The achievement not only highlights the capabilities of Vietnamese students on the international technology stage but also demonstrates the growing effectiveness of efforts to promote STEM education, robotics and artificial intelligence in schools.
The Robotics for Good Youth Challenge 2026 Grand Finale was one of the flagship events of the AI for Good Global Summit 2026, the annual international conference organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)—the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies—in partnership with the Swiss Government and more than 50 organisations across the United Nations system.
The summit brought together policymakers, scientists, technology companies, educational institutions and young innovators to promote the use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Robotics for Good Youth Challenge is an international competition for students aged 10 to 18, encouraging participants to apply their knowledge of mechanical engineering, electronics, programming and artificial intelligence to design and build robots capable of solving real-world challenges. Each edition of the competition is centred on a specific sustainable development theme.
In 2026, participating teams were tasked with designing robots capable of performing activities that simulate agricultural production processes and proposing technological solutions to enhance food security—one of the most pressing global challenges facing the international community.
According to the STEM Education Promotion Alliance (SEPA), this year's grand finale attracted teams from more than 50 countries and territories. Viet Nam was represented by two teams, competing in the Junior and Senior divisions respectively. Both teams delivered impressive performances, overcoming strong international competitors to reach the finals and ultimately secure runner-up honours.
In the Senior category, Team HMD from Huynh Man Dat High School for the Gifted in An Giang Province represented Viet Nam's upper secondary schools. The team comprised three Year 11 students including Le Quang Bao Phuc, Tran Hoang Bach and Tran Huynh Hai Duong, under the guidance of teacher Nguyen Cong Tu and delegation leader Pham Ngoc Thien. Before travelling to Geneva, Team HMD had won the national finals of the Robotics for Good Viet Nam 2025–2026 competition.
In the Junior category, Mission Possible represented a unique collaborative model, bringing together students from several lower secondary schools in Hanoi, including Vinschool Times City T37 Secondary School, Cau Giay Secondary School, Nguyen Sieu Inter-level School, and Wellspring Ha Noi Bilingual School.
Under the coaching of Nguyen Tien Phong and Nguyen Tuan Anh from Kids Engineering, the team developed an effective competition strategy, demonstrated precise robot operation and maintained excellent teamwork throughout the contest, enabling them to overcome many strong international rivals and claim the runner-up position in the Junior division.
Team Mission Possible received the Runner-up Award in the Junior category at the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge 2026 Grand Finale in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the organisers, the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge assesses far more than programming ability or robot design. It also places strong emphasis on problem-solving skills, creativity, teamwork and young people's sense of responsibility in addressing shared global challenges.
By engaging participants in practical, real-world tasks, the competition enables students to gain early exposure to emerging technologies while developing research capability, innovation and interdisciplinary thinking—skills widely regarded as essential for the workforce of the digital age.
The success of both Vietnamese teams in reaching the podium at the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge 2026 Grand Finale carries significance well beyond the competition itself. It demonstrates that Vietnamese students are fully capable of mastering emerging technologies when provided with appropriate opportunities for learning, research and hands-on experience.
The achievement also reflects the encouraging progress of STEM education in Viet Nam and contributes to preparing a highly skilled workforce capable of supporting the country's ambitions in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation in the years ahead.
