AI Hay
30 employees on LinkedIn · 7 known investors
Vietnamese AI question-and-answer app combining large language models, local content and a social knowledge community.
Also known as AI Hay – Smart Local AI · AI HAY JOINT STOCK COMPANY
Investors · 7
Also in the syndicate · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountSeries AJul 2025
Argor Capital (lead)
Source ↗ - Undisclosed amountSeries-AJul 2025
Argor Capital (lead), AppWorks, Northstar Ventures, Phoenix Holdings, Square Peg
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026AI Hay is a Vietnamese-language artificial intelligence question-and-answer platform operated by AI Hay Joint Stock Company and available as a web app at ai-hay.vn and as mobile apps on iOS and Android. Users submit questions in text or by uploading images and receive summarized answers assembled from large language models, curated local content and sources such as websites, news outlets and social platforms, with citations attached to responses. The product also functions as a social knowledge network: questions can be posted publicly for community discussion and validation, and users can chat with each other and with AI chatbot personas inside the app.
Feature coverage is oriented toward Vietnamese consumer and student use cases: step-by-step homework and math solutions, literature and essay-writing assistance, image and meme recognition, link and video summarization, medicine and health questions, horoscope and physiognomy readings, lottery and gold-price lookups, pension and insurance information, and trend or news updates. A paid tier, AI Hay Pro, adds unlimited questions, newer models, advanced search and reasoning, and file attachments up to 10MB. The core app is described as free to use, with an in-app points system earned through tasks that can be exchanged for additional question credits, alongside in-app purchases.
The name is a play on "Artificial Intelligence" and the Vietnamese words "ai" (who) and "hay" (good, interesting), reflecting the positioning as a combination of human and machine knowledge.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2021 by Chuong Nguyen, Duc Tran and Hiep Nguyen in Ho Chi Minh City to address gaps in AI accessibility for Vietnamese-language users.
Business model
Consumer mobile and web application offered free at the base tier, with an AI Hay Pro subscription providing unlimited questions, access to newer models, advanced search and reasoning, and larger file attachments; the Google Play listing indicates in-app purchases. Additional question credits can also be obtained with points earned in-app rather than paid for.
Subscription revenue from AI Hay Pro and in-app purchases layered on a free core product.
Traction
Reported over 15 million downloads and more than 100 million questions processed per month as of July 2025; the Google Play listing shows 10M+ downloads as of an August 2026 update.
Latest developments
Following the July 2025 Series A, the company said funds would go toward expanding web-based experiences, product innovation in education and entertainment, and development of AI companions. The Google Play listing shows the app updated in August 2026 with more than 10 million downloads.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a hyperlocal Vietnamese alternative to global assistants such as ChatGPT, competing on understanding of Vietnamese language, culture and locally specific queries such as administrative province mergers. It was reported as one of three Southeast Asian startups selected for Amazon's Global Generative AI Cohort.
Emphasis on Vietnamese linguistic and cultural context, coverage of locally specific query types that global models handle poorly, citation of verified sources with every answer, and a community layer where questions are posted publicly for peer and expert validation.
Technology
The platform combines large language models with curated local content and retrieval from websites, news and social sources, summarizing them into concise answers with source citations. Capabilities include image recognition and photo-based question answering, link and video summarization, multi-turn conversation with follow-up suggestions, multiple chatbot personalities, and file attachments up to 10MB on the Pro tier.
Go-to-market
Distribution is through the Apple App Store, Google Play and the ai-hay.vn website, supported by social channels including TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn. Student and teacher acquisition has been pursued through partnerships such as a promotion with retailer CellphoneS that gave S-Student and S-Teacher members a free six-month AI Hay Pro package between April and June 2025.
Vietnamese consumers, with particular emphasis on students from elementary through university level and educators, as well as general users seeking news, trends and locally specific information.
Geography
Headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with a registered developer address at the Golden King Building, 15 Nguyen Luong Bang. The product is aimed at the Vietnamese domestic market.
History
Founded in 2021 by Chuong Nguyen, Duc Tran and Hiep Nguyen, the company launched its platform in May 2024. By mid-2025 it reported over 15 million downloads and more than 100 million questions handled per month, and in July 2025 it announced a $10 million Series A led by Argor Capital that brought total capital raised above $18 million.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsAI Hay was reported as one of three Southeast Asian startups selected for Amazon's Global Generative AI Cohort.
AI Hay announced a $10 million Series A round led by Argor Capital with participation from existing investors including Square Peg, bringing total capital raised to more than $18 million. Proceeds were earmarked for web-based experiences, educational and entertainment applications, and AI companions.
$10M source ↗
From 18 April to 30 June 2025, CellphoneS S-Student and S-Teacher program members received a free six-month AI Hay Pro package allowing up to 999 questions per day.
AI Hay launched its Vietnamese-language AI question-and-answer platform.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- AI Hay là gì? Mạng xã hội ứng dụng công nghệ AI cho người Việtai-hay.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does AI Hay do?
- Vietnamese AI question-and-answer app combining large language models, local content and a social knowledge community.
- Who are AI Hay's investors?
- AI Hay's investors include AppWorks Ventures, Square Peg Capital, AppWorks, Argor Capital, Northstar Ventures.