iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 Gold Prize: When the Vietnamese dream is honored in Germany

In the bright lights of the Friedrichstadt-Palast theater - which has witnessed the peaks of European art, Lexi - a Vietnamese name resounded among more than 2,000 delegates from 42 countries.

Lexi is a medical translation application created from a simple thing - helping patients and doctors understand each other. From that humanistic aspiration, Lexi has surpassed thousands of products from 72 countries, honored to receive the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 Gold - the most prestigious award in the global design industry.

A design from the heart

The iF DESIGN AWARD jury called Lexi “a life-saving design with language.” The app uses artificial intelligence to accurately translate medical conversations in six languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, and Russian, even without an internet connection.

In emergency situations, with just a smartphone, Lexi can become a bridge between life and death.

Unlike many products born in a lab, Lexi was conceived from a painful reality: millions of immigrant patients around the world face language barriers in medical care.

From that concern, two Harvard Business School students - Pham Hong Linh and Siddharth UR - built Lexi together.

Vietnamese girl and memorable moments in Berlin

The moment Pham Hong Linh - co-founder of Lexi - stepped onto the stage to receive the award in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai left the audience in awe.

Linh shared: “That moment was like entering a dream, where kindness is heard and welcomed by the world.”

Previously, Lexi also won First Prize in the New Entrepreneurship Competition at Harvard Business School - the first time in 25 years that a Vietnamese student won the top position.

The app went on to win big at Female Founder Circle Pitch 2025 in the US, and also received funding from Harvard Innovation Labs' Social Impact Fund.

Despite being continuously honored, Pham Hong Linh is quite humble, saying: "I just want those who are in dangerous situations to no longer be helpless because they cannot speak or understand each other."

Vietnamese Dream - Journey to reach far with knowledge

Lexi is a global product, but also a part of the Vietnamese dream. In the journey to reach universal human values, Vietnam - a nation that has experienced war, loss, and poverty - is affirming its position through knowledge, creativity, and compassion.

The iF Gold Award is more than just a prestigious trophy. It is recognition for designs that truly listen – not to overwhelm, but to heal.

Lexi does not paint a futuristic future, but answers an existential question: how to ensure that no one is left behind just because of language differences? From the heart of Vietnam, Lexi is gradually opening new doors of connection and more and more hospitals in New York, Paris, Tokyo... use Lexi as an effective medical support tool.

After Lexi, products with Vietnamese soul are expected to continue to be named - not only on the stage of glory, but also in the heartbeat of humanity./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/giai-vang-if-design-award-2025-khi-giac-mo-viet-duoc-vinh-danh-tren-dat-duc-post1037723.vnp