On the afternoon of September 18, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) held the Announcement and Honoring Ceremony of the Future Innovation Award - VietFuture Awards 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City, under the patronage of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Honoring Ceremony took place within the framework of the Tech4Life 2026 Exhibition and Conference.
In 2026, the award recorded the participation of 245 nominations from 190 projects from 36 universities and colleges registered for the preliminary round. Through strict filtering, 141 excellent projects from 34 training institutions entered the national final selection round, focusing on solving problems in 14 key areas. Among them, 30 most typical projects were selected to be displayed and demonstrate products directly at the exhibition.
Students ready for the AI and Deep Tech era
Data from 141 joint admission projects this year confirms the strong breakthrough in core technology capacity of Vietnamese students. Specifically, there are up to 106 projects (equivalent to 75.2%) applying or deeply integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. Students have not only stopped at basic software applications but have also gone deep into current strategic technologies such as Multi-Agent architecture, Edge AI processing at the edge, or Large Language Modeling (LLM/RAG).
Notably, 78.7% of projects have combined from two or more technology groups to create comprehensive solutions. Deep Tech skills are clearly demonstrated through the fact that many groups have self-designed hardware, processed microchips (PCBs), developed embedded systems and manufactured autonomous robots.
Bright spots from practical applications
Projects participating in VietFuture 2026 show outstanding maturity in product development thinking. Many projects not only focus on technology ideas but have paid special attention to user needs, feasibility, and market potential.
Statistics show that only about 10 projects (7%) stopped at theoretical research level, 104 projects (70%) have completed hardware prototypes or completed products with minimal software availability or are being tested in laboratories or on a small scale. In particular, 6 projects (5%) have been commercialized & have revenue (Commercialized). The boundaries between lecture halls and the market are narrowing day by day.
This data confirms that VietFuture 2026 does not stop at a grassroots playground to award prizes. This platform is actually operating as a real-world incubation ecosystem, acting as a high-quality filter bucket to provide potential core technology projects (Deep Tech) for venture capital funds in Vietnam.
