Open Source Is Having Its Moment in Vietnam — And We've Been Here for Over 20 Years

Vietnam is entering a new phase in its digital transformation journey. Alongside ambitious national strategies for artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud computing, and digital government, there is a growing emphasis on software copyright compliance and the responsible use of licensed software. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing that relying on unlicensed software is no longer a sustainable option, while government agencies continue to strengthen intellectual property protection and encourage legal software adoption.

This shift presents an enormous opportunity for open source software.

Across Vietnam, organizations such as the Vietnam Free and Open Source Software Association (VFOSSA), universities, technology communities, and enterprise solution providers are actively promoting Linux, open source platforms, and open standards. Conferences, workshops, and training programs are helping businesses understand that open source is not simply a way to reduce licensing costs—it is a strategic foundation for innovation, digital sovereignty, transparency, and long-term sustainability.

At ABN Asia, we welcome this movement.

A Journey That Started with Linux 2.4

For us, open source is not a new direction.

It is our history.

It has been a long journey since the days when we downloaded Linux source code over slow Internet connections, carefully selected kernel options, and waited patiently while the Linux 2.4 kernel compiled successfully. Every successful build represented a deeper understanding of how computers truly worked.

Even today, despite cloud-native infrastructure, containers, Kubernetes, distributed systems, and artificial intelligence, we still enjoy compiling a Linux kernel from source.

Not because we have to.

Because understanding systems at their foundations never goes out of style.

The Spirit Hasn't Changed

The technology landscape has evolved dramatically.

Where we once spent evenings reading Linux kernel mailing lists and studying source code, today we find ourselves following AI research, comparing foundation models, reading technical papers, watching debates about model architectures, and analysing how reasoning models think and solve problems.

The curiosity is the same.

The tools have changed.

Open source taught generations of engineers that understanding technology is more valuable than simply using it. Artificial intelligence is teaching us exactly the same lesson today.

Open Source Is About Independence

Many businesses first look at open source because of licensing costs.

That is understandable.

But the true value goes much further.

Open source enables organisations to:

Maintain full control over their technology stack.
Avoid unnecessary vendor lock-in.
Improve transparency and auditability.
Build secure and verifiable systems.
Adapt software to local business requirements.
Innovate faster through community-driven development.

As software becomes increasingly central to every organisation, these advantages become strategic rather than merely technical.

Technology Alone Is Never Enough

One lesson we have learned over two decades is that successful digital transformation is not determined by technology alone.

The most elegant system still fails if people cannot—or do not want to—use it.

Successful adoption requires balancing several priorities:

Control
Security
Compliance
Performance
Simplicity
User experience

The challenge is not choosing between enterprise software and open source.

The challenge is delivering enterprise-grade solutions that people genuinely enjoy using.

Looking Forward

Vietnam's growing commitment to software copyright compliance, digital transformation, and indigenous technology capabilities creates an ideal environment for open source adoption. Combined with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, this represents one of the most exciting periods in the country's technology ecosystem. ([Vietnam News][1])

At ABN Asia, we remain committed to building practical, secure, and scalable solutions on open technologies—not because they are fashionable, but because they have consistently proven their value over decades.

We have been using open source software for more than 20 years. We are the experts bridging the gap between total control, safety and security, and user adoption.

Author

Ai Base Network (ABN), ABN ASIA was founded by people with deep roots in academia, with work experience in the US, Holland, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. ABN Asia is where academia and technology meet opportunity. With our cutting-edge solutions and competent software development services, we're helping businesses level up and take on the global scene. Our commitment: Faster. Better. More reliable. In most cases: Cheaper as well.

Feel free to reach out to us whenever you require IT services, digital consulting, off-the-shelf software solutions, or if you'd like to send us requests for proposals (RFPs). You can contact us at [email protected]. We're ready to assist you with all your technology needs.