Meet Nguyen Hong Minh, education expert on a mission to take Vietnamese students to Microsoft’s global AI stage

AI for Good in Vietnam draws inspiration from the Imagine Cup Junior model where students are encouraged to explore environmental and social challenges (such as climate change, public health, cultural heritage preservation, disability inclusion, humanitarian work and so on) and propose AI-based solution ideas, without the need to build working products. In your view, Nguyen Hong Minh, what makes AI for Good in Vietnam especially relevant and likely to gain traction within today’s educational landscape?

There are three key reasons why AI for Good Vietnam continues to attract growing interest from education leaders, schools, teachers, parents and students alike.

Firstly, learning how to understand and apply Artificial Intelligence is a subject of significant interest for the Ministry of Education and Training, as well as for society more broadly. AI for Good Vietnam offers students from Years 1 to 12 across the country the opportunity not only to engage with AI but also to connect that learning with real-world environmental and social issues, advancing sustainable development goals and cultivating the 21st-century skills students will need in the future.

Secondly, this is not a technology race that demands students develop fully fledged AI software beyond their capabilities. Instead, the competition is about igniting imagination, nurturing originality, and encouraging ideas that are innovative, useful, and grounded in problem solving. Any student can take part, not just those with an interest in science or programming. Learners drawn to the arts, communication, social studies or design are equally welcome, and their talents are just as vital to a team’s success.

Thirdly, the Organising Committee provides comprehensive support materials, including foundational lessons on AI (based on Microsoft’s “Imagine Cup Junior in a Box”), along with design thinking principles and sustainable development concepts. These are delivered in a structured, accessible format, making it easy for schools and teachers to confidently guide their students through the AI for Good programme. The Committee also hosts online training sessions and open Q&As for any teacher, student or parent across the country who seeks further support.

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The decision to focus on a “social issue” rather than a “tech idea” was clearly intentional. But to help students move from observing reality to proposing actionable solutions, what do you see as the main challenge that the Organising Committee must help them overcome?

A survey at the end of 2024, conducted to assess teachers’ and students’ interest in learning about AI, revealed two main challenges for those taking part in the competition.

The first was a lack of awareness and understanding of sustainable development issues.

The second was the language barrier, as students needed to navigate Microsoft’s educational materials, which were entirely in English.

Both challenges will be addressed in 2025. The Organising Committee has since mobilised resources to develop a new lesson entitled Starting from the Problem: Design Thinking and AI for Sustainable Development. In parallel, the Committee has translated and adapted Microsoft’s “Imagine Cup Junior in a Box” content to suit the learning needs of Vietnamese students.

These materials are made freely available to all teachers and students across the country through the programme’s official website. But to truly support students in transforming real-world observations into workable ideas, we also need to offer them greater exposure to local environmental and social issues. It’s through that firsthand understanding that they can begin to identify core problems and imagine how to meaningfully address them.

At the same time, students still need opportunities to engage with technologies that are both locally grounded and globally relevant—those already being implemented across the world. From there, their ideas have a greater chance of becoming viable, and in some cases, can even evolve into tangible products and services that serve their communities and local areas.

When we think of AI education at the high school level, it’s often linked with digital skills. Yet this competition aims to nurture a sense of responsibility. So, in your view, where is the most practical place to begin: through core subjects, or through experiential projects such as AI for Good?

As we know, the themes outlined in the Millennium Development Goals were officially introduced into Vietnam’s 2018 General Education Curriculum and have since been implemented nationwide. However, when it comes to teaching AI at the general education level, the Ministry of Education and Training has only recently issued Circular 02/2025/TT-BGDDT (January 2025), outlining the Digital Competency Framework for Learners. This includes a section on AI Application Competency, focusing on helping students understand, use and evaluate AI tools and systems in a responsible and ethical way.

This means that in the near future, AI application skills will begin to appear in schools through two key routes: integration into formal subjects, and as part of experiential learning projects such as AI for Good.

While we wait for the broader structural changes required to embed AI education into the official curriculum, either as a new subject or woven into existing ones, this process is likely to take significant time, and its effectiveness remains uncertain. In the meantime, introducing AI for Good as project-based learning, through competitions like AI for Good Vietnam or as part of extracurricular clubs for students with a passion for the subject, is a far more immediate and promising approach.

This direction feels entirely appropriate. Schools already have existing frameworks for such activities. What we need now is to incorporate content on AI and the Sustainable Development Goals in a way that is more structured and interconnected. This allows students not only to gain knowledge and develop skills, but, just as importantly, to build a sense of awareness about environmental and social challenges. It helps them form a spirit of global citizenship and a desire to learn in order to contribute. From these experiences, we can gradually begin integrating such themes into core curriculum subjects, cultivating a generation of students who are not only technically capable but also compassionate and responsible in shaping the future.

Nguyen Hong Minh, if you could send a message to the generation of Vietnamese students in 2030—those entering university at a time when AI has become the default infrastructure—what would you say to help them avoid fear or complacency around technology?

After four years of organising the national AI for Good Vietnam competition, I’ve witnessed something clear in our students: they are neither afraid of technology nor complacent about it. They engage with it naturally, learn and adapt quickly, and use it creatively with a proactive and open mindset.

If I were to say anything to them, it would simply be to share my belief and encouragement: “Keep dreaming and pursue those beautiful dreams that dare to change the world. AI for Good Vietnam is a space where every student is welcome to explore, express and evolve. I hope it becomes more than just a competition for them, but a meaningful chapter in their school life.”

And to all of us, the adults who care deeply about education and the future of this next generation, I want to say: we, too, must not fear or underestimate technology. We must remain humble and open, eager to learn ourselves, and create environments where young people are empowered to teach us, to show us how they embrace and master technology with courage and clarity.

Article published from the original feature in Tatler Vietnam, June 2025 issue

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