On June 19, Vietnam Television (VTV), the National Data Center (NDC), the National Data Association (NDA) and Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) launched the "AI Real Combat" 2026 contest.
The program aims to create a playground for students and technology lovers, while encouraging research and application of AI in practice.
According to the organizers, this year's competition takes place in the context of Vietnam continuing to promote the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. In which, artificial intelligence is identified as one of the key technology fields prioritized for development.
This year, the competition is organized in the form of a television gameshow. Contestants participate in teams, each team has a maximum of 3 members and goes through many rounds with increasing difficulty.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Television Do Duc Hoang - said: "The success of the completely automated competition system owned by Vietnamese people in the 2025 season has proven the great capacity of the country's technology community. Stepping into 2026, VTV is determined to bring "AI Real Combat" closer to the public in the attractive TV Gameshow format, in order to educate, improve people's knowledge and strongly spread the aspiration to master national construction technology".
Unlike previous models, the key goal of 2026 is to spread community awareness about "clean data" and "AI for the community".
According to the organizers, one of the key contents of this year's season is topics related to clean data and AI applications serving the community.
The National Data Center will support technical infrastructure, experts and data sources to serve the competition rounds. Representatives of the unit said that the problems from the previous season showed the important role of data for the development and operation of AI models.
In addition, the National Data Association plans to organize training programs, seminars and support activities for the contest teams throughout the competition. According to the association representative, this is an opportunity for contestants to access more knowledge, practical experience and develop ideas related to AI.
Representative of Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank), Ms. Thai Minh Diem Tu - Marketing Director - said: "The resounding success of the first season is an important milestone for us to continue to spread the inspiration and capacity of artificial intelligence, contributing to "Guiding Vietnamese intelligence, Reaching out to the AI era". With the position of a national enterprise and the vision of "Transforming the financial industry, raising the value of life", Techcombank is always pioneering in accompanying the Government to promote innovation and enhance the country's competitiveness.
Techcombank expects this season to create highly applicable AI solutions in life and business, thereby forming a generation of Vietnamese talents of international stature".
Representatives of Techcombank said that the contest will invite experts to participate in the Advisory Board, the Judging Panel, including Dr. Pham Hy Hieu - an artificial intelligence expert. High-ranking contestants will have the opportunity to participate in learning and experiential activities related to AI.
The contest will take place on multiple platforms, from television to digital platforms, social networks:
July 2026: Preliminary Round - Launching.
August 2026: Final Round - A.I Skills
September - October 2026: Semi-finals - Reality.
November-December 2026: Finals.
January 2027: Live Gala night announcement and Award Ceremony.
The champion team won a prize of 1 billion VND from the program and a scholarship "Techcombank's Miracle" worth 1 million USD, wing the dream of in-depth research on artificial intelligence at leading universities in the world.
