"A Year of Robotics 2024" and the Vietnam VEX Robotics National Championship 2024 were launched on July 12 in Hanoi to develop critical skills for Vietnamese students and select talent for global competitions by teaching STEAM from an early age.

STEAM for Vietnam selected VEX IQ Robotics, the most advanced educational robotics curriculum in the U.S., to provide Vietnamese students with free access to advanced robotics education. More than 2,000 students, 500 teachers, and 150 schools will have the opportunity to learn and train in robotics for free through the CS 201: Introduction to Robotics Programming with VEX IQ course.

The organizing committee, which includes STEAM for Vietnam, the American Centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of the US Mission in Vietnam, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said an intensive training program for teachers will be held across the country.

Other activities include the launch of an online library of teaching materials for teachers, and a STEAMese festival planned for August. Meanwhile, a robotics training course for high school students will open in the fall.

Vietnam's robotics team makes an impressive showing at the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship. Photo: VGP

The Championship, a playground for all students who love robotics and organized according to the standards of the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, will accept registrations starting in July and will officially open in September. The competition will select 40 teams to compete in the world's largest robotics competition, the VEX Robotics World Championship 2024.

The organizing committee hopes to attract more than 300 teams of students from elementary and middle schools, and 50 more from high schools. They will compete in the Teamwork Challenge, Driving Skills Challenge, and Programming Skills Challenge.

The STEAM for Vietnam Foundation will build a library to provide VEX Robotics training materials. A series of conferences will be held to bring together robotics experts and participating teams to help the teams improve their skills. It will also provide guidance to schools to hold friendly competitions according to the REC Foundation's standards.

Last year's edition of the program provided free robotics training to more than 2,000 students, and 500 teachers from 150 schools nationwide. Meanwhile, the 2023 VEX IQ Championship attracted more than 150 teams from 30 cities and provinces nationwide.

In May 2023, 19 robotics teams from Vietnam participated for the first time in the VEX IQ category at the world's largest robotics championship, the VEX Robotics World Championship 2023 in Texas, the US. The Vietnamese team was the 5th largest at the VEX Robotics World Championship and won five awards.

Following the success of the "A Year of Robotics 2023" program, STEAM for Vietnam, the organizing committee will select 40 Vietnamese teams in the VIQRC and VRC categories to participate in the VEX Robotics World Championship 2024 in Texas.

Dr. Tran Viet Hung, co-founder of STEAM for Vietnam, said: "We are excited that students in different areas of Vietnam now have the same opportunity to study and participate in challenges as students in developed countries like the US. Hopefully, through experiences like this, they will gradually gain the skills and experience to compete in the global job market in the future".

Cameron Thomas Shah, spokesman for the US Mission in Vietnam, said this year, the US and Vietnam are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership between the two sides. This includes cooperation in education, science, and technology.

"The US Mission in Vietnam, through our American Centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is committed to honoring this partnership by providing educational opportunities to help Vietnamese students compete in the global economy, especially in the STEAM field. This year's Robotics Championship will build on last year's success and is an important milestone," he emphasized.