On the afternoon of October 18, 2024, Vietnam – Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), the University of Danang, hosted the final round of the English Talent Competition (ETC) 2024. This academic competition, held annually since 2017, marks its 7th edition in 2024 with the theme: “Science, Technology, and Innovation – Arousing Aspirations, Creating the Future”. The competition was carefully organized to provide students with beneficial content, enhancing their language skills and soft skills. The competition also helped students equip themselves with knowledge of the 4.0 Revolution and the ongoing digital transformation globally, as well as integration skills.

Overview of the ETC 2024 Finals

Attending the ETC 2024 final round, VKU was honored to welcome experts from domestic and foreign enterprises, including Ms. Anh Duong from Enclave (Sponsor), Mr. Jane Samuelsson – a Swedish expert, and Mr. Michael Roberts – an Australian expert. From VKU, Dr. Huynh Ngoc Tho – Vice Rector, along with department leaders, team coaches, lecturers and a large number of students attended in person and via livestream on VKU’s fan page.

Opening remarks by Dr. Huynh Ngoc Tho, Vice Rector of VKU

In his opening speech at the ETC 2024 final round, Dr. Huynh Ngoc Tho emphasized that VKU is a public university with the orientation of becoming an international-class university and the goal of training high-quality human resources for the global labor market. Therefore, VKU always aims to internationalize all activities, with a particular focus on English – a key factor for students’ global integration. VKU aims to enhance students’ foreign language proficiency, setting an exit requirement equivalent to IELTS 5.5-6.0, not only through theory but also through practical platforms like academic competitions. Through ETC, VKU reaffirms its reputation as a prestigious university in the region with a comprehensive learning environment that equips students with both professional and soft skills, enabling them to confidently step out into the world.

The ETC 2024 competition took place from April 2024 to October 2024 through 4 rounds with 1,497 students from 449 teams. Seven outstanding teams were selected to participate in the final round. The teams had to go through two challenging but engaging rounds: Presentation and Debate.

Right at the beginning of the final round, the teams performed quite impressively and creatively with their unique communication abilities and fluency in English. During the Presentation round, the teams presented selected topics related to the deep impact of the 4.0 Revolution on various fields, from AI in healthcare, logistics and supply chains, to advancements in 3D printing technology, VR & AR in retail, and smart home systems. The teams also discussed immersive technology, brain-controlled prosthetics, and the application of AI and AR in education, highlighting the profound changes that technology brings to modern life.

Teams SINTERIORS and INTERGRAL PART in the Debate round

After the Presentation round, the two with the highest scores, SINTERIORS and INTERGRAL PART, advanced to the Debate round with the topic: “Is the development of artificial intelligence (AI) harmful to humanity?” In this round, members of the two teams demonstrated their eloquence in the form of one side supporting and one side opposing. Each side showcased their knowledge and presentation skills in English to defend their viewpoints and persuade the judges.

After the intense rounds, the judges, who were experts from domestic and foreign enterprises, highly appreciated the teams for their communication skills and the depth of their knowledge presented during the presentations and debates. In the end, the organizers and judges decided to award the first prize to the INTERGRAL PART team, the second prize to SINTERIORS, two third prizes (PIONEER and INNOVATORS), three consolation prizes (THE CHARIOT, VICTOIRE, and SLAMDUNK), five prospective prizes and one prize for the most liked video on the competition’s fanpage, with the total prizes of 15 million VND.

The success of ETC 2024, particularly in highlighting the English proficiency of VKU’s students, has demonstrated and respectfully acknowledged the tireless efforts of the university’s leadership and lecturers in general, and the determination and perseverance to improve the foreign language proficiency of VKU’s students in particular. This affirms the outstanding expertise, skills, especially English proficiency of VKU’s students, which contributes to the affirmation that the quality of the university’s training programs are continuously improved to meet international standards.

Center for Learning Resources and Communication

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