Vietnam has a robust security market. But that is not to say it’s all smooth sailing for the market, which still faces a variety of challenges. This article looks at what some of those challenges are, and how they can be overcome.
Technology-wise, the Vietnam security market is trending towards more advanced technologies such as AI. While the market is strong and robust, security players still faces a variety of challenges. This article looks at some of the technology trends in the Vietnam security market, what some of the challenges are and how security players conquer these challenges to find further success.
Technology trends
Needless to say, the adoption of advanced technologies such as AI is seen in security markets across the globe. Vietnam is no exception. “AI applications, especially video analytics, are now seeing increased demand to understand business insights and support authority’s agent to operate in real-time more effectively. Especially, AI analytics demand for people attribute, face recognition, license plate recognition, business insight and traffic monitoring is increasing,” said Thao Le Dang, Head of Video System at Keenfinity.
“AI-powered video analytics are now commonly used in high-end residential, banking, and logistics sectors. Popular features include facial recognition, license plate recognition (LPR), and behavior detection,” said Vu Nguyen, Marketing Specialist at HTIC Law Firm who previously worked at ELV Vu Tien, a low-current security systems company.
Vu adds that cloud and unified platforms are also picking up steam in Vietnam. “Cloud-based video surveillance or VSaaS is seeing strong growth due to affordability and flexibility and is popular among SMEs and retail chains, and so are integrated smart systems combining surveillance, fire detection, access control, and environmental monitoring into unified platforms,” he said.
Challenges and ways to tackle them
Indeed, Vietnam’s security has developed into an advanced and robust market. Yet there are still certain challenges facing security players. Below we take a look at some of those technologies, and how they are being tackled by security players.
Rising competition
A major challenge is rising competition in the Vietnam security market where local and overseas players all try to get a piece of the pie. This has resulted in a race to the bottom and thin margins for security players. Amid this trend, security vendors must increase their value to sustain growth in the market.
“The world is rapidly changing, ushering in the AI era, which has unfortunately led to the decline of many traditional and super-small businesses, including numerous small installers in our sector who could not adapt. To survive, security players must either specialize and leverage modern technologies like AIoT and AI for greater flexibility and efficiency, or diversify to serve a broader range of clients and requests,” said Peter Ngo, CEO and Head of APAC at Eurostellar.
“Security players should: move up the value chain, shifting from hardware-only to AIoT-based integrated solutions; expand portfolios into adjacent fields such as fire safety, energy management, and smart building solutions; focus on niche markets, for example education, elderly care, or agriculture-specific security; and build strategic partnerships with global tech firms for knowledge transfer and brand leverage,” Vu said.
Price sensitivity
Like other Southeast Asia countries, Vietnam faces price sensitivity, with customers/end users often seeking to balance between high-quality and affordability. “Many clients focus on upfront cost rather than long-term value, which can make it challenging to position advanced AI-based solutions. Offering scalable, modular solutions that allow clients to start small and expand as budgets allow, easing price sensitivity concerns, therefore becomes a viable solution,” said Mei Guu, President of CyberLink BU2.
Long sales cycles and gov’t policy changes
Other challenges include long sales cycles, particularly in public tenders and state-owned organizations where procurement involves multiple approval layers and detailed evaluations; and government policy changes, where local government restructuring or budget realignment from May 2025 can lead to sudden delays or postponements in project deployments, even after technical approval or budgeting.
“To overcome these, it’s essential to build trust through pilot projects and proof-of-concepts to demonstrate value and reduce hesitation in long sales cycles, and maintain flexibility in project timelines to accommodate possible delays due to government restructuring or policy shifts,” Guu said.
Cybersecurity
Finally, as Vietnam migrates to more advanced technologies such as AI, the risks of cyberattacks and identity theft have also risen proportionately. Cybersecurity therefore has become a top priority.
“In addition to the benefits it brings, AI technology is being used by cybercriminals to easily create new malware, create new, sophisticated phishing attacks with a variety of attack scenarios, or use deepfake technology to carry out online phishing campaigns,” said Ta Quang Huy, Senior Country Manager for Vietnam at Hanwha Vision. “We recently launched Wisenet 9, a state-of-the-art AI-powered SoC that inherits essential features such as Secure Storage, Secure OS, and Secure Boot, which are critical to protecting chipset data and preventing unauthorized software execution. This ensures our devices are secure from the start. A key advancement with Wisenet 9 is FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification. This ensures that the chipset complies with the most stringent security protocols, providing users with comprehensive data protection. This commitment to industry-leading security standards gives our customers peace of mind knowing that their video surveillance systems and the sensitive data they handle are protected from evolving cyber threats.”
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