Vietnamese and Lao officials spent three days in Danang in late August exploring cooperation in semiconductors, AI, and digital transformation, with Laos showing particular interest in how the central Vietnamese city built its technology ecosystem from the ground up.
The meetings, held from August 26-28, ran alongside the Mid-term Conference of the Vietnam-Laos Cooperation Committee for 2026 and the 19th meeting of the Steering Committee for the Cooperation Programme between the two finance ministries. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Quoc Phuong and Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Santiphat Phomviharn led the respective delegations.
The exchange covered technology development, human resources, and business connectivity. The delegation visited Software Park No. 2 in Danang to examine the city's digital government systems and its development plans for semiconductors and AI.
What Laos asked Danang
Phomviharn said Danang stands out not only for technology but for broader development. "Danang is not unfamiliar to me, but over the years I have witnessed the city's remarkable development," he said.
He pressed for specifics on how Danang's semiconductor and AI center moved from concept to operation. He also asked whether research from the center reaches practical use and whether it meets market demand - a question that signaled focus on commercial viability, not just infrastructure.
Truong Thanh Binh, director of the Danang Centre for Digital Transformation and Strategic Technology, explained that the city has been building its digital government since 2006, with the center established in 2008. The current model reflects a long-term process, not a short-term project.
Binh outlined the principle of "one platform, multiple partners," where outside organizations build on a shared architectural framework across successive generations. He said this approach minimizes duplication and keeps the system continuous while allowing multiple partners to contribute.
The cooperation roadmap
Tran Nam Hung, vice chairman of the Danang People's Committee, said cooperation with Lao localities already involves annual exchanges and mutual socioeconomic support. He added that digital transformation, semiconductors, and AI are priority areas.
The two sides discussed cooperation beyond experience-sharing, extending to workforce training, business connectivity, investment, technology transfer, and commercializing research. Danang aims to train semiconductor and AI engineers to international standards and to increase exchanges among lecturers, experts, and students from universities, research institutes, and businesses.
The city also has a target of attracting 10-15 Laos-based businesses with total invested capital of roughly $300-500 million by 2030. Planned activities include business-matching programs, thematic seminars, and investment promotion work with companies, research institutes, and universities from both countries.
Danang's approach to AI carries lessons for HR leaders. The city designed its workforce from the outset on a shared platform that multiple partners could extend, rather than building isolated programs. That logic translates directly to what HR teams need to do: invest in talent with long horizons, not just one-off training, and build roles that let people grow with successive technology generations. In a field where employer skill gaps widen quickly, this two-decade roadmap for building workforce capability is useful to mirror in company terms, even at a smaller scale.
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