Vietnamese students are confident about AI, but there is still a gap when it comes to applying it in practice.

This information was released on October 6th in Hanoi in a research report on the readiness of Vietnamese students to apply AI from the classroom to the workplace. The study is part of a series of surveys conducted in six markets: Brazil, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States , and Vietnam.

The report ranks Vietnam among the markets with a high rate of AI adoption. Up to 90% of university leaders surveyed believe the pace of change brought about by AI in the workplace is “extremely fast” or “very fast,” 23 percentage points higher than the global average. Notably, 100% of the surveyed leaders believe this rate of change will continue to accelerate in the next two years.

Meanwhile, 96% of surveyed university and college leaders said their institutions are investing in AI, and 84% said they regularly connect with businesses to understand market needs. On the student side, over 52% rated their readiness level between 8/10 and 10/10 for working in an AI-integrated environment, the highest among the six markets studied.

However, students' confidence doesn't match the assessments from businesses. On average across eight competency groups, only 15% of employers in Vietnam rate recent graduates as "excellent" in key competencies in an AI-integrated work environment. Internationally, 53% of employers report difficulty finding recent graduates with AI skills that meet job requirements.

According to the report, this gap stems in part from differences between training requirements and job realities. While educational institutions focus on teaching students how to use AI tools, employers expect workers to be able to apply AI at a higher level, combining technological skills with creative thinking, critical thinking, data analysis, communication, and collaboration to solve real-world problems.

The report notes that the major challenge for the young workforce no longer lies primarily in access to AI tools, but in effectively integrating AI skills with foundational competencies. In particular, critical thinking, data analysis, communication, and collaboration are seen as key elements that enable individuals to maintain leadership roles and make decisions in the application of AI.

To bridge this gap, the report emphasizes the need to link AI training with real-world work. Familiarization with AI tools should translate into the ability to apply AI in learning and work. Training programs need to integrate AI in a substantive way, while simultaneously enhancing the application capabilities of both instructors and students.

The report presents two frameworks to support educational institutions and businesses in identifying bottlenecks in AI competency development, and identifies four core competency groups: AI tool proficiency; responsible and ethical AI governance; strategic thinking about AI; and key human skills.

Therefore, higher education institutions are advised to shorten curriculum update cycles, enhance faculty training in an application-oriented manner, and create opportunities for students to practice AI. Businesses need to increase their involvement in the training process through advisory boards, real-world projects, and facilitate faculty access to the business environment. Regulatory bodies are advised to refine mechanisms and policies, creating a framework for integrating international digital skills certifications into university programs.

Eklavya Bhave, Director of Higher Education for Asia Pacific at Pearson, believes that while AI development in Vietnam is rapid, this pace alone cannot bridge the skills gap. He argues that students need to be equipped with the ability to apply AI in practice and carefully verify results, thereby linking their learning process to career opportunities.

Ms. Yashinta Bahana, Director of Market Expansion at APJ and Strategic Partner, Training and Certification at AWS, also emphasized that accessing new AI tools is just the beginning. What businesses and graduates need is the ability to apply AI to solve real-world problems, coupled with practical thinking and hands-on skills.