Apple has announced that it is seeking Vietnamese-speaking engineers with strong software engineering skills and a high sensitivity for foreign languages and cultures to support Siri’s expansion in the Vietnamese market. The ideal candidates would be fluent in Vietnamese, able to work in an English-speaking environment, and possess strong software engineering fundamentals, an analytical mindset, and problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
The selected engineers will be based in Apple’s Singapore office, although the salary range for the position has not been disclosed. Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, currently supports 41 languages, including Thai and Malay in Southeast Asia. The recruitment of Vietnamese-speaking personnel suggests that Siri may support the Vietnamese language in the future, although no specific timeline has been provided.
Once this support is implemented, Vietnamese users will be able to use their native language to instruct Siri to perform various tasks, such as making calls, reading text messages, and providing directions. In 2020, Apple also sought to hire Vietnamese-speaking staff, possibly for the development of a Vietnamese Siri, although no announcement has been made to date.
Among the three major virtual assistants – Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa – only Google currently supports Vietnamese. Apple has been launching new services in Vietnam recently, including the opening of the Apple Store Online in May 2023, the introduction of Apple Pay in August 2023, and the deployment of map data-collecting cars since February to enhance the functionality of Apple Maps.