KT and Viettel Signed Partnership to Develop Vietnam AI
The companies plan to build a national language model and infrastructure to accelerate AI transformation in Vietnam.
Updated on Oct. 4, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
Live Poll
Should nations prioritize developing their own sovereign national AI language models?
KT and Viettel have signed a Partnership 2.0 agreement to develop a national AI language model for Vietnam. The initiative follows an initial collaboration established in May 2025.
Why it matters
The partnership aims to advance Vietnam's national artificial intelligence strategy by building specialized solutions for sectors including government administration, public services, and education.
The partnership will establish a Global AX Innovation Center to research and develop AI solutions for detecting voice phishing and deepfakes. This infrastructure is designed to support the deployment of the national AI language model across public and government services.
The players
KT
A Korean telecommunications company providing mobile, broadband, and information technology infrastructure.
Viettel
A Vietnamese multinational telecommunications provider managing extensive digital infrastructure and technology services.
The details
KT and Viettel intend to co-develop localized AI models that leverage institutional data for state and public sector applications. To support this, the partners are creating a Global AX Innovation Center, a centralized facility focused on research and development. The collaborative roadmap involves technical teams traveling between Korea and Vietnam to integrate specific security solutions capable of identifying voice phishing and synthetic deepfake media.
Timeline
May 2025: The initial partnership agreement was established between KT and Viettel.
September 29, 2026: The companies signed the Partnership 2.0 agreement ahead of a business forum.
The Tech Race
This effort aligns with Vietnam's national artificial intelligence strategy by securing specialized infrastructure for public sector applications. It marks a significant transition from general research to dedicated national-level model development within the Southeast Asian AI ecosystem.
The partnership expects to integrate AI tools into public services, government administration, and educational workflows in Vietnam. Residents and government agencies will eventually access these tools as the language model and phishing detection systems are deployed.
The takeaway
This agreement signals a shift toward sovereign AI development in Vietnam through cross-border technical cooperation. Observers should track the rollout of the national language model as it transitions from the newly formed Global AX Innovation Center into public utility applications.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest progress in Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Pulse.
Live Poll
Should nations prioritize developing their own sovereign national AI language models?
