Don’t wait and see – build

Dr. Le Mai Lan explains how VinUniversity is combining AI, applied learning, and industry collaboration to prepare students to solve real-world problems from day one.

Gavin Allen: Why did you set up VinUni?

Dr. Le Mai Lan
President of VinUniversity and Vice-Chairwoman, Vingroup

Dr. Le Mai Lan: We wanted to create a world-class university to develop talent for the future of Vietnam and the world; and to show what our country can do. AI hasn’t changed that core mission: we are here to build a top-notch teaching and research environment. It just makes us even more proactive and allows us to accelerate what we do. AI is a multiplier for research. It helps streamline our administration and simplify the non-value-adding processes so we can focus on the core job: creating knowledge and nurturing talent.

Gavin Allen: How will AI impact innovation?

Dr. Le Mai Lan: Our distinct advantage is being born within the inspiring Vingroup ecosystem, with its can-do way of thinking and huge coverage across Vietnamese consumers. We cover everything from schools, real estate and services to heavy industry, tech and energy – and without energy there’s no AI – and much more. Vietnam has so much potential, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Our philosophy is you have two choices when you see a challenge: wait and see, acting like a victim; or take responsibility and accountability to solve it.

Gavin Allen: And the university taps into that culture?

Dr. Le Mai Lan: Yes. We all want to develop a high-quality workforce, but countries also need thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. At VinUni, we work with Cornell University to help students develop critical thinking, curiosity, empathy, and a sense of purpose — not just career skills. Through our OASIS program, students build an Individual Development Plan focused on long-term growth, including digital skills, AI literacy, and personal development.

Gavin Allen: And the students drive that?

Dr. Le Mai Lan: Yes – it is their life. We are building thinkers. You cannot force changemakers to change.

Gavin Allen: How have students and staff responded to the rapid pace of technological change and the need to constantly adapt?

Dr. Le Mai Lan: Students are highly adaptable; they immediately know how to use AI. And that drives our faculty too, with a motivation to cope and support student development. We have a Center for Education Management, with enthusiasts who always love to adopt technology, and voluntarily share those tools with others. That enables us to learn from each other spontaneously, with a rich staff diversity and a very positive atmosphere towards using and learning AI. But now, I want to have a deeper look at the strategic challenge, to improve our dashboard and make the system more connected and focused to further help students. Not just checking progress for QS rankings, but going beyond that to provide an archive of internships, a library of creative ideas from companies, expertise networks, or a chatbot to tutor you.

Gavin Allen: So, you’re not yet at the final destination?

Dr. Le Mai Lan: We’re always evolving. What is often lacking is an AI master map. I can identify my strategic needs and then an architect must convert those needs into tech use cases and then another engineer has to convert those use cases into possible solutions, mapping how much it would cost and when it would be delivered. It’s three steps connecting the president to the app developer. If you miss a link and invest in what vendors tell you, it may not simplify your specific processes and improve the student, faculty, teaching, and research experience. So, before you rush in, you must spend time on design thinking. Do the right things before you do things right. And I’m delighted we did that.

Gavin Allen: Tell us about VinUni’s 20,000 Applied AI Talent program, which began in April.

Dr. Le Mai Lan: Learning, Living the Lab and Building is an intensive 12-week course to train AI practitioners. We had 3,000 high-quality applicants in the first 24 hours of promotion; we only need 500. The only test is that, at the end of the course, you can be put into the Vingroup ecosystem and be able to work immediately and effectively. It’s not what you know, it's how well you can deliver. That’s the philosophy we need. The learner learns in the morning, goes to the lab in the afternoon, and in the evening, builds the app as guided by the coaches. Practical problems, specific goals, and always fixing and improving. We have so many jobs, but you have to really understand customer needs and build a responsible, sustainable, and ethical AI product or solution.

Gavin Allen: It’s bringing the faculty and industry together.

Dr. Le Mai Lan: And if it succeeds, I will roll this out further for Vingroup. I want us to go global. Currently, 90% of our general managers are Vietnamese. Mindset, knowledge, and competence are needed to unlock our GMs’ potential, and to help them believe in themselves. Every evening, in a 21-day transformation process, they have to come up with a challenge to fix. Then it’s an hour online with coaching, suggesting and improving a solution, learning and building. Their idea gets tested and, if successful, progresses to a full Vingroup hackathon. If that’s successful, we fund you and you apply your idea. It pushes our GMs to think more creatively, but not blindly. You’re not fighting with only will and empowerment. You now also have know-how, toolkits, and capabilities – and with them, you can fight. Let’s see how it goes!