KT’s partnership with Viettel to boost AI access in Vietnam

KT CEO Kim Young-shub, left, poses with Viettel Group Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang at Viettel's office in Hanoi, Monday (local time), after signing a partnership agreement to enhance Viettel’s artificial intelligence capabilities. Courtesy of KT

Korean telecommunications giant KT has partnered with Vietnam’s Viettel Group to integrate KT’s artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, aiming to boost Vietnam’s AI market and talent development, thereby strengthening Viettel’s influence across Southeast Asia.

KT CEO Kim Young-shub met with Viettel Group Chairman and CEO Tao Duc Thang in Hanoi on Monday (local time), where they signed a strategic partnership to collaborate on AI transformation (AX).

Viettel is a global telecommunications company operating Viettel Telecom, the largest telecom provider in Vietnam, serving 138 million customers across 11 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America. According to KT, Viettel posted $7.34 billion in sales last year and is now shifting its market position from a telecommunications company to a technology company.

Under the partnership, the two companies agreed on six key goals, including KT providing systematic AX consulting to Viettel and jointly developing a long-term roadmap for the Vietnamese firm.

KT will also develop an AI model, AI agent and counter-voice phishing solutions tailored specifically for Vietnam. This will allow Viettel to introduce advanced services for local consumers and companies in Vietnam, according to KT.

The two companies will establish an AI development center and a GPU farm in Vietnam, enhancing the country’s local AI and cloud infrastructure. To cultivate more AX and information technology talent across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, they will support training programs at the company's global development center in Hanoi. KT’s AI education platform, AICE, will be introduced to facilitate these efforts.

According to KT, the companies hope this latest partnership will go beyond technology, serving as a catalyst to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two nations. KT said the two companies have begun planning to establish a joint venture to develop the AX industry in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

“With our AX consulting and AI expert training, KT will support Viettel’s successful AX transformation and AI innovation across Southeast Asia," the KT CEO said.

Thang said KT and Viettel have “launched a strategic partnership after having a close discussion.” He added that with KT’s technologies, Viettel will start offering solutions to global markets that have been penetrated by Viettel and Vietnam.

Before signing the partnership, Kim met with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy to discuss Vietnam’s AI transformation roadmap.