AI celebrates Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) with Vietnamese banks

AI (artificial intelligence) is quietly celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) with Vietnamese banks, from electronic lucky money envelopes and suggestions for spending during the holiday to protecting each transaction. AI technology is becoming an invisible friend, making Tet spending safer, more convenient, and warmer for every family.

When technology also knows how to wish a happy new year

As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the tiled roof in the early morning, Ms. Ngoc Lan, 32, a marketing employee in Ho Chi Minh City, was preparing the ancestral offering meal when her phone vibrated. A notification from the bank's app appeared with New Year's greetings and a small lucky money gift for housewives.

She smiled, feeling as if the bank understood every step of her journey during the holiday. The gentle reminder to top up her "Lucky Wallet" and the suggestion to allocate money in each compartment for automatic profit generation felt both convenient and thoughtful. An invisible "spring friend" is accompanying her, and that friend is AI – artificial intelligence silently infiltrating financial life, quietly but intimately, like a peach blossom blooming in the morning mist.

Small experiences with automated digital banking technology during Tet (Lunar New Year), like the case of Ms. Ngoc Lan, are no longer unique. In the last few years, AI has become a bridge between banks and customers, from basic transactions to complex financial decisions. While a few years ago, AI was merely an assistant handling simple, repetitive tasks, now, with machine learning (ML), natural language processing, biometric recognition, and big data analytics, AI is involved in system operations, personalizing experiences, and optimizing cash flow for each customer.

During the transition period between the old and new year, which is also the busiest time with constant cash flow, AI acts as a diligent, silent "employee," ensuring smooth transactions, timely seizing of investment opportunities, and prompt warnings of risks.

At TPBank… next-generation chatbots and virtual assistants are sophisticated enough to understand long, complex questions and provide contextually appropriate answers. When transaction volumes surge during peak days, AI becomes the financial "gatekeeper." AI analyzes each transaction, identifies unusual patterns, and warns of fraud or credit risk. AI systems learn from millions of historical transactions, can instantly classify risks, monitor 24/7, and support management teams in intervening promptly. This is especially useful when online transactions increase sharply during Tet (Lunar New Year) with processing times measured in seconds; transactions are both domestic and international.

Convenience, Security, and More

AI has also changed the way banks approve credit. Previously, loan approvals often took several days and involved many manual steps. Now, AI combined with optical character recognition (OCR) can extract data from documents, contracts, income statements, etc., and feed it into credit models. Algorithms automatically analyze payment history, consumption behavior, income, etc., and suggest approval decisions within hours. Thanks to AI, banks can also identify potential customers, predict what products and services they are likely to use next, and design products, adjust messaging, and promotional programs to create personalized experiences that are both effective and heartwarming, ensuring that every New Year's gift is delivered to the right person.

The customer authentication process is also significantly improved by AI through eKYC (remote authentication). With just a photo of their national ID card or a selfie, customers can verify their identity in minutes. During the Lunar New Year holiday, as people travel from cities to villages, from tourist destinations to scenic spots, both domestically and internationally, they can still experience seamless and secure financial and banking services without waiting while strolling or enjoying the festivities.

Data security and safety, supported by AI, are now being implemented very effectively by banks. AI systems can monitor logins, identify devices and locations, and detect anomalies to alert customers. AI can also predict "peak transaction times" to prepare infrastructure, avoid network congestion, and ensure a smooth experience for tens of millions of customers during the busy Tet holiday.

Fintech experts believe that AI in Vietnamese banks is currently following three main directions: deep automation; predicting customer behavior and suggesting seasonal services; Spending habits and integrated multi-channel experiences. In the future, AI will connect with the Open Banking ecosystem, capable of suggesting cross-sector services, forecasting personal cash flow, and analyzing customer sentiment, ushering in an era of comprehensive personalized banking.

Amidst the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year, AI is not only celebrating the holiday with banks but is also shaping the financial experiences of millions of users, helping to predict risks and provide financial security.