Vietnam’s national digital strategy identifies artificial intelligence (AI)—notably virtual assistants—as one of its core technologies. In line with this direction, several Vietnamese banks have adopted end-to-end robotic process automation (RPA) solutions and are gradually transitioning toward the new standard of Agentic Automation. Among them, six prominent banks stand out with notable process automation projects.
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Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV)
BIDV is considered one of the pioneers in adopting RPA as early as 2019—when the technology was still new to Vietnam. At the time, the bank successfully deployed RPA for 11 critical business processes, including digital banking, card services, and customer support. Tasks such as transaction processing, data reconciliation, and management reporting were handled by bots, saving the bank billions of VND in operational costs annually and improving processing speeds fivefold.
In its digital strategy for 2021–2025, BIDV set a goal to automate 80% of internal processes by 2025 and to develop intelligent RPA solutions integrated with AI and Machine Learning to maintain its competitive edge.
Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank (TPBank)
TPBank is among the most aggressive adopters of RPA in Vietnam’s banking sector. The bank was named “Best RPA Implementation Bank in Vietnam” by The Asian Banker in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, with an average of five bots deployed weekly, TPBank implemented nearly 300 bots across various transaction processes.
Thanks to RPA, TPBank saved the workload equivalent of hundreds of operational staff. The bank also integrated AI and virtual assistant technologies to deliver a seamless customer experience.
A TPBank representative shared that the bank is now elevating its RPA to intelligent automation (IA), combining AI to handle complex tasks like fraud detection, automated management reporting, and operations monitoring. It plans to implement approximately 20 IA processes to support these use cases.
Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank)
Techcombank has invested significantly in RPA at an enterprise-wide scale, collaborating with FPT to establish a “Human & Bot Collaboration Center” that enables employees and bots to work together effectively. Within three years (2022–2024), the bank automated over 100 processes across 11 business units (including Finance, Risk, and Cards), saving 586,000 labor hours annually—equivalent to over VND 20 billion in personnel costs.
“Some tasks that previously took two to three days now only take two to three hours thanks to bots. At the same time, our operational costs have significantly decreased,” said Mr. Thang Trong Hieu, Techcombank’s Director of Software Development.
These advances earned Techcombank the 2025 Celent Model Bank Award (Operational Excellence category), making it the first Vietnamese bank to win the honor, along with regional automation innovation awards from The Asian Banker.
Read the full Techcombank case study HERE
Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank)
VietinBank began experimenting with RPA in 2021 by automating the loan processing workflow for savings book collateral. Bots handled around 3,000 loan applications monthly, reducing processing time by 65%.
In early 2025, VietinBank partnered with FPT to officially launch a large-scale RPA project using the AI-integrated Akabot platform to automate 10 critical trade finance processes, including file transmission with card organizations, fee tracking, accounting, and payment order creation.
The project, set for completion in the first half of 2025, is expected to save thousands of working hours, accelerate transaction processing, and improve customer experience by up to 80%.
With this move, VietinBank aims to maintain its top-tier efficiency position (with a CIR among the market’s three lowest) and expand its digital banking services to serve over 20% of Vietnam’s population.
Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank)
Recognizing RPA as an inevitable trend and a strategic lever for digital competitiveness, Vietcombank is actively preparing its resources to scale RPA adoption. The bank’s leadership approved a system-wide training initiative on RPA applications to equip staff with the mindset and skills needed for banking process automation.
In March 2025, Vietcombank partnered with experts from Microsoft, FPT Akabot, and Noventiq to launch its first training session. The course introduced market RPA trends, identified potential automation processes at Vietcombank, and shared implementation experiences from peer banks.
This proactive step signals Vietcombank’s readiness to accelerate its digital transformation with RPA before embarking on large-scale deployments aimed at optimizing operations and enhancing customer service.
Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank)
HDBank was among the earliest joint stock commercial banks to adopt a “Make in Vietnam” RPA solution. In 2021, the bank completed the first phase of its RPA deployment in collaboration with FPT, aiming to improve service for 10 million customers in its ecosystem.
After just over a year of implementation, HDBank reduced 80% of operational workload, increased transaction speed 30-fold (from 3 minutes to just 5 seconds), and achieved near-zero error rates.
This success significantly optimized operating costs and improved service quality, laying the groundwork for RPA expansion into other business areas.
Key Lessons from Six Exemplary Vietnamese Banks
All these RPA projects share a common thread: they utilize locally-developed RPA platforms built by Vietnamese tech enterprises—most notably, FPT’s Akabot, which has been adopted by over 30 banks and financial institutions.
These successes demonstrate the vast potential of “Make in Vietnam” automation solutions. Platforms developed by FPT, Viettel, CMC, and others are tailor-made for the local market, offering user-friendly interfaces and dedicated local support.
In addition to ease of use, homegrown solutions also offer advantages in cost and customization. Globally, many banks using legacy RPA systems are now exploring migration to reduce expenses and unlock more advanced features. In Vietnam, Sacombank has already migrated most of its automation workflows to Akabot.
Choosing domestic RPA platforms helps reduce reliance on foreign products, optimize investment, and allow flexible customization to match specific local processes and regulatory requirements.
Digital Transformation as a National Strategy
The success of banks like Vietcombank, VietinBank, and Techcombank in mastering automation technologies with local partners is just one part of Vietnam’s broader digital transformation journey. In fact, digitalization, innovation, and tech sovereignty are now national strategic imperatives.
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW (December 2024) set a bold agenda: to position Vietnam as a globally competitive, independent digital nation.
For banks just beginning their digital journey, lessons from these pioneers highlight the importance of a strategic roadmap—starting with small, high-impact wins, leveraging support from local partners like Akabot to accelerate project delivery via the proven Fast-To-Mass framework, and investing in internal upskilling to ensure sustainable in-house operations.
At the same time, banks using older-generation RPA platforms should consider transitioning to “Make in Vietnam” solutions to build a more cost-effective, autonomous, and future-ready technology infrastructure.
Source: Thời báo Ngân hàng
