This is the first time an environmental hackathon competition on an Asian scale, exclusively for students and graduate students, has been held in Vietnam. The competition aims to find and develop technology solutions to help solve urgent environmental challenges, while promoting the spirit of innovation and inter-sectoral cooperation among the young generation.
Participating contestants will go through 3 main rounds: Preliminary Round (April - May 17, 2026), Online Training Round (June - June 28, 2026) and Final Round - Hackathon will take place at VinUni University (July - May 7, 2026 - expected).
In the Preliminary Round, contestants register online in groups, each team with a maximum of 4 members. Contestants need to ensure that they are students or graduate students at universities throughout Asia.
Contest application documents include: idea proposal and introduction video. Based on the assessment of the Professional Council, the 30 best teams will be selected for the next round.
The contest encourages interdisciplinary ideas, combining many fields: technology, environment, economy and social sciences, creating solutions that are both innovative, feasible and have social value.
The ideas focus on 3 groups of challenges: renewable energy and low-emission transportation; urban air quality and climate change resilience; water resources and climate change-adapted agriculture.
At the online training round, the Top 30 teams will participate in a series of in-depth training and consulting with multidisciplinary experts to be equipped with more specialized knowledge, update sustainable development trends and related technologies, thereby helping to complete and expand ideas for solutions.
In the Final Round and Award Ceremony, the teams will be fully sponsored for travel and accommodation costs. The teams will enter a 24-hour hackathon challenge at VinUni University (Hanoi) to develop and improve technology solutions, before presenting to the Judging Council. From there, the Top 9 excellent teams will be selected to enter the final evaluation round, finding the winning team.
Taking on the position of Head of the Judging Panel of the contest is Prof. Duong Nguyen Vu, Vice Rector in charge of postgraduate training of VinUni University, cum Scientific Director at the Artificial Intelligence Research Center under VinUni. He used to be Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore) until July 2025, and also Scientific Director of the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI). During his leadership (Chief Executive Director until 2025), he made ATMRI the world's leading research institute on air traffic management. Previously, he was the Founding Director of the John von Neumann Institute (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), initiating university-business cooperation and innovation programs in education.
Before returning to Vietnam in 2010, he was Head of Innovation Research and Senior Science Advisor at EUROCONTROL. He also served as an advisor to the Minister of Planning and Investment of Vietnam on innovation strategies, contributing to the establishment of the National Innovation Center.
The total prize value of the competition is 24,000 USD, including: 1 First Prize worth 8,000 USD, 1 Second Prize worth 5,000 USD, 2 Third Prizes worth 3,000 USD/prize and 5 Consolation Prizes worth 1,000 USD/prize. In addition, participating teams also have the opportunity to connect and learn from leading experts in the region, helping to expand networks and increase access to the innovation ecosystem.
Dr. Le Thai Ha, Executive Director of the Fund For a Green Future cum Head of the Organizing Committee of the contest, said: "Ideas that can change the future do not always start from large laboratories or established organizations, but often originate from the sensitivity, spirit of dedication and desire to make a difference of the young generation. Through Asian Hackathon for Green Future, we hope that creative ideas will be nurtured and developed into technology solutions that bring long-term value to the community.
The Asian Hackathon for Green Future competition is expected to promote the spirit of innovation associated with sustainable development, and at the same time contribute to forming a generation of young talents capable of cross-border cooperation, together creating solutions that bring positive and long-term impacts to the region.
Interested candidates can register for the exam here: https://forms.gle/o3L5BVLExUYKQtGJA
