The competition has seen particularly high participation from Vietnam with 174 registered teams, followed by India with 114 teams, the Philippines with 44, and Indonesia with 20.

Notably, many participating teams come from leading universities ranked in the 2026 QS World University Rankings and QS Asia University Rankings.

Among them are the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Kyoto University, the University of Malaya, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

The competition has also drawn contestants from top Asian institutions including the University of Indonesia, Ateneo de Manila University, and Nazarbayev University, alongside leading Vietnamese technology-focused universities such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology under Vietnam National University-HCM City, and VinUniversity.

The competition’s three core themes reflect Asian youth’s growing concern over environmental and sustainable development challenges. “Water Resources and Climate-Adaptive Agriculture” accounts for the largest share with about 37% of registered teams, followed by “Urban Air Quality and Climate Resilience” with 33%, and “Renewable Energy and Low-Emission Transportation” with 30%.

Contestants come from diverse academic backgrounds including computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering, sustainable development, agriculture, logistics, healthcare and environmental science, highlighting the competition’s strong interdisciplinary nature.

According to Dr. Le Thai Ha, executive director of the Green Future Fund and head of the organising board, the competition reflects the fund’s ambition to expand its international role in promoting sustainable development and innovation.

Beyond supporting Vietnam’s green transition, the fund also aims to connect young intellectual resources across Asia and mobilise high-impact ideas to address future environmental and development challenges.

Following the preliminary round, the top 30 teams are expected to be announced in early June 2026 and will join an intensive training programme with international experts before entering a 36-hour onsite hackathon at Hanoi-based VinUniversity from July 2-5.

Projects will be evaluated by a judging panel comprising leading Asian experts in technology, innovation and sustainable development.

The top 30 teams will compete for total prizes worth up to US$24,000, including a first prize of US$8,000, a second prize of US$5,000, two third prizes worth US$3,000 each, and five consolation prizes of US$1,000 each.

Co-organised by three members of Vingroup, namely the Green Future Fund, VinUniversity and the VinTechTalent Young Technology Talent Club, the Asian Hackathon for Green Future 2026 is to identify and develop highly applicable technology initiatives addressing urgent environmental challenges in the region, while promoting innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration among young people.

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