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| Mark Wu, Managing Director of Google Asia Pacific Vietnam, speaking at the event. — Photo credit: Google |
HANOI — More than 350 local and regional app and game developers gathered in Hanoi on July 11 to discuss how they can boost their business growth with the help of AI.
The event was hosted by Google with the theme “Think Apps: Get Future Ready with Google AI.”
Building on the success of the annual Think Games and Think Apps events launched in 2021, this year there was a particular focus on enabling Vietnamese game and app developers to leverage AI to drive innovation, business growth and breakthroughs.
Vietnam's gaming and app industry has maintained its impressive position of fourth in the world for the second consecutive year, according to a report. Data.ai 2023This dominance was highlighted by a staggering 34 percent increase in app downloads, totaling more than 5.6 billion downloads.
Additionally, Vietnam has maintained the prestigious title of “the world's fastest growing app development market” with an astounding 40% annual growth in app downloads over the past five years.
The trend will continue in 2023 with downloads exceeding 1.1 billion, with a staggering 10,708 “Made in Vietnam” apps downloaded every minute. Vietnam has four developers with the highest number of downloads ever. ABI, Brave Stars, Higame, iKame to surpass 100 million downloads in 2023
Vietnamese developers are demonstrating a strategic shift towards quality and monetization: from 2023 onwards, in-app purchase (IAP) revenue recorded a significant increase of 21% to reach USD 200 million.
This trend highlights the growing importance of creating high-value app experiences that generate sustainable revenue streams. Moreover, Vietnam's software and IT services industry is expected to boast robust export revenue of $3.5 billion in 2023, with a consistent annual growth rate of 15%.
Despite the impressive growth, Vietnam currently ranks only 28th globally in terms of in-app purchase revenue, indicating there is still a lot of room for growth. Vietnam's app and game development industry also faces challenges in integrating artificial intelligence (AI).
These challenges include a shortage of skilled AI professionals and a lack of high-quality training programs, which hinder the development of a strong AI talent pool; limited access to mentorship and guidance from leading AI experts, which creates obstacles to validating and building market-competitive AI-powered products; and a lack of available infrastructure specifically designed for rapid experimentation, testing, and development within the AI space.
Google AI empowers Vietnamese developers and fosters innovation by providing a comprehensive suite of solutions, from AI tools to hands-on training programs. This comprehensive approach is built around three key pillars: quality-first, profit-first, and sustainability-first.
This year's event delved deep into the transformative benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are revolutionizing app development and promotion, as well as sharing real-world examples of Vietnamese developer success in the global app industry.
This year, we focused on incorporating the best of Google's AI solutions into programs that help developers create high-quality apps, attract more users, and build thriving businesses.
Emily Nguyen, Google's app industry head for Vietnam, said: “Vietnam's games and apps industry continues to experience tremendous growth, reinforcing its position as the fastest growing market in the world. The industry has become a major part of Vietnam's high value-added export industry.”
“Google plays a pivotal role in accelerating the growth and innovation of Vietnam's gaming and app industry. Through its advanced AI technology and comprehensive support programs, which it has provided since the early stages, it is empowering local developers to build high-quality apps, reach global users, and achieve sustainable business growth.” — VNS
