More than a month after its launch, the Asian Hackathon for Green Future 2026, a technology solution ideas competition, has drawn strong enthusiasm from students and young innovators across Asia, attracting 439 registered teams seeking to develop technology solutions for a sustainable future.

Co-organized by three Vingroup member organizations, namely the “For Green Future” Foundation, VinUniversity, and the Vingroup Young Technology Talent Club (VinTechTalent), the competition seeks to identify and nurture high-impact technological initiatives that address pressing environmental challenges facing the region, while fostering innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem solving capabilities among the next generation of talent.

The 439 registered teams comprise approximately 1,439 participants representing 22 countries and territories. Vietnam leads in participation with 174 registered teams, followed by India with 114 teams, the Philippines with 44 teams, China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan regions, with 23 teams, and Indonesia with 20 teams, among others.

Top 30 teams will be fully supported to compete in person at VinUniversity (Hanoi). Illustrative photo: The championship-winning team at VinUni Hackathon 2025. Photo: VinUniversity.

Notably, a significant number of participating teams come from universities recognized among the leading institutions in the QS World University Rankings and QS Asia University Rankings 2026. 

Among those ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2026 are the National University of Singapore – NUS (ranked 8th globally) and Nanyang Technological University – NTU (ranked 12th globally) from Singapore; the University of Hong Kong (ranked 11th globally), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – HKUST (ranked 44th globally), and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ranked 54th globally) from Hong Kong (China); Seoul National University – SNU (ranked 38th globally) and Yonsei University (ranked 50th globally) from South Korea; Kyoto University (ranked 57th globally) from Japan; the University of Malaya – UM (ranked 58th globally) from Malaysia; and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (ranked 180th globally) from India.

In addition, a number of teams come from universities with strong standings in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, including the University of Indonesia – UI (ranked 47th in Asia) from Indonesia, Ateneo de Manila University (ranked 141st in Asia) from the Philippines, and Nazarbayev University (ranked 201st in Asia) from Kazakhstan. The competition also sees participation from leading science and technology universities in Vietnam, including Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and VinUniversity.

The distribution of applications across the competition’s three core thematic areas reflects broad interest among young people in Asia in addressing today’s environmental and sustainability challenges. The theme “Water Resources and Climate-Adaptive Agriculture” attracted the highest share of registrations at approximately 37%, followed by “Urban Air Quality and Climate Resilience” at 33%, and “Renewable Energy and Low-Emission Transportation” at 30%.

Participants’ academic backgrounds span computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering, sustainable development, agriculture, logistics, healthcare, and environmental science, demonstrating the competition’s highly interdisciplinary nature. In doing so, competition not only drives technological innovation but also creates opportunities for young people across Asia to jointly develop solutions with real-world applicability and long-term impacts on society.

Asian Hackathon for Green Future aspires to become a platform for cross-border exchange and collaboration among the region’s youth, driving the development of practical solutions for communities. Photo: VinUniversity.

Dr. Thai-Ha Le, Managing Director of the “For Green Future” Foundation and Chair of the Organizing Committee, stated: “Through the Asian Hackathon for Green Future 2026, the “For Green Future” Foundation continues to reaffirm its commitment to expanding its international efforts in initiatives that advance sustainable development and innovation. Beyond accompanying Vietnam’s green transition journey, the Foundation also aspires to serve as a connector of young intellectual resources across Asia, helping to mobilize high value ideas to address future environmental and development challenges.”

Following the Registration & Preliminary round, the Top 30 teams are expected to be announced in early June 2026 and will participate in an intensive training program led by international experts before joining the in-person Final Round at VinUniversity from July 2-5, which includes a 36-hour Hackathon at VinUniversity, Hanoi.

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges comprising leading Asian experts in technology, innovation, and sustainable development. The Top 30 teams will compete for a total prize pool of USD 24,000, including a First Prize of USD 8,000, a Second Prize of USD 5,000, two Third Prizes of USD 3,000 each, and five Consolation Prizes of USD 1,000 each.

Going beyond the boundaries of a competition, the Asian Hackathon for Green Future is emerging as a platform that brings together hundreds of teams from multiple countries and leading universities throughout Asia, demonstrating the immense potential of a cross-border collaborative ecosystem where technological innovations extend beyond ideas and can be continuously nurtured, refined, and developed into practical solutions that deliver meaningful societal impact.