Starting with community initiatives
Born in 2008, Pham Hoang Long showed an early passion for economics , science, and social activities. Instead of focusing solely on his studies, Long chose to initiate community projects to create positive impacts on society.
In 2023, Long founded the Eco-Stall project, a mobile food stall model using environmentally friendly materials, aligning with the ESG (Green Transformation) trend. The project won first prize in the Innovation Competition of the Vietnam-UK Institute for Research and Training (VNUK, University of Da Nang ) and has been implemented in several local restaurants. All profits and donations from Eco-Stall are used to support needy people in Ho Chi Minh City.
Not stopping there, Long built the ToyJoy project with the slogan, "Sharing Toy, Sharing Joy," aiming to donate quality toys to children in the underprivileged class who lack access to quality toys. In addition, Long's project successfully raised 180 million VND to support the Heart Surgery Fund at Children's Hospital 2.
"What I'm proud of isn't just the money raised, but seeing items that seemed destined for the trash bring joy and hope to other children," Long shared.
Pham Hoang Long (left) with a friend at the ToyJoy project booth. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
ToyJoy now has its own website and has attracted attention not only from Vietnamese benefactors, but also from international ones.
Journey to the United Nations
From those initial steps, Long gradually expanded and participated in more international competitions with his unique ideas. After winning an award at VNUK, Long was invited to participate in Global Goals Week 2023, and then continued to refine his ideas in the UNITAR Asia-Pacific Youth Ambassador program for 10 weeks. As a result, Long became one of two Vietnamese representatives to participate in Summit of the Future 2024 (SOTF 2024), the United Nations Summit on global challenges.
Long (wearing a black vest in the middle) and young people from various countries at SOTF. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
At the “Intergenerational Solidarity” discussion session, Long impressed with his speech on the role of youth in creating sustainable impact, citing evidence from Eco-Stall and the Global Innovators Hub (GIH), the club he founded. GIH now has over 150 members in 6 schools across 5 countries, functioning as an incubator for high school students.
Long recalled: “After the speech, I proactively connected with many scholars, founders, and representatives of international organizations such as UNDP, UNESCO, and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation. Through this, I learned that for an initiative to go far, it needs to combine the creativity of young people with the experience of the older generation.”
It was at this event that Long received attention from many international experts, including the CEO of the Houston Space Center, William T. Harris. This also marked the beginning of his next journey: the Conrad Challenge 2024.
A "double win" at the Conrad Challenge
If SOTF 2024 was where Long asserted the voice of Vietnamese youth, then Conrad Challenge 2024 was where Long and his colleagues created a miracle.
Along with four other students from BIS and Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Long participated in the Aquaneer Vietnam project – researching a sustainable water filtration system using chitosan extracted from shrimp shells. The idea stemmed from the fact that Vietnam's aquaculture industry discards millions of tons of shrimp shells annually, causing environmental pollution. The group transformed this byproduct into a scientific solution: a filtration system that can remove 97% of turbidity, 99% of impurities, and process up to 500 liters of water per hour, enough to supply more than 1,000 people daily.
Pham Hoang Long (right) and his teammates pose for a commemorative photo with Nancy Conrad, the founder of Conrad Challenge. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Within the team, Long takes on the role of building the financial model, planning revenue, costs, break-even point, and commercialization roadmap. "I want the project to go beyond just a scientific idea, to be able to operate like a real business," Long said.
This year's competition attracted over 4,700 teams from 50 countries, with the finals held at the NASA Space Center in Houston. Before a panel of hundreds of experts from Intel, Amazon, and Equinox, the Aquaneer team delivered an outstanding presentation and showcased their product.
As a result, the Vietnamese team won two prestigious awards simultaneously: the Power Pitch (for outstanding presentation) and the Glinsky Tabletop Expo Award (for idea exhibition).
“Standing on stage in Houston, in front of hundreds of engineers and academics, we were both nervous and proud. It was an unforgettable experience,” Long said.
Success at the Conrad Challenge opened many doors. Long said that during the competition, Aquaneer Vietnam received attention from domestic chitosan manufacturers and many international investors. William T. Harris, CEO of the Houston Space Center, even expressed his desire to connect the project with potential businesses in Vietnam.
At the age of 17, Pham Hoang Long already possesses a valuable asset: successful community initiatives, experience speaking at the United Nations, and victory in one of the world's leading scientific competitions. Yet, Long maintains a simple philosophy: "Cherish every moment spent working."
Through his persistent efforts, Pham Hoang Long is proving that the young generation of Vietnam is fully capable of integrating into the international community, not only with their capabilities but also with practical values that contribute to the global community.
Le Thanh
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-viet-tao-dau-an-tai-cuoc-thi-conrad-challenge-2440200.html
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