Conviction 2026: How Vietnam’s Digital Asset Market and AI Adopters Are Preparing for the New Rules of the Game

On 14-15 August 2026, the Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City became the meeting point for one of Vietnam’s largest technology events of the year: Conviction 2026 – Vietnam Digital Asset & AI Economic Forum, held under the theme “Real World. Real Movement.”

The event was directed by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee in coordination with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), chaired by the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports and the HCMC Department of Science and Technology, and organized by EIC and HBA. According to the organizers, Conviction 2026 gathered more than 150 speakers, over 100 exhibitors and businesses, and around 26,000 registrations.

What set Conviction 2026 apart was not its scale but the way it was structured: day one was dedicated to blockchain and digital assets, day two entirely to artificial intelligence. For the first time, these two technology pillars were placed side by side within a single national-level forum, at precisely the moment Vietnam is finalizing the legal framework for both.

BlockchainWork was honored to attend Conviction 2026 as a Community Partner of the event, with CEO & Co-founder Le Ngoc My Tien present throughout the two days.

Day 1: When the digital asset legal framework took the main stage

The opening day on 14 August began with remarks from Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung. His message shaped the spirit of the entire event: Vietnam is “proactively creating new space for development on a solid legal foundation,” encouraging innovation while managing risk and protecting consumers.

The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized a point of real consequence for businesses: the state’s regulatory mindset has shifted decisively from controlling input processes to managing output results. He further clarified that blockchain is not synonymous with cryptocurrency, but a foundational technology with broad applications in traceability, logistics, agriculture, supply chain governance and public service delivery.

The policy centerpiece of day one was the panel on “Policies and legal frameworks for developing science and technology, digital assets and blockchain for the Vietnamese market,” bringing together representatives from the National Assembly, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the State Securities Commission and VCCI, alongside industry experts and businesses.

The legal milestones most frequently referenced during this session:

• The Law on Digital Technology Industry – for the first time, Vietnam has a comprehensive legal framework to identify, manage and protect digital assets.
• The Law on Artificial Intelligence – establishing the legal foundation for the AI sector.
• Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP – opening a controlled pilot phase (sandbox) for the crypto asset market.
• Decision 21/2026/QD-TTg – designating AI, big data and blockchain as national strategic technologies.
• Decree 284/2026/ND-CP – setting out administrative penalties, effective from 01 September 2026.

One detail drew particular attention from investors. According to Mr. To Tran Hoa – Deputy Head of the Crypto Asset Trading Management Board, State Securities Commission, Decree 284/2026 takes effect on 01 September, but if Vietnam still has no licensed crypto asset exchange in operation at that point, investors will not yet be subject to penalties. The State Securities Commission is drafting rules on information disclosure, listing criteria and procedures, and the operations of service providers. The 2028-2029 period will focus on completing the legal framework and expanding the range of permitted products.

The market context cited at the event explains why the legal framework has become urgent: roughly 17 million Vietnamese people own digital assets (Triple-A, 2024), Vietnam has ranked among the world’s top countries in digital asset adoption for several consecutive years (Chainalysis), and Vietnam-related digital asset flows are estimated at more than USD 100 billion annually (Chainalysis 2023-2024).

Alongside the main stage, an exhibition area of more than 30 booths showcased blockchain applications across financial infrastructure, payments, data governance and real-world use cases – in keeping with the “Real World. Real Movement.” theme set by the organizers.

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Day 2: AI enters the enterprise deployment phase

If day one revolved around policy, 15 August shifted entirely to the question of execution. The day-two program did not stop at discussing language models or foundational technology, but focused on how Vietnamese businesses are actually putting AI into operation: enterprise AI, AI infrastructure, sovereign AI and next-generation productivity platforms.

Key topics across the day:

• Sovereign AI and what it means to own a large language model for Vietnamese.
• Building autonomous AI systems: infrastructure – platform – data.
• Open-source large language models and the future of AI Agents.
• AI Agents in the enterprise: data, trust and AI governance.
• AI, blockchain and the future of financial infrastructure.
• Workforce + AI: rethinking work, talent and management.
• Building AI startups in Vietnam: talent, product and go-to-market strategy.

For BlockchainWork, the two most relevant sessions of day two were “Workforce + AI” and “Building AI startups in Vietnam” – both speaking directly to the talent question. A common thread ran through the discussions: hiring demand does not disappear because of AI, it shifts toward roles that can operate alongside AI – from data engineers and AI Agent implementation engineers to operations, marketing and finance positions with the ability to use AI tools in daily work.

The Special AI Forum: a parallel track on AI in practice

Running alongside the main stage on 15 August was a dedicated forum on the fifth floor of Thiskyhall Sala: The Special AI Forum at Conviction 2026, organized by the Nghien AI community together with the Conviction organizing committee, with AVIS as strategic partner.

Unlike the main stage with its policy and infrastructure focus, The Special AI Forum went straight to the “how” – all seven sessions were built around real case studies, aimed at founders, marketers, content creators and anyone putting AI to work day to day. The program split into two clear halves:

• Morning – Business & AI Agent: running a company on an AI Native model, designing automated workflows, and a panel on the limits of AI Agent authority – how much decision-making power a business should hand to an AI Agent within its processes.
• Afternoon – AI Media & Creative: applying AI in the studio, filmmaking with AI, and a panel on AI-assisted content production.

The forum brought together speakers from AI-adopting businesses including Hang Minh Loi (CEO, Lumination), Viet Pham (CEO, Diaflow), Nguyen Tung Giang (G Investment), Duy Nguyen (CTO, TOP Group), Hong Phuc Nguyen (Neurons AI), Duong Trong Nghia (CEO, The KP3), Le Dang (Modos), Pham Vinh Khuong (CEO, Solentic Group), along with the Nghien AI team. According to the organizers, the session drew more than 800 registrations and over 250 in-person attendees.

What stood out to BlockchainWork: most of the content here was not about AI models, but about the people operating AI – who designs the workflow, who supervises the AI Agent, who is accountable when AI makes a decision. These are precisely the new professional roles taking shape inside Vietnamese companies right now.

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The BlockchainWork view: a cautious phase, but not a standstill

Present across both days of the event, BlockchainWork CEO & Co-founder Le Ngoc My Tien shared:

“What we felt most clearly at Conviction 2026 is that the market is entering a cautious phase. Cautious here does not mean slowing down – it means businesses are putting a great deal of effort into updating and correctly understanding the new legal requirements, from the Law on Digital Technology Industry and the decrees on digital assets through to the legal framework for AI. And when the legal framework changes, business plans and workforce plans have to adjust with it. We are seeing many companies restructuring their teams, adding compliance, legal and data governance roles alongside their technical teams. That is the sign of a maturing market. This phase demands patience, but it is also what opens up new opportunities – for businesses entering a more transparent environment, and for Vietnamese talent as new positions begin to form domestically instead of having to be sought in overseas markets.”

That reading matches what is happening on the ground: as the legal corridor becomes clearer, the part of Vietnam’s blockchain economy that has long “lived abroad” has more reason to come home. And when companies come home, demand for local talent – both technical and compliance – rises with them.

In summary

Conviction 2026 was not a conference about prices or hype. What remained after two days was a consistent message from regulators and businesses alike: technology only has value when it solves a concrete problem, and Vietnam is choosing to open the road and set the rules of the game at the same time.

For Vietnam’s blockchain and AI talent community, this is a phase that rewards preparation over waiting. A clear legal framework will bring capital, projects and real implementation teams with it – and those who prepare early, in both professional capability and compliance mindset, will be the first to benefit.

BlockchainWork will continue to accompany the community, keeping it updated on the latest legal and market developments while connecting Vietnamese talent with the opportunities taking shape in this new phase.

Event highlights (Source: Conviction 2026 Organizing Committee and BlockchainWork)

BlockchainWork

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