On October 4–5, 2025, the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 was held at the Ninh Binh campus of the University of Economics – Technology for Industries. This marked the first time Ninh Binh hosted an international science and technology hackathon as part of the global event series led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA.

The Ninh Binh local event was organized by the STEM Education Promotion Alliance (SEPA), the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and the Ninh Binh Innovation Startup Club, with the support of the National Innovation Center (NIC) and the Department of Science and Technology of Ninh Binh.

An open space for data, science, and innovation

NASA Space Apps Challenge is a global platform that encourages participants to use open data from NASA and its partner space agencies to develop solutions for real-world challenges on Earth, in space, and across communities. It creates an open learning environment where students, educators, engineers, young designers, developers, and science enthusiasts can work together within a short period of time to turn ideas into concrete products.

At the Ninh Binh local event, the competition aimed to spark innovation, promote STEM education, encourage digital transformation, and strengthen problem-solving capacity among young people in Viet Nam.

More than 400 participants, 91 projects, and 48 hours of creativity

The Ninh Binh local event recorded more than 400 registered participants and 91 projects that were developed, completed, and presented to the judging panel. This was an impressive scale for a province hosting NASA Space Apps Challenge for the first time.

Teams came from many provinces and cities across Viet Nam, participating both onsite and online. Participants included school students, university students, teachers, engineers, and young innovation groups. Notably, a large proportion of participants were under the age of 18, showing the strong appeal of science, data, space technology, and STEM education among young learners.

In 2025, NASA announced 19 official challenges covering themes such as climate, space data, artificial intelligence, agriculture, education, science communication, and space exploration. Each team selected a challenge and developed a solution within 48 hours. Their outputs ranged from software and web applications to educational games, physical models, communication products, and space-related business ideas.

Projects that reflected young people’s scientific thinking

Many projects at the Ninh Binh event demonstrated the ability to work with scientific data, apply design thinking, use programming skills, communicate science, and solve real-world problems. The teams treated open data not only as information, but also as material for building learning products, research tools, and community-oriented solutions.

Some notable project directions included an AI-powered platform for exoplanet discovery using data from NASA space missions; a learning platform about “superbloom” phenomena to help learners understand the links between climate, biology, and the environment; and a project applying InSAR and GIS technology to analyze land subsidence and erosion risks in mountainous areas of Northern Viet Nam.

Students from Ninh Binh also joined the event with inspiring ideas that connected local heritage with the dream of exploring space. This strongly reflects SEPA’s vision of STEM education: STEM should not be separated from culture, nature, and community, but can serve as a bridge between local identity and global knowledge.

Ninh Binh — from a land of heritage to a destination for innovation

Ninh Binh was one of four official NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 local events in Viet Nam, alongside Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. According to Báo Đại biểu Nhân dân, the Ninh Binh event achieved a remarkable result with 436 participants, ranking 42nd among more than 400 local events worldwide and second in Southeast Asia.

This success demonstrates the growing presence of Ninh Binh on the global science and technology event map. Known for its historical, cultural, and tourism values, the province is now opening a new development pathway as a destination for STEM education, innovation, data science, and future technologies.

Spreading the spirit of STEM to the community

In addition to the hackathon, several STEM experience activities were organized to bring science closer to students, parents, educators, and local communities. These activities helped participants engage with astronomy, space data, robotics, artificial intelligence, and project-based learning.

For SEPA, NASA Space Apps Challenge Ninh Binh 2025 is part of a long-term effort to expand access to quality STEM education for students in Viet Nam, especially those outside major urban centers. When students are placed in authentic learning contexts, given real challenges, exposed to real data, supported by mentors, and encouraged to present their ideas, they develop not only knowledge but also problem-solving skills, teamwork, science communication, and global citizenship.

A new generation is emerging

The success of NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 in Ninh Binh was made possible by the collaboration of educational institutions, government agencies, innovation organizations, universities, STEM communities, and volunteers. The event showed that when local communities open their doors to science and technology, and when young people are trusted and given opportunities, remarkable outcomes can emerge.

From Ninh Binh, ideas related to space data, AI, Earth protection, space exploration, and science education were ignited. More importantly, the event contributed to shaping a new generation of learners — more confident in science, more proactive with technology, more imaginative about the future, and more responsible toward their communities.

NASA Space Apps Challenge Ninh Binh 2025 was more than a competition. It was a milestone showing that STEM education, when organized meaningfully, can become a driver for local human resource development, global knowledge connection, and the nurturing of young Vietnamese people’s dreams of reaching for the sky.