Vietnamese debaters excel at 2026 Asian BP Championship
VOV.VN - Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam students Vu Duc Hung and Ngo Minh Kien have made history by becoming the first Vietnamese debaters to rank among the Top 5 speakers in the English as foreign language (EFL) category at the 2026 Asian British Parliamentary Championship (ABP).
The 2026 Asian BP Championship (ABP 2026), an Asian championship in the British Parliamentary (BP) debating format, took place in Hanoi from August 22 to 29, bringing together 110 teams from 12 countries and territories.
At the contest, Vu Duc Hung and Ngo Minh Kien had a chance to compete against rivals from established debating communities and students in top Asian universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University (China), the National University of Singapore (NUS), the University of Tokyo (Japan), and Seoul National University (the Republic of Korea).
The two Vietnamese debaters were highly regarded for their reasoning and interdisciplinary knowledge, tackling topics ranging from philosophy and Middle Eastern geopolitics to US domestic and foreign policy, as well as Malaysia’s socio-economic issues and contemporary culture.
As a result, Vu Duc Hung and Ngo Minh Kien ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among the top speakers in the EFL category. The Vietnamese pair also competed in the Open category for debaters who use English as their first language, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Their performance marked the best-ever result by a Vietnamese team at the Asian BP Championship. Ther success highlights the growing maturity of young Vietnamese debaters in critical thinking, English-language proficiency and competitive confidence as they take on participants from some of the region’s more established debating communities.
The ABP is an Asian debating tournament held in the British Parliamentary (BP) format. Organised annually, it serves as an international academic arena for debaters from leading universities across Asia.
Over its 17 seasons, ten countries had hosted the ABP which draws between 80 and 120 competing teams annually. This year, Vietnam hosted the contest under the auspices of the Vietnam Academy of Debate and Public Speaking (VADP).
First Vietnamese speaking contest held for university students in Thailand
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