Awakening young people’s digital creativity potential

In the era of digital transformation, technology serves as more than a learning aid. It also offers young people opportunities to explore, gain experience, unleash their creativity, and devote their youthful energy to the development of their homeland and country.

A representative of a competing team delivers a presentation at the finals of the 2nd AI Storytelling Dong Nai Competition.

To guide young people in using digital tools effectively, safely, and responsibly, the Dong Nai City Youth Union recently organized several competitions focused on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to tell stories about Dong Nai and address practical challenges. The competitions were held as part of the Youth Space within the DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 program.

Applying AI to tell stories about Dong Nai

Among the competitions using AI to tell stories about Dong Nai, the 2nd AI Storytelling Dong Nai Competition evoked a range of emotions among viewers. The competition was launched in September 2026. In just under a month, the organizing committee received 45 entries.

Individual contestants and teams used AI to produce short films about Dong Nai’s land and people. The entries focused on exploring, recreating, and promoting local historical and cultural values, revolutionary traditions, people, scenic attractions, and the city’s development journey. Notably, contestants combined real-world source materials with AI tools and contemporary storytelling techniques to create emotionally compelling short films aligned with modern digital media trends.

Inspired by the epic art program “Dong Nai – Southern spirit, rising with the nation,” Le Vu Hoai Thuong and Le Vu Bao Ngoc from Ha Huy Giap Primary School in Trang Dai Ward created the work “Dong Nai – Where Heroic Spirit Is Transformed Into the Future.” The central character is An, an adventurous young film enthusiast who represents today’s youth. Her grandmother figure represents the generation that preserves historical memories. Through a photo album and a camera, the two generations connect on a journey exploring Tran Bien, a land with nearly 330 years of formation and development. The work conveys a message about continuity between the past, present, and future.

Speaking on behalf of the authors’ team, Le Vu Hoai Thuong said, “The work went through multiple stages with support from AI. From documentary research and idea development to developing and finalizing the script and designing character visuals and backgrounds, our team used tools suited to each task. Specifically, we used ChatGPT for research and content development, Google Flow to generate moving images, and Canva to edit, assemble scenes, and add subtitles. We placed particular emphasis on cross-checking historical details against verified sources to ensure accuracy.”

The competition featured numerous entries that received high praise from the judging panel, including La thu tu rung Bu Gia Map (Letter from Bu Gia Map Forest), Mat rung: Tu vi mo den vi mo (Eyes of the Forest: From Micro to Macro), Ho tieu Dong Nai - Dau an vang den (Dong Nai Black Pepper – The Mark of Black Gold), Cu Trinh lac vao tuong lai (Elder Trinh Lost in the Future), and Tieng hat giua rung (Singing in the Heart of the Forest).

Alongside short films made with AI assistance, the Youth Union offered members and young people an opportunity to tell Dong Nai’s story through music in the AI Music for Dong Nai 2026 Competition. With AI support, Youth Union officers, members and young people developed concepts, wrote lyrics, created melodies, harmonies, and musical arrangements, and generated vocals. The resulting musical works celebrate the beauty of the homeland, its people, culture, history, and traditions while reflecting Dong Nai’s remarkable achievements and transformation in its new era of development. These works help enrich the digital cultural content promoting Dong Nai’s image, spreading love for the homeland, pride, and young people’s aspirations to contribute in the digital age.

“Through these competitions, the Youth Union hopes to guide young people and help them gain a clear understanding of AI, overcome its limitations, and make the most of its technological strengths. These efforts will gradually build a community of young people who master AI and work together to develop highly practical products that help solve real-world problems in learning, work, and life.”

Nguyen Minh Kien, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee,

Vice Chairman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, and Secretary of the City Youth Union

Solving real-world problems

Beyond competitions using AI to tell stories and promote Dong Nai’s image in the digital sphere, the City Youth Union has provided platforms encouraging young people to apply AI to practical challenges. These initiatives help improve work efficiency, save time, reduce costs, optimize resources, and enhance productivity and the quality of operations at agencies, organizations, enterprises, and educational institutions.

A team from Tran Hung Dao Secondary School in Tran Bien Ward won first prize in the AI Innovation Challenge 2026 with its project, “AI Ecosystem Supporting Management, Education, and the Work of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization (HYPO) in Secondary Schools.”

Cao Tien Dung, the teacher in charge of the HYPO at Tran Hung Dao Secondary School and a team representative, said, “Our school currently has 57 HYPO chapters with over 2,600 students. The daily volume of data and work involved in managing school discipline, emulation activities, HYPO work and organizing educational activities is substantial. Meanwhile, management remains fragmented and heavily dependent on manual processes, making it prone to errors, requiring time-consuming data consolidation, and leaving available data underutilized. Applying digital technology and AI is therefore essential to standardizing processes, centralizing data, automating repetitive tasks, supporting analysis, and improving the school’s overall management and educational operations.”

Tran Hung Dao Secondary School has been using several AI-assisted applications. An emulation tracking tool helps record, score, rank, archive, and use discipline data. An electronic HYPO records system helps organize plans, reports, supporting evidence, and documents for HYPO work, while an application for homeroom teachers supports the management of class data, records, and documents. These applications save time and effort, reduce paper and printing costs, and improve the effectiveness of administrative management, education, and HYPO work throughout the school.

Alongside the AI Innovation Challenge 2026, the AI Digital Business Challenge 2026 encouraged Youth Union members and young people to propose digital transformation solutions for enterprises, business households, cooperatives, or startup projects. Since the competition’s launch, the organizing committee has received 75 entries from individual contestants and teams.

The Organizing Board presents first prize to a representative of the DNTU NaiVerse team (center) at the AI Digital Business Challenge 2026.

Recognizing that Dong Nai’s abundant tourism potential remains underutilized relative to its inherent advantages, DNTU NaiVerse, a team from Dong Nai Technology University, proposed the “Dong Nai Tourism Universe” solution.

Hoang Minh Tuan Anh, a representative of the DNTU NaiVerse team, said, “The solution aims to build a website platform integrated with AI that allows tourists to easily look up information, explore destinations, interact with the platform to receive advice and develop itineraries tailored to their individual needs. The system can link destination information to maps, provide locations and sightseeing details, and direct users to official websites for further inquiries and bookings. Beyond serving visitors, the solution also aims to connect businesses by linking travel agencies, tourism operators, and users, helping promote destinations, strengthen connections, and drive Dong Nai’s tourism growth.”

These competitions provide platforms for young people to unleash their creativity while opening up opportunities to apply digital knowledge to real-world challenges, advance digital transformation, and contribute to Dong Nai’s thriving development.

By Nga Son – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha