The project "Preserving the value of indigenous resources and enhancing sustainable livelihoods from Hue tea trees" was awarded First Prize in the Hue City Creative Startup Competition 2025.

Attracting and promoting creative potential

The Hue City Creative Startup Competition has been held annually since 2016, becoming a prestigious intellectual playground, a place to nurture creative ideas of youth, students, businesses and the startup community. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Competition and has attracted the support of businesses, investors, experts and consultants inside and outside the city.

Over the past 10 years, there have been 600 applications, 153 projects in the final round; 93 ideas and projects were awarded. Many projects have reached beyond the local level, won regional and national awards and gradually approached the international market.

This year's competition continues to make its mark with 94 registrations, the highest in 10 years of organization. The quality of the projects has clearly improved, diversified, rich in technology applications, closely following the trend of green economy and circular economy. Notably, 2 business households have boldly developed into enterprises, demonstrating the maturity of Hue's startup models.

Through the final round, the Jury selected 13 best startup project ideas to propose the Standing Committee of the Competition to submit to the City People's Committee for consideration and approval of the Competition results. Including 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes, 3 Third Prizes, 3 Encouragement Prizes and 4 organizations, groups of individuals, and individuals who won the Award of the Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee. In addition, the Organizing Committee awarded 3 Potential Creative Startup Project Awards to projects entering the final round of the Competition in 2025.

The projects honored this year demonstrate unique ideas and creative solutions to real social problems, typically ideas built on local values ​​and Hue's specific advantages, aiming to exploit local resources in a sustainable way. Typical examples include the project "Preserving local resource values ​​and enhancing sustainable livelihoods from Hue tea trees" with fresh tea essence products, applying modern technology to exploit and preserve long-standing tea areas, while creating stable livelihoods for local people. Or the project Developing culinary ceramics from Phuoc Tich ceramics, contributing to spreading the quintessence of Hue's traditional handicrafts into contemporary life.

Second Prize Awarding to 2 winning projects at the Hue City Creative Startup Competition 2025

In addition, many technology and digital transformation projects have demonstrated modern thinking and high applicability in practice. The CheckNow project provides real-time management and smart timekeeping solutions suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises; the VibeCoding.vn project is an AI application platform that supports programming, helping to expand digital capacity for non-specialized learners and promote access to technology in the community.

In the project group oriented towards green economy, sustainable development and social responsibility, the participating groups proposed many remarkable solutions. These include the Green Concrete project developing non-cement materials, contributing to reducing CO₂ emissions and utilizing waste in production; the EcoChuoi project exploiting agricultural by-products to create environmentally friendly handicrafts, in line with green consumption trends.

Promote and spread the spirit of creative entrepreneurship

According to the evaluation of the Organizing Committee of the Competition, many projects are very feasible and highly creative, with the enthusiastic participation of young people showing a generation full of energy and creativity, ready to seize opportunities to develop themselves and contribute to their homeland. For projects that have not won awards, the authors and groups of authors continue to nurture their passion, constantly learn and improve, and find opportunities to continue developing ideas and projects.

Many start-up products continue to be supported and upgraded for development.

To continue promoting the spirit of innovative entrepreneurship, Hue city, the science and technology sector continues to perfect specific mechanisms and policies to support the development of science, technology and innovative startups; focus resources on forming the city's Innovative Startup Support Center. Thereby creating conditions for projects to access creative spaces, testing infrastructure, technology, data and support services throughout the development process.

Prioritize innovative projects with high applicability, especially in areas with advantages of the city such as tourism, high-tech agriculture, information technology, medicine, creative industry, clean energy and renewable energy in the direction of green growth, contributing to creating sustainable economic value, protecting the environment and improving the quality of life.

The city continues to expand investment and market connections, strengthen communications and trade promotion to bring Hue start-up products to domestic and international markets. Improve the quality of start-up human resources through training programs on business models, product development, capital raising and financial management for students, start-up groups and business households converting to enterprises.

In addition, the Department of Science and Technology focuses on building a network of consultants and experts including scientists, managers, and entrepreneurs to accompany projects from the idea stage to growth; providing professional support, strategy, market and resource connection, contributing to improving the quality of incubation and forming innovative and competitive enterprises.

NOSTALGIA

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/trao-giai-cuoc-thi-khoi-nghiep-sang-tao-thanh-pho-hue-nam-2025-160678.html