Vietnamese unicorn VNG prepares for the future with push into AI

Vietnamese unicorn VNG prepares for the future with push into AI

Vietnam is increasingly a crowded market for e-wallet companies like Momo and ZaloPay. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)

It is a hazy afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City, and Vuong Quang Khai has just pulled up in a compact SUV to introduce Nikkei Asia to Kiki, his company’s artificial-intelligent voice assistant.

Khai is executive vice president at VNG, a gaming startup-turned-tech conglomerate that has become Vietnam’s first unicorn. The Columbia-educated computer scientist also heads Zalo AI, the VNG division that developed Kiki, which he was keen to showcase.

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