To promote knowledge sharing and disseminate the value of capacity-building programs organized by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the KOICA Fellowship Program – CIAT, and to inspire innovation among students through the application of information and communication technology (ICT) to solve real-world community problems, the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), the University of Da Nang, collaborated with KOICA to organize the ICT Community Innovation Hackathon 2026 as part of the KOICA Knowledge Sharing Event under the theme “KOICA CIAT x WFK Korea-Vietnam Knowledge Sharing Forum & Community Problem-Solving Hackathon at VKU” from July 13 to 14, 2026.

Overview of the Opening Ceremony

The program is one of the typical activities of the KOICA CIAT (Capacity Improvement & Advancement for Tomorrow) alumni network, aiming to disseminate the knowledge, experience, and values gained from KOICA’s capacity-building programs in Korea to Vietnamese students while strengthening connections among KOICA alumni, World Friends Korea (WFK) KOICA volunteers, lecturers, and students at VKU.

Dr. Tran The Son – Vice Rector of VKU speaking at the Closing Ceremony

Attending the program, on the KOICA side were Ms. Lee Yoo Kyung – Deputy Country Director of KOICA Vietnam, Prof. Kwak Jae Sung – Director of the Project Management Advisory Board (PMC), Mr. Cho Yongsuk  – Head of the PMC Project at VKU, along with KOICA officials, KOICA CIAT alumni, and KOICA volunteers. Representing VKU were Dr. Tran The Son – Vice Rector of the university, representatives of specialized units, lecturers, experts, members of the Judging Panel, and a large number of students participating in the competition.

Notably, the program featured two former KOICA participants: Mr. Pham Thi Nam – Officer of the Da Nang City Center for Disease Control and former participant in the KOICA-Yonsei Scholarship Program on Public Health (2023-2024) in South Korea, who delivered a presentation on infectious disease prevention and public health, and Ms. Hoang Thi Dong – Officer of Vietnam Social Security and former participant in the Capacity-Building Program for Vietnam Social Security officials on the implementation of the Social Security Agreement between the Governments of South Korea and Vietnam, organized by KOICA in South Korea in 2024, who shared insights on social security policies in Vietnam and South Korea.

The participating teams were students from Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Da Nang

The competition attracted 50 teams with 250 students from high schools, universities, and colleges in Da Nang City. The teams went through rounds of idea registration, preliminary selection, training and mentoring, product development, and the final round. In the final round, the teams developed ICT application solutions in the fields of digital transformation, education, the environment, agriculture, healthcare, smart cities, and improving citizens’ quality of life.

The project “V-K SafePulse – Smart Emergency Health & Security Network System for Telecom Blind Spots” won First Prize

In the final round, eight outstanding teams confidently presented their products to the Judging Panel, defending the novelty, feasibility, and practical value of their solutions. Based on objective and highly professional evaluations, the Organizing Committee selected and awarded:

01 First Prize: Project “V-K SafePulse – Smart Emergency Health & Security Network System for Telecom Blind Spots” (Team 3)

01 Second Prize: Project “Omnicare AI” (Team 7)

02 Third Prizes: Project “AI-Powered Education System” (Team 2) and Project “SOSFlow – The Coordination Layer Behind Every Rescue Call” (Team 11)

04 Consolation Prizes: Projects “AI-Powered Disease Prediction & Early Warning Platform” (Team 24), “AI-Powered Emergency Rescue and Relief Coordination Platform for Safer Communities in the AI Era” (Team 12), “CareFlow – An Intelligent Platform for Streamlining the Healthcare Journey” (Team 26), and “KSCAN – Safeguarding Korean Copyright in Vietnam” (Team 13)

With total prizes worth nearly VND 80 million, the awards not only recognized the participating teams’ efforts but also created opportunities for them to further refine and develop their products for practical implementation.

KOICA representatives present the sponsorship package for the 2026 Green Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign

Beyond its academic and innovative values, the ICT Community Innovation Competition 2026 also strongly promoted social responsibility through the support of the KOICA Alumni Club for VKU’s community activities. Specifically, KOICA provided a sponsorship package worth $2,000 for a solar-powered lighting system to support the VKU Youth Union’s 2026 Green Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign. The project will provide solar power to 146 households and the Cultural Center in Ngoc Le Hamlet, Tra Linh Commune, Da Nang City, contributing to improving living conditions, ensuring residents’ safety, and promoting the use of clean energy and sustainable development. This activity demonstrates KOICA’s continued commitment to supporting alumni of the KOICA CIAT Capacity-Building Program, encouraging them to disseminate the program’s knowledge through knowledge-sharing initiatives, community development activities, and the maintenance of the KOICA alumni network – a community of significant professional and networking value.

Through the KOICA Knowledge Sharing Event series, including the KOICA CIAT Alumni Knowledge-Sharing Forum, the ICT Community Innovation Hackathon 2026, and the community activities of the KOICA Alumni Club, VKU and KOICA further reaffirm their commitment to developing high-quality human resources, promoting post-training knowledge sharing, and leveraging the role of the KOICA alumni network in creating practical value for the community.

VKU Media

“The KOICA Global Fellowship Program – CIAT is a human resource development program of the Korean government implemented through KOICA. Under this program, KOICA invites future leaders, officials, managers, policymakers, and experts from partner countries to participate in capacity-building training courses in Korea. Since 1991, more than 5,700 Vietnamese officials and trainees have participated in KOICA CIAT capacity-building programs. The KOICA alumni network aims to maintain professional cooperation, promote knowledge sharing, implement academic and community service activities, and strengthen Vietnam-Korea cooperation.”

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