Three international student groups enter the final round of YICMG 2019

The “Youth Innovation in Governance and Development in the Mekong Region - YICMG” competition is held annually within the framework of educational exchange and collaboration between youth and students from six Mekong countries. Up to now, the competition has been held three times with three final rounds taking place in Qinghai (China), Guangxi (China) and Vientiane (Laos). Each year, over 100 student groups from universities in six countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Vietnam, submit their projects to the preliminary round of the competition and over 20 projects are selected to participate in the final round.

The theme of the 2019 “Youth Innovation in Governance and Development in the Mekong Region - YICMG” competition is “Green Production, Consumption and Social Development”. Around the above theme, student groups from the Faculty of International Studies have come up with creative ideas for environmentally friendly consumer products and communication to raise public awareness of environmental protection.

Student group Truong Ha Ly, Nguyen Thi Linh Chi and Do Thi Ha Anh (K60 - International Studies) with the project "Green for Future Website Project": The project aims to design a website that synthesizes inventions, innovations and green, environmentally friendly products that can be applied in 6 Mekong countries. Inventions and innovations will be regularly updated to raise awareness and enhance practical actions to protect the environment and promote sustainable development.

Student group Bui Thi Minh Thuy, Bui Nhat Linh and Nguyen Thi Huong Giang (K60- International Studies) with the project “Shades of Banana”: With banana stems as the main material, the project not only creates products of high artistic value but also solves the problem of surplus labor in rural areas of Vietnam. The project promotes green consumption, reduces part of agricultural waste, and contributes to environmental protection. Through the paintings, the project also hopes to bring Vietnamese culture to the world, promoting the unique cultural beauty of Vietnam.

Student group Nguyen Ngoc Oanh, Nguyen Thi Men and Nguyen Thi Tam (K61 - International Studies) with the project "Using paper bags made from cornstalk": The project makes paper bags from corn stalks - a plant whose stalks are usually only used as animal feed. The project plans to put paper bags made from corn stalks into use at convenience stores first and then expand to other groups across the country. The project aims to encourage people to use environmentally friendly paper bags instead of using plastic bags that pollute the environment.

In January 2019, three groups of students will travel to the Final Round of the YICMG 2019 competition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. All expenses are sponsored by the Organizing Committee of the competition. At the Final Round, students will present their ideas to scientists, entrepreneurs and startup support units and organizations. The teams with high awards and those highly appreciated by startup support organizations will be invited to participate in the Youth Innovation Camp 2019 scheduled to be held in July 2019 in Shanghai, China.