Final Round of Young Hotelier Awards ASEAN 2019: Vietnam’s DigiAds Team Wins First Prize

Surpassing seven strong teams with contestants from various nationalities, the young innovators from Team DigiAds (Vietnam) triumphed at the Young Hotelier Awards ASEAN 2019, winning First Prize with their project titled “Tourist Management Based on Cloud Technology.”

The Young Hotelier Awards ASEAN 2019 was organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO), the Student Support Center of HCMC, the International Alumni Community, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (HCMC). The competition aimed to identify emerging young leaders in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and hotel management.

The contest provided young people with opportunities to enhance their creativity and entrepreneurial capabilities through a series of challenges and startup project presentations in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

After the online preliminary and semi-final rounds, the competition attracted hundreds of talented young participants from across Southeast Asia. The final round featured eight teams (24 contestants) representing Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

At the award ceremony, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Mạnh, Vice President of HUFO, shared:

“This competition serves as a platform for young people in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam at large, and also expands to other ASEAN countries, building bridges for exchange, learning, and collaboration in developing the region’s young human resources. The event helps young participants turn innovative ideas into real startup opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industries, contributing to the formation of a more connected ASEAN Economic Community.”

He further expressed his hope that the Young Hotelier Awards ASEAN 2019 would inspire more innovative and effective ideas for the regional tourism industry, strengthening connections among ASEAN Economic Community members.

After rounds of intense competition, the First Prize was awarded to Team DigiAds (Vietnam) for their cloud-based tourism management project. Team member Trần Lâm Cảnh Hà shared:

“Our group aimed to introduce a startup solution for marketing in the tourism, restaurant, and hotel sectors by applying AI to create diverse content through cloud computing. The technology also uses facial recognition to better target customer segments and deliver more interactive advertising.”

The First Prize included:

• Three short-term study scholarships in Switzerland (tourism and hospitality specialization), worth VND 300 million;

• VND 30 million in cash;

• and a startup mentoring course worth USD 1,000.

The Third Prize went to Team Triluminous (Vietnam) with their project “Travel Experience Through iNomadic App.”Their reward included VND 10 million in cash and a startup support course worth USD 1,000.

The Business Council Award went to Team Manbiotech (Malaysia) for their project “MANBIOTECH Software Application for Hotel Guest Services.”The Community Choice Award went to Team Wave (Thailand/Indonesia/Vietnam) for their “i-Pedia Travel Technology App.”

Encouragement Prizes were awarded to:

• Team Hydrogen (Vietnam) – “On-Track Guide: A Tourist Navigation App”

• Team Transporter 5.0 (Malaysia) – “Room Service Transporter App”

• Team V-Team (Vietnam) – “Enhancing Travel Experience Through MLife App.”

All participating teams will continue to receive mentorship and business advisory support from the Tourism, Hospitality, and Hotel Industry Business Council to further develop and implement their projects in the future.

— Source: Thời Đại Magazine