From October 6 to 8, the national final selection round of “Practical AI 2026” took place. The competition is jointly organised by Vietnam Television (VTV), the National Data Centre, the National Data Association and Techcombank, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Public Security.
Following the success of the first season, which attracted more than 10 million live views, this year’s competition drew nearly 1,000 teams from 62 educational institutions, as well as almost 200 businesses and technology organisations, including Vietnamese participants from abroad. The contestants have an average age of 22.4, with the youngest being just 15.
The competition takes place as Vietnam steps up efforts to advance science, technology and digital transformation under Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, with AI identified as one of the country’s 10 strategic technology groups under a separate government decision.
Members of the Advisory Board and Judging Panel of “Practical AI 2026”.
Dr Thang Luong, Research Director at Google DeepMind and a member of the Advisory Board and Judging Panel of “Practical AI 2026”.
As the only AI competition produced by VTV in the format of a multi-platform reality television game show, the programme serves to bring technological knowledge closer to the public. As well as identifying outstanding solutions, the competition places a strong emphasis on nurturing young AI talent who are both ethically aware and technically capable.
Top 100: International-level profiles converge in the national final selection round
Following the preliminary round, the Top 100 teams advanced to the national final selection round, held from October 6 to 8, 2026, during which they demonstrated strong capabilities across four pillars: Research, Competition, Product, and Open Source.
Around 80% of the teams hold international certificates or awards, or have already deployed AI products in real-world settings. Their achievements include FDA-cleared medical AI systems, advanced facial authentication technology, awards in international competition and research published at leading conferences.
Several products have also been adopted on a large scale, including PiperTTS, with more than 350,000 users; Vietnamese AI models, with tens of thousands of monthly downloads on Hugging Face; and an Agentic AI system supporting over 10,000 banking employees.
Dramatic “100-12-4-1” competition format and record prize pool
The competition follows an elimination format combining strong technical depth with the entertainment appeal of television:
Round 1 - Application Round: Nearly 1,000 team profiles are assessed, with the Top 100 selected.
Round 2 - National Final Selection Round (October 6-8, 2026): The Top 100 compete in online skills challenges across 10 groups. Twelve teams advance: the 10 group winners and the two highest-scoring runners-up.
Round 3 - Semifinals (November 2026): The 12 teams take part in studio recordings and solve real-world problems, with four teams advancing to the final.
Round 4 - Final and Awards Gala (December 2026 and January 2027): The four finalists develop AI models and applications for key national sectors.
This year’s total prize package reaches a record level:
01 First Prize: VND 1 billion in cash, plus a US$1 million scholarship/investment “Techcombank’s Miracle” package supporting research and development.
01 Second Prize: VND 300 million.
02 Third Prizes: VND 150 million each.
08 Specialised Awards: VND 50 million each, covering Data Application, AI Startup, World-Class AI, Outstanding Idea, API Usage, Creative AI, Promising Talent and Audience Choice.
Broadcast schedule
“The Practicall AI 2026” series is scheduled to air on VTV2 from November 5, 2026, to January 2027, with replays available across VTV’s digital platforms.
The Awards Gala will be BROADCAST LIVE on January 10, 2027, simultaneously on VTV2 and VTV3.
