The summary and awards ceremony for the ‘Ho Chi Minh City Artificial Intelligence Challenge (AI Challenge) 2025’ took place on 27 November at the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Incubation Centre. This event formed a key part of the Ho Chi Minh City Week of Innovation, Science, Technology, and Creative Start-ups (WISE HCMC⁺ 2025). The challenge was spearheaded by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association, and the Centre for Youth Science and Technology Development.

The AI Challenge 2025 was implemented under the theme: ‘Virtual Assistant Supporting Information Retrieval from Large Multimedia Data Repositories.’ The contest focused on practical issues, including natural language processing, big data querying, image and video analysis, and AI applications tailored for smart urban environments.

Following a launch period of two months, the Organising Committee received submissions from over 3,954 contestants, comprising 797 teams. These teams represented 194 units from 63 high schools in Ho Chi Minh City and various neighbouring provinces and cities.

From the preliminary submissions, the Board of Judges selected 80 teams to progress to the final round. During this stage, the finalists utilised their own developed systems, models, and software to process 30 complex query questions set by the Judges.

In Group A—the competitive category specifically for students and young people—students from VNUHCM-University of Science continued to demonstrate formidable competitive prowess, securing a significant number of outstanding awards. This achievement robustly re-affirms the university’s leading position in both training and research within emerging technology disciplines.

The results of the AI Challenge 2025 not only signify the growing maturity of the young student cohort within Ho Chi Minh City’s technology ecosystem but also highlight the dedicated efforts of universities—notably VNUHCM-University of Science—in cultivating a high-quality human resource pool. This talent is ready to play a central role in the artificial intelligence development strategy, benefiting both the city and the entire nation.

The official list detailing the top-performing teams and the specific applied artificial intelligence research achievements of the students below: