THE 2024 DIGITAL BUSINESS CONTEST KICK-OFF CEREMONY

The 2024 Digital Business Contest attracted many large enterprises such as BSH, Doppelherz... On August 28, 2024, the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) and the VECOMNET, with the support of the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, solemnly held the KICK OFF Ceremony of the 2024 Digital Business Contest.
The e-commerce and digital economy sectors in Vietnam are currently experiencing significant growth potential and opportunities with many favorable factors: a young and dynamic population, well-developed infrastructures supporting online business activities, increasing internet usage and online consumption both in quantity and quality, and businesses actively transitioning to digital platforms. According to the 2024 E-commerce Business Index (EBI) Report, VECOM estimates that Vietnam's e-commerce will continue to grow strongly, projected to increase by 25% compared to 2022 and reach a scale of over 25 billion USD. Along with the growth of cross-border e-commerce, there is a demand for a workforce with good expertise, strong skills, and high practicality. Therefore, businesses need to pay more attention to recruitment and training of human resources to support their e-commerce operations.
Based on this reality, and in line with the implementation of Decision No. 645/QD-TTg dated May 15, 2020 of the Prime Minister approving the Overall Plan for Development of National E-commerce for the period 2021-2025, many universities across the country have actively implemented e-commerce training programs. The VECOMNET was also established and launched in early September 2022.
According to the 2022 E-commerce Training Report, many universities have proposed organizing a nationwide competition for students majoring in e-commerce, digital economy, and related fields. Through the competition, students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to real-world business practices, enhance teamwork skills, and promote innovative entrepreneurship. After two successful seasons organized by the Vietnam E-commerce Association and the VECOMNET, the competition has gained significant recognition within the student and e-commerce business communities. The competition has attracted over 700 teams with over 3,000 students from more than 80 universities across the country. It has also received support from nearly 30 leading enterprises in the fields of e-commerce, digital business, marketing, etc.
In 2024, the competition returns and promises to feature exciting competitions among teams in four categories: Online Sales, Digital Marketing, Digital Business Ideas; Green E-commerce - Reducing Plastic Waste.Specifically, stemming from real-world concerns, in 2023, Vietnamese e-commerce used 170,000 tons of packaging and plastic materials. With a growth rate of 25% per year, it can be seen that by 2030, the amount of plastic waste from e-commerce will be very large (according to the research project "Reducing Marine Plastic Waste in Vietnam"). Recognizing the importance of awareness and environmentally friendly business practices, this year's competition continues to maintain the 4th category related to the environment, specifically solutions to reduce plastic waste in online business environments. In this category, the competition receives support from the National Plastic Action Partnership in Vietnam - NPAP led by UNDP Vietnam, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and other stakeholders to promote the dissemination of knowledge among young intellectuals to actively seek solutions to combat plastic pollution. This can be considered a positive aspect of the competition, through which the younger generation spreads the green message. In addition to this category, the other three categories have attracted a large number of participating teams, including: Online Sales; Digital Marketing; Digital Business Ideas.

(Dr. Le Hoang Oanh - Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy,
Ministry of Industry and Trade)

(Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Quang Anh - Deputy Director of the Institute of Posts and Telecommunications Technology)

(Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen - Vice Chairman, Vietnam E-commerce Association)

As of now, the competition has received the attention, support, and partnership of many organizations, enterprises, and large investment funds both domestically and internationally such as: TikTok Shop, Doppelherz, NPAP, BSH Insurance, Grab, VNNIC, Vietjet Air, Gotadi, VietGuys, SAPO, Haravan... promising to bring a very exciting playground for the participating teams. With the aim of helping students access the most practical aspects of e-commerce and digital economy activities, the competition will create many opportunities for training teams on practical knowledge and business experience from leading experts. Winning teams will receive much support and good job opportunities after graduation. In particular, schools with winning teams in each category are also a testament to the leading quality of training in each field of the competition.
At the program, the Organizing Committee officially announced the opening of registration for the competition and introduced the Regulations, Prizes, and answered questions related to the competition. Thus, starting from 4:00 PM on August 28, 2024, teams from all over the country can register to participate in the 2024 Student Digital Business Competition at the official website: https://dbc.vecomnet.vn/.
Competition Timeline:
Kick-off Ceremony: August 28, 2024;
Registration: August 28 - September 28, 2024;
Preliminary Round: October 1 - November 10, 2024;
Elimination Round: November 15 - November 25, 2024;
Semi-final Round: November 28 - December 5, 2024;
Final Round and Gala Awards Ceremony: December 2024;
Workshops for teams: September - November 2024;
Unitour support and consultation at some universities: August - November 2024.
Prizes:

Winning teams will receive cash prizes and support services from participating enterprises. Specifically:
RUNNER-UP: 50 million VND in cash and prizes from partner enterprises;
SECOND RUNNER-UP: 20 million VND in cash and prizes from partner enterprises;
THIRD RUNNER-UP: 10 million VND in cash and prizes from partner enterprises;
Encouragement Prize: 5 million VND in cash and prizes from partner enterprises.
In the 4 categories including: i) Online Sales; ii) Digital Marketing; iii) Digital Business Ideas; and iv) Green E-commerce - Reducing Plastic Waste, the Organizing Committee also selects 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes for each category.
At the event, the topic "Building a Multi-Platform Personal Brand" shared by Mr. Pham Cu - Founder of Top Mo Agency attracted a lot of student interest. Through this, it can be seen that building a personal brand is becoming increasingly necessary and important. In addition, questions and inquiries about the competition were also answered by the Organizing Committee and partner enterprises, bringing new opportunities and encouraging the learning spirit of the students.
The competition received the attention of many enterprises, including Doppelherz. A representative from Doppelherz shared: "In the recruitment and reception of new personnel at our company, we have noticed a gap in the application of acquired knowledge to real-world work of new graduates. Therefore, the Student Digital Business Competition is truly a practical playground for students to access products, build and operate a real business model. Through this competition, students will certainly gain valuable experience and lessons, as well as increase their confidence when entering the competitive labor market. From the perspective of enterprises, we highly appreciate the value of contributing to the improvement of the young workforce that the competition brings, and it is these enterprises that will benefit from accessing this valuable human resource pool."

(Ms. Nguyen Vu Nguyet Minh
DOPPELHERZ brand representative)

Commenting on this year's competition, Mr. Do Dang Khang - Deputy General Director of Saigon - Hanoi Insurance Corporation (BSH) said: "This is a competition with high-quality participants and a reputable organization scale. The Student Digital Business Competition has attracted excellent students with a passion for conquering the new trend of the economy - e-commerce. In addition, the support and facilitation of lecturers and university leaders nationwide have shown the open-mindedness and integration of the education sector, helping students combine knowledge and practice. Moreover, the serious partnership of enterprises in the VECOM association for three consecutive seasons has shown the reality of recruitment needs and the spirit of innovation, keeping up with market trends."

(Mr. Do Dang Khang - Deputy General Director,
Saigon - Hanoi Insurance Corporation (BSH))

The 2024 Digital Business Contest has officially kicked off. It is sure to create breakthroughs and unique innovations compared to previous competitions on e-commerce and digital economy, both in terms of scale and quality, especially the practical application of business activities throughout the competition. The Organizing Committee believes that the 2024 Digital Business Contest will be a great opportunity and a solid foundation for students to access practical knowledge to develop themselves and define the necessary skills for the future.