Overview
MLAI Hackathon 2026 is a large-scale artificial intelligence programming competition for students in Vietnam. Organized by the Southern Network of Centers of Excellence and Talent in Artificial Intelligence, in coordination with Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), the competition has professional support from OpenAI. It aims to bring together talent and technology to develop innovative AI ideas with practical applications.
The page identifies Ho Chi Minh City as the competition setting, while the Devpost event listing specifies an online format. The listed event period runs from September 18 to October 16, 2026. The submission deadline is shown as October 17, 2026 at midnight ICT.
Who can participate
Participants may compete individually or in teams of one to four. Each team member must be a current or former student at one of the 23 universities in the AI Network. The participation rules also state that entrants must be above the legal age of majority in their country of residence, and that companies and professional organizations are excluded. Eligibility is limited to Vietnam.
Themes and competition tracks
The hackathon encourages AI solutions in five areas: healthcare, education, finance, smart cities, and operational optimization. Challenges are organized into three competition tracks developed by the AI Network with business partners. The event page directs participants to the official competition website for the detailed prompts and requirements for each track; it does not reproduce those track descriptions or provide a session-by-session agenda.
Awards
The page lists four award categories, with prizes described in Vietnamese đồng and additional benefits. The first-place award includes 10,000,000 VND, 500 USD in OpenAI API credits, three months of ChatGPT Pro, an official certificate from the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association, and an opportunity to work with partners on product development or employment. Two second-place winners receive 5,000,000 VND and 250 USD in API credits each, two months of ChatGPT Pro, certificates, and similar partner opportunities. Three third-place winners receive 3,000,000 VND and 150 USD in API credits each, one month of ChatGPT Pro, certificates, and partner opportunities. Six encouragement-award winners receive 1,000,000 VND and 50 USD in API credits each, certificates from the association and AI Network, and opportunities to connect with AI experts and companies.
Organizers and support
The AI Network is identified as the host, with HCMUT as an organizing institution. Listed supporting organizations and sponsors include HCMUT, HUTECH, the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association, Codex, ElevenLabs, TASCO, VNG, TMA, FPT Software, Sao Bắc Đẩu, Goong, 614, and OplaCRM. The page names Quan Thanh Tho of Ho Chi Minh University of Technology as a judge. Questions can be sent to the hackathon manager at ainetwork.events@gmail.com.
