Vietnam’s military-run telecom group Viettel and education organization IIG Viet Nam launched a national artificial intelligence competition for high school students in Hanoi on October 31. Called AI or Behind, it is, according to the organizers, the first contest in the country to assess students with an AI exam built to an international standard, provided by Pearson-Certiport, the US-based testing company whose network spans more than 14,000 authorized testing centers in nearly 150 countries and territories.
The competition’s message, “No AI left behind,” sets the tone. The organizers say the contest aims to give students across the country, and especially students in rural and remote areas, early, safe and responsible access to AI, starting from school. Students can take the school-level round in Vietnamese or English.
Three rounds, one international certificate
The contest runs from November 2026 to April 2027 in three stages. Round 1, the school round, runs from November 2 to December 30, 2026: students take the exam individually on school computers, covering AI fundamentals and generative AI skills across four areas, generative AI methods and models, prompt writing techniques, ethics, law and social impact, and practical applications. Students scoring at least 700 out of 1,000 receive an electronic certificate from the organizers. Each school then selects up to 15 teams of three to five students for the national qualifier.
Round 2, the national qualifier, is scheduled for March 14, 2027. Teams take an exam assessing their ability to use tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, build and refine prompts, verify outputs and use AI responsibly. Students scoring at least 700 out of 1,000 earn the international Generative AI Foundations certificate from Pearson-Certiport. The 40 highest-scoring teams advance to the final.
Round 3, the national final, is scheduled for April 11, 2027, across three cities: Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Finalists take the international AI-IT Specialist exam, which tests AI concepts and the ability to use AI to solve problems, from defining the task and processing data to deploying and monitoring a model. The 10 best teams then build AI projects based on a brief set by the organizers, competing for the overall prizes. The awards ceremony is expected in May 2027.
The policy frame
The contest is positioned explicitly within Vietnam’s policy push. The launch materials cite Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, Resolution 71-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in education and training, and Decision 2422/QD-BGDĐT, the Ministry of Education and Training’s framework for AI content in general education. At the launch, Thai Van Tai, Director of the ministry’s General Education Department, called the contest a timely, nationwide educational activity that aligns with both the AI content being rolled out in Vietnamese schools and international standards.
The policy alignment matters because the contest is corporate-organized, not a state exam. Viettel’s AI arm provides the AI expertise, IIG Viet Nam provides the testing infrastructure, and the ministry’s presence gives the event official blessing without making it an official assessment. That is a familiar Vietnamese model: a state-owned champion supplies the platform, a private partner supplies the credential, and the state supplies the policy umbrella.
Prizes and the rural bet
The money is real but secondary. The total prize pool is VND 280 million: VND 100 million for first place, VND 40 million each for two second places, VND 20 million each for three third places, and VND 10 million each for four consolation prizes. More significant is the cost structure: the organizers fund the exam fees and technical support at the school round, and from the national qualifier onward they pay the full cost of the international exams and certificates. Schools provide the computer labs; students and teachers get free online guidance and study materials before each round.
The rural bet is the part to watch. Free entry removes the fee barrier, but the school round still requires a computer lab and organized teams, which favors well-equipped urban schools. The organizers say the contest specifically targets rural and remote students, and the real measure of that claim will be the geographic spread of the 40 finalist teams announced after the March qualifier. For context on the skills pipeline this contest feeds, see our analysis of AI tutors and the green skills gap and the talent equation behind Vietnam’s chip and AI ambitions, and Hanoi’s bet on 60,000 digital workers.
A cautious read
Two caveats keep the story honest. First, “international standard” here means Pearson-Certiport’s commercial certification, a real credential in the IT training market but not an academic benchmark. The contest tests certified AI literacy, not research ability. Second, the nationwide scale is the organizers’ target, stated at launch, not a result. Whether AI or Behind becomes a genuine national pipeline or a showcase for schools that already have computer labs will be decided in the school round that starts November 2, not at the launch event.
Even so, the launch is a data point worth filing. A country that has written AI into its general education framework is now building the extracurricular machinery to match, with international certificates as the incentive. The exam starts Monday.
Sources
VietnamPlus (Vietnam News Agency), October 31, 2026, on the October 31 launch in Hanoi of the AI or Behind competition by Viettel and IIG Viet Nam: first international-standard AI exam for high school students in Vietnam, Pearson-Certiport exam provider, three rounds (school round November 2 to December 30, 2026; national qualifier March 14, 2027; national final April 11, 2027 in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City), 700/1,000 certificate thresholds, up to 15 teams per school, 40 finalist teams, 10 project teams, free entry, VND 280 million prize pool, awards in May 2027, policy framework citations and the Thai Van Tai quote. https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lan-dau-tien-hoc-sinh-thpt-ca-nuoc-duoc-thi-ai-chuan-quoc-te-hoan-toan-mien-phi-post1145351.vnp
Giao duc Thoi dai, October 31, 2026, equivalent report on the AI or Behind launch, confirming the competition structure and timeline. https://giaoducthoidai.vn/lan-dau-tien-hoc-sinh-thpt-ca-nuoc-duoc-thi-ai-chuan-quoc-te-hoan-toan-mien-phi-post797972.html
