Vietnam’s biggest artificial intelligence (AI) competition, Zalo AI Challenge 2025, has officially launched, inviting students, engineers and researchers nationwide to tackle real-world AI problems for a total prize pool of $12,000 (over 300 million VND).
Returning for its seventh year, the annual contest—organized by Vietnamese tech platform Zalo—aims to nurture local AI talent and promote the practical application of AI technologies in daily life. This year’s theme, “AI as an efficient partner,” underscores the growing role of AI not just as a tool but as a trusted collaborator alongside humans.
According to the organizing committee, the competition is open for registration from October 27 to November 20, 2025, allowing individuals and teams to compete online through a live leaderboard system similar to the format used by international platforms such as Kaggle.
Zalo AI Challenge 2025 features two main tasks focusing on AI solutions with real-world impact:
– AeroEyes – Finding and Rescuing with AI-Powered Drones: developing drone-based AI systems for search and rescue missions in challenging environments like floods, forests and disaster zones.
– RoadBuddy – Understanding the Road through Dashcam AI: building AI models capable of interpreting road signs, signals and traffic conditions from dashcam footage to enhance road safety.
Zalo representatives said the selected topics highlight AI’s potential to “serve people and society,” encouraging innovation that addresses local challenges rather than purely academic goals.
Since its inception in 2018, the Zalo AI Challenge has become a major platform for Vietnam’s AI community, attracting thousands of participants across universities and tech startups. Many previous projects have evolved into real-world applications in healthcare, transportation and Vietnamese language processing.
Industry experts say the 2025 edition reaffirms Vietnamese tech companies’ long-term commitment to developing a sustainable AI ecosystem and aligns with the government’s strategy to strengthen digital transformation and human resource development in AI.
“With this year’s competition, we want to inspire young Vietnamese talent to innovate and shape the future of AI,” a Zalo spokesperson said.
With its increasing scale, challenging topics and attractive rewards, Zalo AI Challenge 2025 is expected to continue driving Vietnam’s ambition to become a regional hub for innovation and artificial intelligence.
Sources: Znews.vn, VTV.vn, TechTimes.vn, Voz.vn
