ChatGPT fever reaches Vietnam, from Vingroup to AI startups

Country finds way to use blocked bot captivating the likes of Adani and Alibaba

ChatGPT is not officially available in Vietnam, but everyone from individual users to major conglomerates are showing an interest in the chatbot's potential. (Source photos by Reuters)

LIEN HOANG, Nikkei staff writer

February 16, 2023 14:12 JST

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Vietnam is joining Asia's rush to embrace ChatGPT, even though the Microsoft-backed AI bot has not launched in the country.

The excitement has spawned a cottage industry selling accounts that are meant to be free, while some of the country's biggest companies are looking into the possibilities of a technology that composes emails, essays, code and even news stories based on simple user prompts.