Looking back a few years ago, many of us probably never imagined that we would be able to chat, search, or even “learn” with artificial intelligence as naturally as we do now. AI technology used to be something that sounded very far away, only associated with scientific articles or science fiction movies. But in just a few short years, it has crept into every corner of our lives: from asking Google to translate a paragraph of text, to ChatGPT to quickly compose an email, or to Spotify to suggest the perfect playlist for your mood.

And then on August 26, Google officially announced two major updates for users in Vietnam: NotebookLM now supports Vietnamese in the Video Overviews feature, and AI Mode is also available. At first glance, many people may think that these are just two normal additional features, but if you look closely, you will see that these are actually important pieces in the journey that Google is gradually changing the way we learn, work and access information.

Imagine: you have a document dozens of pages long, need to summarize to prepare for a presentation tomorrow. Previously, you would spend hours reading, highlighting, and rewriting each main idea. But now, with NotebookLM, you just need to upload the document and in a few minutes, a complete Video Overview with Vietnamese subtitles will appear, helping you grasp the spirit of the entire document. Or when you need to learn about a complex topic, for example manual coffee brewing methods, instead of typing dozens of separate questions on Google, AI Mode allows you to ask a single question, then let the system automatically divide, compare, synthesize and return you a detailed, clearly structured answer.

With these two updates, Google is making the technology experience closer than ever to Vietnamese users. Not only is it an additional supported language, but it is also a sign that AI is gradually becoming a natural part of our journey of learning, creating and discovering knowledge.

1. Video Overviews on NotebookLM now supports Vietnamese

NotebookLM was introduced by Google as an AI-based learning and research support tool. Initially, many people were hesitant because this tool only supported a few international languages, but Vietnamese was not yet available. This created a big gap for the user community in Vietnam, especially students, students or researchers. However, now that gap has been narrowed when Video Overviews officially supports Vietnamese.

This feature works very cleverly. You can upload a document, a research paper, a plan, or even a collection of your notes, and NotebookLM will turn it all into a video narration. The video content is not simply a recitation of the document, but is organized, selected, and emphasized on the main points. This is especially useful in an age where we have to absorb so much information every day.

The best thing is that you can now listen to the commentary in Vietnamese. Previously, many people faced language barriers when they were forced to listen to summaries in English, making it difficult to access information naturally. But with Vietnamese, everything becomes easier and more familiar. Receiving knowledge is no longer a barrier but rather a light, easy-to-follow conversation.

In addition to Video Overviews, NotebookLM now offers three other output formats: Audio Overview, Mind Map, and Report. Audio Overview is the audio version, like you're listening to a podcast analyzing the document. Mind Map is more visual, helping you visualize the relationships between concepts. Report allows you to have a more serious and detailed summary, almost like an academic analysis.

Google’s four different formats allow for maximum flexibility. Everyone has their own way of learning and absorbing information: some like to listen, some like to watch, some like to read, and some need to visualize things through diagrams. NotebookLM has cleverly catered to all of them, making learning and creativity effortless.

Another big upgrade is Audio Overviews. Previously, audio was just a brief summary, which sometimes felt disjointed. Now, Google has turned it into a coherent discussion that connects ideas from multiple sources. This makes it easier to not only listen to your material, but also to hear it as a much more logical, natural conversation.

In a broader sense, Vietnamese Video Overviews and Audio Overviews are not just for learning. They also open up opportunities for content creation. A lecturer can use NotebookLM to create a teaching video from lecture slides. A journalist can use it to create a visual summary for readers. Even a YouTuber can take advantage of it to create a quick analysis video from document sources. Everything saves time while still ensuring quality.

In the context of technology and education in Vietnam, this is an extremely meaningful step forward. Students are used to finding documents from many sources but often have difficulty filtering and synthesizing. Now, NotebookLM becomes a companion tool, helping them focus more on understanding and creating instead of wasting time re-reading hundreds of pages of documents.

2. Google's most powerful search engine is available in Vietnam

Along with NotebookLM, Google also introduced another equally important feature: AI Mode in Google Search. Just by hearing the name, you can see that this is a mode that is far superior to traditional search.

Previously, if you typed a short sentence into Google, the system would return a list of links for you to sift through. That sometimes took a lot of time, because you had to open each page, read, and take notes. But with AI Mode, the way you search is completely different. You can ask long, complex questions, such as: “I want to learn about different coffee brewing methods. Make a comparison chart comparing the differences in taste, ease of use, and tools needed.” AI Mode will not only immediately understand your question, but also break it down into sub-queries. The system will then collect, synthesize, and provide a complete, structured answer.

This saves an incredible amount of time. You don’t have to ask multiple questions or manually filter information. Everything is clearly organized, like a smart assistant sitting next to you, listening to your request, then giving you a detailed answer.

In fact, early adopters of AI Mode often ask questions that are 2–3 times longer than their regular searches. That reflects the nature of AI Mode: it encourages you to ask full, detailed questions, and then let the system do the work for you.

This feature is especially useful in knowledge discovery situations. For example, when you want to compare two technology products, plan a trip, or learn complex instructions, AI Mode can provide a completely different experience.

Not only that, Google also allows you to ask questions in many forms: text, voice or even upload images. This increases flexibility, because sometimes you don't know how to express yourself in words but just need a photo, AI Mode can understand and find the answer for you.

Of course, AI Mode still requires queries to be entered in English at the moment. This is a certain limitation, but if viewed from a positive perspective, it can be seen as an opportunity for Vietnamese users to improve their foreign language skills, while experiencing Google's smartest search engine right now. In the future, it is highly likely that Google will expand support for Vietnamese and then the experience will be much more powerful.

AI Mode can do all of this thanks to a technique called query branching. Instead of just taking a question and returning an answer, AI Mode breaks down the question into subtopics, processes each part, and then synthesizes it into a complete answer. It’s like assigning a group of people to each research a part, and then finally putting it together into a complete report.

This is a huge step forward, because it changes the way we interact with Google. From just a search engine, Google is gradually becoming a smart collaborator, understanding you, answering the right questions and saving you time.

3. Conclusion

Both the Vietnamese Video Overviews update in NotebookLM and AI Mode in Google Search show that Google is putting Vietnamese users at the center of its global AI strategy. This is not just about adding a language or opening a feature, but about changing the way we access information.

NotebookLM makes learning and creativity easier. Instead of being overwhelmed by a huge amount of material, you can grasp the main idea in just a few minutes. AI Mode turns Google from a dry list of links into a smart answering machine that can accompany you on every journey of knowledge.

For Vietnamese users, this is even more meaningful, because we are living in a time when global knowledge is increasingly expanding. Having access to the most powerful tools early on helps us not to be left behind. AI technology may still be controversial, but it cannot be denied that it is gradually becoming an indispensable part of life. And the new updates from Google are the clearest proof: AI is no longer far away but is right at everyone's fingertips.