Two Days of Vietnam’s Investment Narrative and AI’s Shift to “Real Value”
During WEF Davos 2026, I attended a series of engagements connected to the Vietnamese delegation, alongside two events hosted by AI House. Across these discussions, a consistent theme emerged: global capital is increasingly drawn to execution-ready platforms, whether that is bankable green projects, credible digital finance infrastructure, or AI solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
Day 1 (20/1/2026) – Da Nang: Green Capital & Digital Finance, plus AI House
I joined the Executive Roundtable Dinner “Da Nang – The Rising Nexus of Green Capital & Digital Finance”.
What stood out was the format and the clarity of positioning: leadership remarks, a keynote on Da Nang’s development vision and priority investment opportunities, followed by a structured dialogue with international organizations, businesses, and investors, and then 1:1 networking.
Da Nang’s narrative, anchored in green transition and digital finance, is immediately legible to global investors. It frames the city as both a destination for sustainable infrastructure investment and a platform where digital financial services can accelerate modern urban growth.
That same day, I also attended two sessions organized by AI House, including “From Gold Rush to Growth: Investing in AI’s real value.” The central message was clear: AI is moving from experimentation and excitement into a phase where investors demand proof of value : measurable ROI, scalability, and operational readiness. Key themes included:
- From demo to production: credible teams must show reliable deployment in real operations.
- Unit economics: compute cost, margin structure, and scalable delivery models are now front and center.
- Governance as a differentiator: data lineage, privacy, and compliance are increasingly non-negotiable for enterprise adoption.
- AI and cybersecurity convergence: as AI expands digital surfaces, security becomes foundational, not an afterthought.
Day 2 (21/1/2026) Ho Chi Minh City: IFC Vision and Investment Pathways
I attended the Working Luncheon “Viet Nam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City – Vision and Investment Opportunities”.
The discussion focused on Vietnam’s ambition to develop an International Financial Center (IFC) in Ho Chi Minh City and attract long-term international capital. From an investor perspective, the critical question is not only the vision itself, but how it translates into clear frameworks, transparent governance, and a concrete pipeline that enables capital to be deployed efficiently. The more the ecosystem can reduce ambiguity, on rules, approvals, and operational clarity, the faster investor interest can convert into execution.
Closing reflections
Across these two days, the unifying thread was readiness: readiness of governance and regulatory frameworks (for financial hubs), readiness of bankable pipelines (for green capital), and readiness to deliver measurable outcomes (for AI). For Vietnam-based companies and projects aiming to attract international capital, the opportunity is significant but so is the bar. The winners will be those combining a strong growth story with institutional-grade execution, transparent reporting, and internationally investable structures.
At Alliance Mount, we see our role as bridging that gap, helping translate vision into execution, and execution into investable transactions through disciplined preparation, structure, and investor alignment.
