The National Startup Support Center (NSSC) – Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises, Ministry of Science and Technology – and the STEM Education Promotion Alliance (SEPA) announce the competition format and schedule of the RECF Achieve category for middle and high school students, part of the Vietnam Robotics Championship (VRC) 2026–2027 season.
About the competition
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) is an international robotics education organisation founded in 2011 with a mission to spark and nurture students’ passion for STEM and prepare tomorrow’s technology workforce. Today the RECF network brings together more than 55,000 teams in 125 countries, from primary school to university, and more than 1.1 million students have taken part.
RECF Achieve is the competition program for middle and high school students. Working in teams, students design, build, program and drive robots, developing engineering skills, strategic thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication and the Engineering Design Process. Top teams may represent Vietnam at the RECF STEM World Championship, held every year in the United States.
In Vietnam, RECF Achieve is part of VRC 2026–2027, co-organised by NSSC and SEPA. SEPA is RECF’s technical coordination partner in Vietnam.
Who can take part
Students are placed in divisions by age as of 6 May 2027 (the last day of the RECF STEM World Championship 2027):
- Middle School (U15): students aged 15 or younger.
- High School (U19): students aged 19 or younger who have not yet graduated from high school.
Each team has one or more students, a valid RECF Achieve team number, and competes with one robot.
Objectives
- Give students a stage to show their engineering skills and learn from one another through a global robotics competition program.
- Grow robotics in middle and high schools, connected with the primary and post-secondary levels of the VRC system.
- Build international connections so that Vietnamese students can learn and compete with the global robotics community.
- Select and train top teams to represent Vietnam at the RECF STEM World Championship and other RECF international events.
- Contribute to Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem and its future technology workforce.
2026–2027 game: Pinnacle
Matches are played on a standard 366 × 366 cm (12 × 12 ft) field. Robots collect, lift, nest and stack red, blue and yellow Cups and Pins on Goals, turn Rollers and park at the Loaders to score as many points as possible.
Competition elements
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Solo Driving 60 seconds | Up to 3 students drive the robot by remote control to score as many points as possible. |
| Solo Coding 60 seconds | The robot runs entirely on student-written code, with no remote control. |
| Alliance Match 120 seconds | 15 seconds Autonomous plus 105 seconds Driver-Controlled. Two teams form an alliance and score together. |
| Interview & Engineering Notebook | Teams are interviewed by the Judges, who also assess each team’s Engineering Notebook. |
Robot rules in Vietnam
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Number of robots | One robot per team; it must pass Robot Inspection before competing and may be re-inspected at any time. |
| Starting size | Fits within a 45.7 × 45.7 × 45.7 cm (18 in) cube at the start of a match. |
| Expanded size | During a match, no more than 61 × 61 cm (24 in) in length and width; height is unlimited. |
| Control system | In Vietnam, teams may use open robotics platforms: the control system specified in the Game Manual, or platforms such as STM32, ESP32, Arduino and Raspberry Pi, or a team-designed board. Up to 2 controllers per robot. |
| Motors | Total motor power of no more than 99 W. |
| Power | Maximum voltage of 12 V. |
| Custom plastic | Up to 12 parts: flat-cut plastic up to 10.2 × 30.5 cm and no thicker than 0.18 cm; 3D-printed parts up to 7.6 × 12.7 × 5.1 cm in PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG, Nylon or carbon-fibre-reinforced filament. Brittle plastics such as acrylic or Plexiglass are not allowed. All parts must be recorded in the Engineering Notebook. |
| Pneumatics | Commercial components rated to at least 100 psi; maximum fill pressure 100 psi (about 6.9 bar); no on-robot compressors. |
| License plates | The team number must be clearly shown on two sides of the robot with red or blue plates matching the alliance colour; exactly 2 plates per robot. |
| Student-centred | Students design, build and program the robot and explain how it works. Existing designs may be used as a reference if credited, improved by the team and described in the Engineering Notebook. |
Format and schedule
Teams must take part in at least one qualifying round to be eligible for the National Finals. The season has two online qualifiers and one in-person qualifier.
Online qualifiers: the first took place on 1 November 2026; the second takes place on 2 January 2027. Each team completes three parts:
- Match videos: 3 to 5 videos of Solo Driving and/or Solo Coding runs, filmed under the Pinnacle rules.
- Engineering Notebook: documenting how the robot was designed, built, programmed and tested.
- Interview: the team presents and answers the Judges’ questions about the robot and its teamwork.
Submit videos and the Engineering Notebook before 25 December 2026 using the submission form.
- 11–12 DEC 2026 · HANOI
Regional round (in person) – Solo Driving, Solo Coding, Alliance Matches, Interviews and Engineering Notebooks; awards in each category. - SUBMIT BY 25 DEC 2026 · INTERVIEWS 2 JAN 2027
National online engineering challenge – videos, Engineering Notebook and online interview. - 16–17 JAN 2027 · HANOI
National Finals – all competition elements; awards in each category, and selection of 5 Middle School (U15) and 5 High School (U19) teams for international events. - 26–27 FEB 2027 · HANOI
International Robotics Competition Vietnam (RECF Signature Event) – all competition elements; awards, and 3 spots for the global championship. - 27 APR – 6 MAY 2027 · ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA
RECF STEM World Championship 2027.
Detailed dates and venues for each event will be announced by the Organizing Committee.
Entry fees
How to register
- Register a team numberThe team number is the unique ID issued by RECF and used all season for registration, scheduling, scoring and awards worldwide. A school may register several teams; each team has one team number and one registration fee. Register through SEPA or directly on recfevents.org.
- Sign up for eventsChoose your events on recfevents.org and register for them.
- CompeteTake part following the rules and the Organizing Committee’s instructions.
Full rules
For robot hardware and components, the robot rules above apply: in Vietnam, teams may use other robotics platforms that meet the technical requirements of the competition.
+84 817 750 229 (phone/Zalo) · robotics@sepa.org.vn
Championship website: roboticschampionship.vn · SEPA on Facebook: facebook.com/sepa.org.vn