AI governance, digital infrastructure development, expanding technology cooperation and ensuring AI safety and many issues will be discussed at Vietnam International Digital Week 2026 at the end of October.

Vietnam International Digital Week 2026 (VIDW 2026) has the theme "Developing smart connections: AI governance, Creating AI transformation", taking place October 28-30 in Quang Ninh. The event is expected to bring together representatives of governments, international organizations, businesses and researchers to discuss policies, technology solutions and cooperation opportunities in the digital field.

According to the program, the content will focus on key issues including: Smart connection for AI operation; AI governance to build trust for people and businesses to use; and AI transformation to bring AI to create real value for society.

AI deployment and governance capacity

AI is the focus throughout this year's Digital Week, discussed from a policy perspective to practical applications. At the Ministerial roundtable session on the morning of October 28, representatives of Vietnam, the US and the European Union, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, and Cambodia are expected to share experiences in managing AI, challenges in the implementation process and possible areas of cooperation between governments.

Discussion sessions from businesses, institutions and international organizations will focus on practical AI solutions, investment activities and capacity building programs. Representatives of the United Nations, the Global Mobile Association (GSMA), domestic and foreign technology businesses and universities such as Nvidia, Samsung, Baidu, FPT, Viettel... will share experiences and propose directions for cooperation with Vietnam and the region.

Speakers will discuss how to balance promoting innovation and protecting people as AI becomes more widely applied. Issues raised include sandboxes, standards, testing, incident reporting, and compatibility between different AI governance frameworks.

Besides governance policy, putting AI into practice is also a matter of concern. The program requires a balance between application speed and long-term autonomy, including AI models, data, computing infrastructure and human resources.

New generation digital infrastructure and connectivity

Infrastructure is also an important issue of Digital Week. This year's discussion direction will aim to promote "smart connectivity", not only expanding network access, but also universalizing connectivity, narrowing the digital gap and investing in high-capacity infrastructure such as new generation networks, data centers and computing capacity to serve innovation.

The problem is to mobilize private investment resources, develop sustainable infrastructure, save energy, and avoid forming new digital gaps when technology develops rapidly.

On October 29, the ASEAN Conference on 5G will focus on the picture of 5G network development in the region, upcoming trends and deployment directions, experiences between countries as well as the role of this technology in connectivity, innovation and digital transformation. Management agencies and businesses plan to discuss difficulties in implementation and seek opportunities for cooperation among ASEAN countries.

AI safety and digital trusted infrastructure

Besides promoting adoption, ensuring safe and responsible AI is a separate line of discussion. The workshop within the framework of Vietnam - Japan cooperation, scheduled to take place on October 29, will discuss AI governance, safety and risk management in the spirit of the Hiroshima AI Process. Content includes experiences in building strategic autonomy in open AI ecosystems, assessing safety and reliability, and how to deploy AI responsibly in businesses.

A related issue is building cross-border digital trust infrastructure in the AI ​​age. The workshop on cross-border trust services will discuss legal frameworks, electronic transaction governance and trust services; and exchange technical solutions, standards and deployment models for public key infrastructure (PKI), electronic signatures and authentication. Interoperability and mutual recognition between digital systems and services are also proposed to support cross-border transactions.

Expanding international technology cooperation

This year's Digital Week devotes a lot of time to bilateral and multilateral cooperation forums. On the afternoon of October 28, the ASEAN-EU Digital Innovation Forum plans to discuss the digital innovation ecosystem, opportunities for cooperation in research, development and application of technology, especially in the fields of AI, data and digital infrastructure. Vietnam - Australia Digital Cooperation Forum promotes investment, technology transfer, business connection and digital human resource development.

On October 29, the Vietnam - EU Science and Technology Cooperation Forum discussed research, transfer and commercialization of advanced materials. Meanwhile, the Vietnam - China conference focused on research and application of AI, especially large language models (LLM), agent AI, infrastructure optimization and development of low-cost AI models.

Vietnam International Digital Week was initiated in 2019 and is one of the prestigious annual forums on digital technology cooperation in the region. This year, the program lasts three days, from October 28 to 30 in Quang Ninh, hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The event is expected to gather 500 domestic and foreign delegates, including policymakers, experts and technology businesses.

Within the framework of the event, the technology exhibition taking place on October 28-29 will introduce solutions in AI, Internet of Things (IoT), big data and strategic digital technologies. Products and practical application models were also demonstrated at the event.

Liu Quy