Vietnam will fall short of its own newly set target of investing 1 to 1.5% of GDP annually in AI in 2027, with the shortfall concentrated in the state's own contribution rather than private capital.

The government's newly proclaimed 2030 National AI Strategy defers its two main tools for mobilising real public money, interest rate subsidies and tax incentives for AI activity, to future study rather than committing them now, while the investment target itself counts private and foreign capital the state does not directly control. Expect officials to point to rising private and FDI linked AI spending as proof of progress even as the state's own disbursed share of that target lags behind.