HCM CITY — AI has moved beyond a concept to become a practical tool that Vietnamese users actively employ for learning, work and creative pursuits, according to Google’s Year in Search 2025 for Việt Nam.

Released on December 5, the report highlights search patterns across categories such as Overall Trends, Films & Series, Songs, Concerts, What Is, How To, Travel, News and Image Creation, offering a snapshot of what Vietnamese users explored and cared about throughout the year.

2025 marked a decisive shift in how Vietnamese users engaged with AI. Search trends changed from introductory questions like “What is AI?” to practical queries such as “How to make a video AI?”, “Create images with AI”, revealing a growing emphasis on real-world application.

In the “Overall Trends” category, terms like “Gemini”, “Pixverse AI”, “Grok” and “Women in STEM” ranked among the most searched, showing that users were seeking both tools and knowledge that enhance learning, creativity and day-to-day productivity.

This shift towards practical use was even clearer in the “Image Creation” category, where users searched for step-by-step capabilities such as “create snow-effect images”, “restore old photos”, “create 3D models”, “create polaroid-style images”, “create toy-box style images” and “create Gemini images.”

2025 also marked a surge in Vietnamese-produced entertainment. “Red Rain” topped three lists – “Overall Trends”, “Films & Series” and “Vietnamese Films,” signalling strong audience interest in narratives rooted in history, identity and national sentiment.

Other domestic titles such as “The Ancestral Home”, “The Soul Lantern”, “The Corpse”, “The Four Rascals”, “Money Kisses” and “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” also ranked highly.

Concert searches echoed this trend. Events with strong cultural and patriotic themes including “V Concert”, “Tổ quốc trong tim” and “Việt Nam trong tôi”, also known as “national concerts” led the “Concerts” category.

Vietnamese music also saw strong engagement. Searches featured patriotic and emotional tracks such as “Bắc bling”, “Còn gì đẹp hơn” and “Nỗi đau giữa hòa bình”, alongside youth-driven hits like “Mất kết nối”, “Gã săn cá” and “Tái sinh”. The mix highlights the pull of both cultural expression and modern, trend-driven pop.

In the “What Is” category, users looked up trending slang such as “A80”, “8386”, “sít rịt”, “lowkey” and “skip leg day”, reflecting the need to keep pace with rapidly evolving online language.

Extreme weather dominated the “News” category, with searches on Typhoon Wipha, Typhoon Kalmaegi, Typhoon Kajiki, Typhoon No. 10 and others. Users also followed major developments such as the provincial merger, viral online phenomena like the “Brother Hai restaurant”, and global events including the FIFA Club World Cup.

In the “How To” category, users sought guidance ranging from making “lychee tea”, “plum syrup” or “almond panna cotta with longan” to “crafting mid-autumn lanterns” and creating “AI-generated videos”.

In the “Travel” category, users prioritised domestic destinations. All ten of the most-searched locations were within Việt Nam, led by Đà Lạt, followed by An Giang, Mũi Né, Đà Nẵng, Hạ Long, Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Cà Mau, Phú Quốc and Vũng Tàu.

Rather than seeking long-distance travel, users opted for trips that were accessible, nature-focused and close to home. As a result, domestic travel became another reflection of how Vietnamese users in 2025 gravitated toward familiar and meaningful choices.

“Year in Search 2025 reveals a Vietnamese digital population that is increasingly sophisticated and self-assured. We are seeing a transition from passive consumption to active creation. Whether it is using AI to design images, or searching for movies that tell Việt Nam's own history, users are leveraging Search to define their personal and national identity more than ever before,” said Marc Woo, Managing Director of Google Vietnam. — VNS