Viettel and IIG Launch Free ‘AI or Behind’ Contest Aiming to Reach 500,000 High School Students

Military-owned telecom group Viettel and IIG Vietnam, an education and testing organisation, have launched AI or Behind, a free national artificial intelligence contest for high school students that aims to give 500,000 pupils access to international AI skills assessments, VTC News reported. The launch took place on October 31 at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

Every round uses AI competency tests supplied by Pearson Certiport. The school round runs from November 2 to December 30, with students tested individually on knowledge and use of generative AI; those scoring at least 700 out of 1,000 receive an electronic certificate. Each school can send up to 15 teams of three to five students to the national qualifier on March 14, 2027, which will test the use of ChatGPT and Gemini, prompt writing, checking AI output and responsible use. Qualifiers scoring 700 or more earn a Generative AI Foundations certificate, and the top 40 teams advance.

The final is scheduled for April 11, 2027 in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, where teams sit IT Specialist exams before the best 10 present AI projects. Organisers cover exam and certificate fees from the national round, supply free study materials, and offer total prizes of 280 million dong, including 100 million dong for first place.

What it means in practice

Thai Van Tai, director of general education at the Ministry of Education and Training, said the contest is closely aligned with what schools are already teaching under the ministry’s AI education framework for general schools, set out in Decision 2422. That framework underpins the shift as Vietnamese schools move from AI pilots to a nationwide rollout this school year. Viettel has used competitions before to surface talent, including the Viettel AI Race 2026, which crowned practical solutions in Da Nang. Vo Thanh Hai, Viettel’s head of brand and communications, told students that AI will not replace people, but those who use it well will replace those who stand aside, and urged them to double-check what AI produces rather than let it do their thinking.

What to watch is how many schools outside the big cities register, whether the 500,000 target is met by the end of December, and how the results are used to guide AI teaching in high schools.