After nearly four months, it received over 70 business concepts from hundreds of students, two teams from the UEB were recognized in the final round, including: Greenu team won the first award and Bandia team won the third prize. Greenu team, in particular, won a "double" when it was named the "Most Favorite Team".

The road to becoming the VNU Innovation Start-up Champion

Coming to the contest, Greenu which consisted of 5 members who are Le Ngoc Anh - QH-2017-E KTPT; Truong Hoang Minh - QH-2017-E KTPT; Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang - QH-2018-E CLC 4; Vu Hong Tuoi - QH-2017-E CLC 2 KTQT and Nguyen Thu Ngan, QH-2017-E KTPT, earned the highest position with the project "Smart Green Education" under the advice of Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen An Thinh, who is Dean of Faculty of Development Economics, UEB.

Impressed immediately by the project's slogan, "Education for green living for sustainable development," the council praised the project's ingenuity, practicality, and profundity when it came to environmental challenges that affect the entire society. The "Smart Green Education" project consists of the "Environmental Leader" game set, as well as environmental-related extracurricular programs and materials, with the goal of developing a new method of learning for students of all levels and contributing to the development of profound thoughts in children's subconscious about environmental awareness and responsibility.

Le Ngoc Anh, Leader of Greenu team, explained the project's origins: "My group is comprised of students who love the natural world and are acutely conscious of the critical nature of environmental conservation in the current climate." As a result, we wanted to make our modest share to safeguard the environment from even the slightest actions. From their love for research and their professional experience, the group determined that the age group of 5 to 12 is the critical period for building children's consciousness, and thus chose this item as the project's purpose. Since then, "Green Smart Education - An Environmental Education Program for Children" was born.

After numerous rounds of competition, there were occasions when Greedu members faced numerous obstacles and challenges from "rivals" from numerous large colleges; there were also instances when Greedu members faced considerable anxiety and concern. However, with the encouragement of mentors and team consensus, all of the pressure became incentive for the team to break through and continue to "fight" in the competition rounds with heart readiness and resolve. “The event attracts not only students from VNU, but also teams from a number of famous universities, including National Economics University, Foreign Trade University, among others, ensuring a high level of competitiveness. As a result, my team was committed from the start, with the goal of perfecting their product between rounds and advancing to the Top 5 teams eligible to compete in the Finals.” - Truong Hoang Minh discuss the group's efforts.

Greenu members erupted in ecstasy during the last round, when they learned that the team had officially won the title of final champion. “My emotions exploded as I heard my team's name read. At the time, I felt happy, emotional, and proud. Although this is the team's first project, it exceeded expectations. That is the product of months of struggle, overcoming numerous obstacles; the team's efforts have been amply rewarded" - a sentiment shared by Huyen Trang in the joy of triumph.

Spectacular "Hat-trick" on the VNU’s intellectual playground

The joy is doubled when not only Greedu brought home the Champion, but the Bandia competition team consists of 2/5 members who are UEBers, namely Dao Duy Tan of QH -2018-E KTPT2 and Le Thi Kieu Oanh of the QH-2018-E KTPT2 also excellently won the third prize.

 

Bandia is also one of the teams with viable and relevant concepts, which are highly regarded at the competition when it comes to generating novel and useful ideas: Developing a system of experiential tourism products; concurrently, implementing a business model for mobile app technology products that connect residents and tourists in a welcoming and entertaining environment. Bandia's slogan "Life is to experienced" will inspire people to connect truly, enjoy the appropriate quality, and share faith and travel inspiration.

"Participating in the VNU Innovation Start-up competition has increased the potential for my team's project to develop, while also providing an opportunity for me to enhance a variety of abilities that I now lack, most notably basic skills relevant to the start-up process. Along with honing my own skills, the contest provides an opportunity for me to meet friends, brothers, and sisters who share my passion for entrepreneurship and are also Mentors of high professional caliber - a potential for future relationships" - Dao Duy Tan from QH-2018-E KTPT2, shared Bandia's successful performance at the event.

Not only did UEBers "win" two major prizes at the VNU Innovation Start-up Final, but they also "earned" the award for "Most Favorite Team." With this accomplishment, UEB students completed a remarkable "hat-trick" on the VNU intellectual playground, demonstrating the energy, originality, confidence, and diversity of the VNU-UEB students.

Each member of the team has developed their own unique abilities, and behind those booming accomplishments is the shadow of a determined and dedicated mentor, as well as the encouragement of those who always follow and support UEBers.

 

In light of his students' accomplishments, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen An Thinh felt moved and proud. He stated that he will always be interested in guiding and accompanying us during our years studying at UEB, particularly during the tough but enjoyable path of scientific research.

One could argue that the VNU Innovation Start-up 2021 contest serves as a gathering place for and introduction to young startup projects, as well as an inspiration for future entrepreneurs and economists, inspiring future generations of students to unleash their creative potential and build excellent start-up projects.

Continuing the journey to become a "young leader" at the International Conference

Not content with their work at VNU - Innovation Starup, the group of Greedu students from the Faculty of Development Economics continued to upgrade and expand into the Green School Vietnam Project in order to attend the "International Conference of Young Global Environmental Leaders 2021". This is a contest hosted by the Hemispheres Foundation in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board to bring together young people from around the world to exchange ideas, share experiences, and suggest environmental initiatives and solutions.

Because it is an international tournament, our group felt a little nervous and under pressure prior to enrolling to compete. However, with encouragement and enthusiastic support from teachers and friends, we did our best to prepare and were fortunate to be selected as one of the top 40 teams to compete in the semi-finals.” - Ngoc Anh, Team leader shared about the journey to continue competing in the international playground.

One could say that the Green School Vietnam project is the result of countless days spent scouring local and foreign educational literature for information on environmental education for children, as well as sending emails directly to the Ministry of Education and Training to obtain the relevant documentation. Additionally, the North American Environmental Education Foundation provided expert assistance to the project team.

The project finished and launched a seven-day extracurricular program, a hand-held set of documents titled "Green Smart Education," and a series of games titled "Environmental Leaders" after getting expert help. Currently, the project's product, the game "Environmental Leader," has been officially launched and is being offered on e-commerce platforms.

With school support and encouragement from family, friends, and teachers, you have more energy to work hard and get the greatest outcomes possible in the competition. The project's actions are hoped to be acknowledged and actively contribute to developing environmental consciousness and enhancing the quality of life for millions of people worldwide.

All UEBers will continue to monitor and support the Green School team, wishing you success and bringing honor to yourself, your family, and our VNU University of Economic and Business.