI development, Vietnam must build capabilities in data, computing infrastructure, technology, and talent. VIA Southern Office aims to serve as a bridge connecting businesses, government agencies, universities, and international organizations to foster a safe, responsible AI and Internet ecosystem while safeguarding data sovereignty."

Ms. Pham Thi Kim Phuong, Deputy CEO of QTSC, delivered the opening remarks

The VIA Southern Office will focus on connecting the technology community, promoting research and training partnerships, facilitating knowledge sharing and technology transfer, and proposing initiatives and policies to advance digital infrastructure and AI development across southern Vietnam.

The seminar featured discussions on key topics attracting significant attention from both the technology community and businesses, including AI sovereignty and Vietnam's AI development strategy; big data infrastructure for AI; AI governance and compliance frameworks; the Personal data protection law and data governance; AI applications in cybersecurity and digital data protection; local data & AI solutions that enable organizations to maintain control over their data; and AI-ready infrastructure built on secure and sustainable foundations.

Presentations by experts from HPE, Data Protectify, QTSC, TMA Tech Group, and Cisco explored the relationship between digital infrastructure, data, and AI sovereignty amid the growing adoption of AI across industries. The discussions underscored that data infrastructure, GPUs, high-performance computing (HPC), and large-scale AI deployment models are fundamental to developing sovereign AI capabilities for both enterprises and nations.

Mr. Phuong Nguyen, Solution Architect at HPE, presented "Big data infrastructure and AI sovereignty assessment"

From a practical implementation perspective, experts also introduced the Local data & AI solutions model, enabling organizations to store and process data within their own infrastructure. The model integrates technologies such as Local Large Language Models (Local LLMs), Enterprise Knowledge Bases, Multi-Agent AI, and Edge AI, ensuring that organizational data remains under full internal control.

Ms. An Trinh, Data & Artificial Intelligence Governance Specialist at Data Protectify, presented "AI governance and compliance framework: Legal landscape and implementation roadmap"

Current trends indicate that many organizations, particularly those managing critical or highly sensitive data, are increasingly prioritizing local AI solutions instead of relying entirely on public cloud platforms. At the same time, deploying AI at the device or network edge (Edge AI) is increasingly regarded as an effective approach to processing data in real time, reducing latency, and minimizing the risks associated with transmitting data outside the organization's infrastructure.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, Head of QTSC CyberSec, presented "AI in Cybersecurity – A sovereign solution"

One of the seminar's key objectives was to strengthen connections between businesses, universities, and research institutes in order to develop AI and cybersecurity talent capable of meeting the practical needs of the market. The Organizing Committee hopes that insights from businesses, experts, and academia will contribute to establishing collaborative models for research, training, and technology transfer, while fostering the development of a Digital talent ecosystem for Ho Chi Minh City and southern Vietnam.

Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the AI Solutions Center at TMA Tech Group, presented "Local data & AI solutions"

Mr. Dang Hong Minh, Solution Engineer at Cisco Vietnam, presented "Building AI-ready infrastructure – A secure and sustainable foundation for data sovereignty"

In addition to the presentation sessions, the event featured a technology exhibition showcasing AI solutions, data infrastructure, high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and digital transformation technologies from leading technology providers.

Panel discussion on the role of enterprises in advancing AI sovereignty and policy recommendations

The exhibition also provided participating organizations with opportunities to showcase their technologies, connect with potential partners, explore new business opportunities, and expand collaboration in the fields of AI and data.

Event highlights:

Source: DXCenter