A Different Kind of AI Advisory
We believe organizations deserve honest, grounded guidance on AI — not enthusiasm, not fear, and not solutions in search of problems.
← Back to HomeOUR STORY
How Đèn Trí Came to Be
Đèn Trí — which means "lantern of the mind" in Vietnamese — was founded in Hanoi in 2019 by a group of technology advisors who had spent years watching organizations across Southeast Asia make avoidable mistakes with digital transformation. The same pattern kept appearing: organizations rushed toward new technologies without building the internal understanding or data foundations they needed to use those technologies well. The outcomes were predictable and expensive.
When artificial intelligence began moving out of research settings and into business conversations, the founding team saw the same trajectory beginning. Organizations were being pitched AI solutions before they understood what AI was, before their data was ready to support it, and before their people had any meaningful way to evaluate what they were being sold.
Đèn Trí was built to address that gap. Our mission is to help Vietnamese organizations — leadership teams, IT departments, and front-line employees alike — develop a clear, working understanding of AI and build the internal capabilities to engage with it responsibly over time.
FOUNDED
2019
Hanoi, Vietnam
MISSION
"To help Vietnamese organizations build a grounded, responsible relationship with artificial intelligence — one informed by honest understanding rather than market pressure."
FOCUS
AI advisory, data readiness, and employee training for organizations across Vietnam
THE PEOPLE
Our Advisory Team
Nguyễn Thành
MANAGING DIRECTOR & SENIOR ADVISOR
17 years in technology strategy and digital transformation across Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Led data governance programs for three large Vietnamese state-adjacent organizations.
Lê Phương Mai
HEAD OF TRAINING & CURRICULUM
Organizational learning specialist with a background in adult education and enterprise knowledge management. Designs all training programs with a focus on practical application over technical complexity.
Trần Quốc Hùng
DATA ARCHITECTURE & COMPLIANCE LEAD
Expert in data infrastructure and Vietnamese regulatory compliance. Brings deep familiarity with Decree 13/2023/ND-CP and the data protection landscape facing organizations operating in Vietnam.
HOW WE WORK
Our Standards
Honest Assessment First
Every engagement begins with an honest evaluation of what AI can and cannot do for the specific organization. We never start from a product recommendation.
Data Privacy & Compliance
All programs account for Vietnamese data protection regulations including Decree 13/2023/ND-CP. Privacy considerations are built into our methodology, not added as an afterthought.
Confidentiality Agreements
Every client relationship is governed by a formal NDA. Organizational data, findings, and internal assessments remain strictly confidential.
Methodology Grounded in Research
Our training curriculum draws from peer-reviewed AI ethics and organizational learning research, not vendor materials or marketing content.
Senior-Led Delivery
Every client engagement is led by a named senior advisor — not delegated to junior staff after onboarding. You work with the people you meet during the proposal stage.
Measurable Deliverables
Each program produces concrete outputs — a readiness scorecard, a governance policy, an action plan — so organizations can point to what they've built and act on it.
ABOUT OUR APPROACH
What Distinguishes Đèn Trí
Most AI advisory work in Vietnam arrives in one of two forms: vendor-driven solution pitches, or high-level consulting that addresses AI as an abstract strategic topic. Đèn Trí occupies a different position. We work directly with the people inside organizations — leadership teams, data managers, and employees — to build practical understanding and internal capabilities that persist long after an engagement ends.
Our work on data readiness reflects a conviction that most organizations overestimate how ready their data is for AI applications, and underestimate how much value there is in improving their data foundations independently of AI adoption. An organization with well-governed, well-understood data is better positioned regardless of how AI technology evolves.
The advisory retainer model recognizes that AI adoption unfolds over years, not quarters. Organizations benefit from having a consistent external perspective that understands their context and can calibrate advice as the AI landscape changes. The retainer is structured to provide that continuity without requiring a large upfront commitment to a fixed outcome.
Đèn Trí operates from Hanoi's Đống Đa District, close to a concentration of government agencies, universities, and growing technology-adjacent businesses — an environment that shapes our deep familiarity with the organizational cultures and regulatory conditions that affect AI adoption in Vietnam.
WORK WITH US
Begin a Conversation with Our Team
Whether you have a specific challenge in mind or simply want to understand what working with Đèn Trí looks like, we're glad to talk.
Get in Touch