On May 7, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung, accompanied by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong, led a delegation to visit and work with Zalo Platforms Co., Ltd. under VNG Corporation in VNG Campus, Tan Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, and Real-Time Robotics Vietnam Joint Stock Company (RtR) in Tang Nhon Phu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung and the delegation inspected the server infrastructure at the VNG Data Center and experienced firsthand the KiLM large language model as well as Vietnamese-language virtual assistant technologies.
Zalo Platforms operates in Vietnam’s technology and digital platform sector. Within the broader Zalo ecosystem, the company is responsible for developing, deploying, and operating core platforms, foundational products, and digital solutions that facilitate connectivity among users, partners, and enterprise clients on the Zalo platform.
Since 2022, the group has intensified its focus on artificial intelligence-driven products and platforms, expanding the Zalo AI ecosystem with technologies such as Kiki Auto, the KiLM large language model, VMLM, and the Digital Citizen Assistant.
During the working session, representatives of Zalo Platforms and VNG proposed several policy recommendations to the Deputy Prime Minister aimed at accelerating the growth of Vietnam’s AI ecosystem. These included strengthening AI computing infrastructure, expanding access to public data, developing a highly skilled workforce, and introducing regulatory sandbox mechanisms for strategic technology products.
The company also proposed incentive policies, including personal income tax exemptions for AI experts to help attract and retain top talent, as well as controlled pilot frameworks that would allow businesses to test new technologies and features within a regulated environment.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung praised the products and technological capabilities developed by Zalo Platforms while urging the Ministry of Science and Technology to promptly introduce stronger support policies to enable the company’s continued growth.
The recommendations put forward by Zalo Platforms and VNG are highly legitimate and deserve serious consideration. Existing policy bottlenecks must be addressed more decisively. Support policies cannot remain piecemeal. They must be comprehensive, enabling, and sufficiently robust to create real momentum for businesses to grow and innovate, he stressed.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung also visited Real-Time Robotics Vietnam Joint Stock Company (RtR), a Vietnamese technology firm specializing in the design and production of high-end unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) under the “Made in Vietnam” brand.
The company is best known for its multifunctional Hera drone line, which has gained recognition for its advanced technological capabilities and has been successfully exported to markets including the United States and the European Union. RtR’s products are currently used in sectors such as national defense, security, and power infrastructure management.
According to the company, its drone products have achieved a localization rate of up to 95 percent, covering the entire development and manufacturing process — from aircraft frames and electronic components to flight-control software, ground station systems, and data analysis platforms.
During the working session, Mr. Luong Viet Quoc, founder and chief executive officer of RtR, expressed confidence that Vietnam could have a UAV company valued at more than US$1 billion before 2029.
He called on the Government to provide a preferential loan package worth VND300 billion (US$11.4 million) to support the company’s investment and expansion plans, while affirming the firm’s full repayment capability.
The RtR executive also proposed that the Government subsidize up to 50 percent of research and development costs for projects that generate new technologies and exempt imported components and materials used for R&D activities from import procedures in order to accelerate innovation and product development.
Mr. Luong Viet Quoc also pledged to help advance Vietnam’s UAV ecosystem, committing that RtR would fully master 100 percent of its core technologies by December 2027. He added that at least 70 percent of those core technologies would be developed to international standards suitable for export to G7 markets, while also supplying domestically developed core technology products to Vietnamese agencies and enterprises for wider application.
Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong said the city had introduced multiple support measures to facilitate the company’s growth.
According to the city official, RtR is preparing to break ground on a nearly one-hectare manufacturing plant at the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park. The city has also pledged financial support worth VND200 billion (US$7.62 million) to help the company further develop its unmanned aerial vehicle technologies and products.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung acknowledged RtR’s significant achievements and persistent efforts, while expressing hope that Ho Chi Minh City would continue supporting the company so it can soon begin construction of its manufacturing plant at the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park.
He also urged the Ministry of Science and Technology to promptly address the company’s proposals, enabling RtR to rapidly expand its production capacity and further demonstrate the value and technological capabilities of Vietnamese innovation on the global stage.
Regarding the company’s request for a VND300 billion preferential loan, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that Ho Chi Minh City had already committed VND200 billion in support, while directing the Ministry of Science and Technology to expedite consideration of the remaining VND100 billion (US$3.8 million).
A company whose products have successfully entered international markets and gained acceptance abroad — coupled with such clear and ambitious commitments — deserves stronger support to accelerate its growth. This is also a strategic technology product that reflects the role of science and technology in line with Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung stressed.
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