AI dominates Vietnam’s 2025 search trends: Google report

The "Year in Search 2025" list, released by Google last Friday, reflects the trends and information that captured the nation's attention over the past year. The report categorizes searches into 10 topics: General Trends, Image Creation, Movies (General), Vietnamese Movies, Concerts, Songs, News, "How To," "What Is," and Travel.

In the "General Trends" category, technology was the overwhelming leader.

Four prominent AI chatbots, DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, appeared on the list. The top five specific keywords were heavily tech-focused: "Deep Seek," "ChatGPT," "Women in STEM," "Gemini," and "Pixverse AI."

Beyond technology, the top 10 also highlighted films that became internet phenomena.

The most searched movies included "Mua Do" (Red Rain), "When Life Gives You Tangerines" and "Squid Game 2".

According to Google, the way Vietnamese users approach AI changed significantly in 2025, with the search behavior moving from curiosity-based queries like "What is AI?" seen in previous years to practical queries regarding features and utility.

Users actively sought instructions on applying AI to creative work, with top queries including "How to make videos with AI" and "Create images with AI."

Specific trends in AI image generation were also recorded.

Leading keywords included "Create Gemini photos," "Create snowfall photos," "Create Mid-Autumn Festival photos," "Restore old photos," "Create Polaroid photos," and "Create toy box photos."

"This indicates that AI has gradually become a familiar tool, attached to the creative, educational, and daily life needs of Vietnamese users," Google said.

This data aligns with the company's "e-Conomy SEA 2025" report, which noted that Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in AI readiness. It found that 81% of users interact with AI daily, and 83% participate in activities to improve their AI knowledge.

The "Year in Search" curated by the Search Giant also highlighted a strong desire to keep up with social media slang and trends. When users encountered unfamiliar terms, they turned to Google’s "What Is?" category. The leading keywords in this group included "A80," "8386" (slang for prosperity/forever), "sit rit" (very close/tight), "lowkey," and "skip leg day."

In the "News" category, weather updates were a priority. Data related to Typhoons Wipha, Kalmaegi and Kajiki were among the most searched.

Users also closely followed major social issues such as "provincial mergers," viral social media phenomena like "Tiem Pho Anh Hai" (Brother Hai Restaurant), and major sporting events like the "FIFA Club World Cup."

"The 2025 search list reveals an emotional shift," Marc Woo, managing director of Google Vietnam, said.

"Vietnamese users are not just using Google to find information or learn new skills, but to trace their roots and affirm their personal identity through their lifestyle and entertainment choices."