On the morning of September 23, at the University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), the Hanoi Youth Union and the Vietnam Student Association of Hanoi organized the final round of the “Future Blue Innovation 2023” competition with the theme “Innovation for a Green Planet.”
This competition is part of a series of activities implementing the 2023 Work Program of the Youth Union and the Capital’s Youth Movement; it concretizes the role of Hanoi’s youth in carrying out Work Program No. 07 on “Promoting the development of science, technology, and innovation for the 2021–2025 period.” It aims to foster creativity and seek initiatives in environmental protection among Youth Union members and young people who are high school students, students at vocational education and continuing education centers, and students at professional secondary and vocational schools across the city.
Comrade Nguyễn Tiến Hưng, Member of the Central Executive Committee of the Youth Union, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Youth Union, and President of the Hanoi Vietnam Student Association, speaks at the competition.
Speaking at the event, Comrade Nguyễn Tiến Hưng noted that the environment is always a pressing topic, particularly as human activities are driving changes in climate and weather patterns that directly affect daily life.
“I hope the ‘Future Blue Innovation 2023’ competition will be a useful and engaging platform that gives students the opportunity to showcase their abilities, especially innovations related to environmental protection. Through this, students can enhance their knowledge and skills and make practical contributions to protecting our living environment and advancing national development,” emphasized Nguyễn Tiến Hưng.
Returning with the theme “Innovation for a Green Planet,” this year’s competition addressed many issues related to environmental restoration and protection, such as reducing and treating plastic waste, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy. It thus contributes to technological development while creating positive values and spreading the message of building a green environment and clean living through the products presented by participating students.
After more than two months of registration and outreach, Future Blue Innovation 2023 received over 1,500 applications from more than 200 organizations. The preliminary jury carefully evaluated the dossiers and selected the top 20 outstanding projects from 16 high schools to advance to the semifinals. Fields that drew strong interest included reducing and treating plastic waste, air/soil/water pollution, renewable energy, and biodiversity conservation.
Following an intense semifinal round, the six outstanding projects that advanced to the final were:
• Snappy – Team Squirrel Spies (Hanoi–Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and the High School for the Gifted under Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi National University of Education)
• ReU – Team ReU (High School for the Gifted in Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU)
• AI-Integrated Automatic Trash-Collecting Boat – Team GREENAQUA (Thang Long High School, Hai Bà Trưng District)
• Sunflower Battery – Team Somos los mejores (Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Cầu Giấy District)
• OUR-CASE – contestant Vũ Đình Quyết (High School for the Gifted under Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi National University of Education)
• The Secret Garden – contestant Trần Vân Trang (Vinschool Thăng Long Inter-level School)
In the final round, the top six projects received guidance from three experienced mentors to refine their proposals and underwent specialized training in two topics: business planning skills; and presentation and project pitching skills. During the final, teams competed in two rounds: the Conquest Round and the Defense (Q&A) Round.
Greenaqua Team (Thang Long High School, Hai Bà Trưng District) was crowned champion of the “Future Blue Innovation 2023” competition.