TLDR: Vietnam has secured the third position in Southeast Asia for online learning on Coursera, with 1.8 million users, marking a 22% increase from the previous year. The surge is significantly fueled by a four-fold rise in enrollments for AI-related courses, reflecting a strong national interest in emerging technologies.
HANOI – Vietnam has solidified its position as a leading hub for online education in Southeast Asia, ranking third in the region for learners on the global platform Coursera. As of June 2025, approximately 1.8 million Vietnamese individuals are utilizing Coursera for their online academic pursuits, representing a substantial 22% increase compared to the previous year.
This impressive growth was highlighted by Greg Hart, CEO of Coursera, during a press conference in Hanoi. Hart noted that the Philippines leads the Southeast Asian market with 2.8 million learners, followed by Indonesia with 2.1 million. Vietnam’s 1.8 million users place it ahead of Singapore (1.5 million) and Thailand (1.1 million), underscoring the nation’s burgeoning engagement with digital learning.
A significant driver of this expansion is the escalating interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. A remarkable 152,000 Vietnamese users have enrolled in over 800 AI-related courses, a four-fold increase from just a year ago. Hart emphasized the rapid adoption, stating, ‘Every four minutes, a learner in Vietnam signs up for a course on generative AI (GenAI).’ This trend aligns with global patterns showing widespread interest in machine learning, basic AI, programming, and data science.
Beyond AI, popular course categories among Vietnamese learners include data science, Chinese language, project management, and essential soft skills such as essay writing and communication. The average age of Coursera learners in Vietnam is 30, which is notably younger than the global average of 34, indicating a proactive embrace of online education by the country’s younger workforce and student population.
Vietnamese learners are accessing high-quality content from renowned institutions, including top U.S. universities like Stanford, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, as well as industry giants such as Google, IBM, and Microsoft. Coursera has also fostered strong local partnerships, collaborating with five Vietnamese universities: National Economics University, FPT University, Van Lang University, Phenikaa University, and British University Vietnam. The platform offers over 3,000 courses in Vietnamese, with some even eligible for academic credit.
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Coursera, founded in 2012, is one of the world’s largest online learning platforms, boasting over 175 million learners globally and partnerships with more than 350 universities and corporations by mid-2025. This robust ecosystem provides diverse and accessible learning opportunities that are clearly resonating with the Vietnamese population, contributing to the nation’s digital skill development and economic growth.
