Inspiring a passion for research in young people.

Beyond simply sharing ideas and achievements in science and technology, the event aims to inspire a passion for research and innovation, creating an environment for interaction, learning, experience, and connection among young people in Ho Chi Minh City.

The model of a search and rescue device for people in distress in aquatic environments, created by Nguyen Thanh Dat and his team, participated in the "Design, Fabrication, Application" award within the framework of the festival - Photo: LE HUY

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Innovation Festival 2026, organized by the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, will take place on May 30th and 31st at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry.

Each of your creative ideas today is not only the result of your learning and research, but it can also become a useful solution to serve the community and contribute to the city's development in the future.

Mr. VO MINH THANH (Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City)

Proactive learning, a desire for creativity.

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Vo Minh Thanh, emphasized that science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation have become important driving forces for the country's development. Ho Chi Minh City always focuses on creating conditions for young people to develop their talents and creativity in the field of science and technology.

This 17th festival brings together 23 participating units, exhibiting over 400 models, products, solutions, and innovative ideas across various fields. Over the years, the festival has become a meaningful platform for youth union members, students, and university students in Ho Chi Minh City.

"As a place to showcase exemplary models, products, initiatives, and innovative solutions, the festival also provides an opportunity for young people to interact, learn, share experiences, and spread their passion for research and application of technology in practice," Mr. Thanh said.

In fact, Ho Chi Minh City has seen an increasing number of young people boldly approaching and researching strategic technology fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, big data, biotechnology, environmental technology, and many other advanced scientific and technological fields. This demonstrates the proactive learning spirit, creative aspirations, and sense of responsibility of the city's youth.

Associate Professor Phan Tai Huan - Vice Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry - said that in the context of globalization, young people not only need a creative spirit but also the capacity for integration, the ability to work in an international environment, interdisciplinary thinking, and the ability to adapt to the rapid changes in science and technology.

"Every innovative idea today could become a useful solution for the community tomorrow, and every research project today could contribute to solving major societal challenges in the future," Mr. Huan said.

Project based on reality

Many research topics and creative ideas from students in Ho Chi Minh City have been submitted to compete for the 14th "Design, Fabrication, and Application" award at this year's festival.

Student Thai Tu Nhu (Tran Khai Nguyen High School) and her group of friends submitted their project, "Intelligent Gas Warning System Based on Human Presence Detection," for this award.

As she explained, she lived with her grandmother since she was little and felt quite uneasy about her grandmother's age and her tendency to forget to turn off the gas stove after cooking.

As mentioned, the system uses an ESP32 microcontroller as its data processing center. When the gas sensor detects a gas concentration exceeding 1800ppm, and simultaneously receives a signal indicating the presence of a person or obstacle via the infrared sensor.

At this point, the system assesses this as a safe state, and the alarm will not sound to avoid false alarms that could cause noise and inconvenience.

Conversely, if the gas concentration exceeds 1,800 ppm and no one is detected within 5 minutes, the system determines an unsafe state. Immediately afterwards, it will activate the alarm and send a notification to the Blynk app so the user can take timely action.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Dat (Tran Khai Nguyen High School) and his group of friends brought equipment for searching and rescuing people in distress in aquatic environments.

The idea stemmed from Dat's concern after reading about the increasingly complex flooding situation in Central Vietnam and other areas of the country, which resulted in many people going missing, being swept away by the water, or facing danger during the natural disaster.

Upon receiving information about a missing person, rescue forces will deploy this model to search for the victim. The camera system mounted on the device will transmit live images to a phone or control device, enabling the rescue team to respond promptly.

Victim identification is done in two ways: either the operator observes images from the camera to detect the victim, or the system can automatically assist in victim detection through thermal imaging (thermal sensor).

"This sensor will detect a person's body temperature and transmit the image to the control device. After locating the person in distress, the operator will press a button to activate the lifebuoy release mechanism," Dat shared.

Challenge with artificial intelligence

The Ho Chi Minh City AI Challenge 2026, organized by the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Education and Training, the City Youth Union, the Ho Chi Minh City Informatics Association, and Quang Trung Software Park Development Company Limited, has officially been launched.

The theme for this year's competition is an intelligent virtual assistant that supports in-depth analysis and retrieval of information within large multimedia datasets.

The competition format is similar to the international Lifelog Search Challenge (LSC) and Video Browser Showdown (VBS) competitions. Contestants develop intelligent virtual assistant solutions that support in-depth analysis and retrieval of information within large multimedia datasets (images, audio, text).

The competition has two categories: Category A for university students and young people, and Category B for high school students. Registration is open from now until June 15th.

The content and requirements for the preliminary round will be announced on June 25th, lasting until August, with the results expected to be announced on August 30th. The final round will be held from September 12th to 26th.

LE HUY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoi-day-khat-vong-nghien-cuu-trong-gioi-tre-20260531094127998.htm