Launching the National Student Cyber Security Competition 2025

The contest is organized by the National Cyber Security Association (NCA) in collaboration with the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention ( Ministry of Public Security ).

The contest aims to encourage and promote the movement of researching and learning cybersecurity skills among students. The contest also aims to discover and nurture young human resources with cybersecurity capacity, while creating a healthy academic playground, connecting students nationwide.

According to the organizers, the contest is open to full-time students from universities and colleges nationwide, regardless of major or year. In particular, a number of guest teams from international students will also participate. Each team will consist of 4 members from the same school, and each school can register an unlimited number of teams.

The Preliminary Round will take place online on the nCademy platform in late September 2025. The National Final Round is scheduled to take place in October 2025 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This is also a side event to celebrate the opening of the Hanoi Convention.

Attack & Defense teams will compete in Hanoi. CTF teams will compete in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The total value of cash prizes is up to 220 million VND. In addition, winning teams will have the opportunity to practice at cybersecurity companies that are members of the Association.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Head of Technology Research at NCA, emphasized: “The competition is special because for the first time, AI will be involved and students of any major can register. Not only domestic teams, this year there will also be students from ASEAN countries, Russia, Australia, etc., creating opportunities for international exchange and competition.”

Candidates will participate in challenges such as exploiting vulnerabilities, decoding data, investigating numbers, reverse engineering, etc. The application of AI helps increase processing speed, but the organizers also proactively set up "traps" to test the candidates' critical thinking ability and response skills in situations where AI can be fooled. Allowing the use of AI in the competition helps students get acquainted with new technology, while also practicing their ability to control, think critically, and respond to real risks that AI can cause.

Many IT students graduate but lack practical skills, while the cost of obtaining international certificates is still high, making it difficult to access careers. This year's competition promises to make an important contribution to building a strong cybersecurity community, creating high-quality human resources, meeting the requirements of protecting national cyberspace in the era of digitalization and strong AI development.

At the same time, Vietnam is facing a serious shortage of cybersecurity human resources. According to experts, Vietnam may lack up to 700,000 cybersecurity personnel in the next 3 years. This situation is especially alarming as Vietnam is among the countries at high risk of cyber attacks.

This shortage of personnel comes from many causes. Although the number of schools training in information technology and cybersecurity is quite large, the output quality is not guaranteed, many students still lack practical skills. The cost of international certifications in cybersecurity is also quite high, making it difficult to access. Meanwhile, cyber attacks are becoming more complex and sophisticated, especially with the support of artificial intelligence (AI).

In that context, events such as the 2025 National Student Cyber Security Competition play an extremely important role. This competition not only encourages and promotes the movement of researching and learning cybersecurity skills among students, but also serves as a channel to discover and nurture young, capable human resources...

NGUYEN BAO

Source: https://nhandan.vn/khoi-dong-cuoc-thi-an-ninh-mang-sinh-vien-toan-quoc-nam-2025-post888386.html