Vietnam wins 2 golds, 1 bronze at ASEAN Digital Awards 2026

The ADA 2026 was hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, with the final round held in Hanoi on January 14 and 15 as a sideline event of the sixth ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting, which runs from January 12 to 16.

Held annually, the awards recognize outstanding digital initiatives across six categories, including public sector, private sector, digital inclusivity, digital content, digital start up, and digital innovation, while supporting ASEAN’s goal of building a leading digital community and economic bloc powered by secure, transformative technologies.

This year’s competition attracted hundreds of submissions from ASEAN member states. Vietnam posted its strongest performance in the past three editions, submitting 45 technology products developed by government agencies, businesses, and research groups across all six categories.

At the awards ceremony on Thursday evening, MedCAT Nexus, developed by Hanoi-based MedCAT JSC, received a gold award in the digital start-up category.

Designed as a three in one solution, MedCAT Nexus manages the entire process from data handling and insurance claims to patient care.

Its core platform extracts and processes unstructured data, then applies disease models, drug models, and machine learning to automatically interpret insurance contracts and determine appropriate health insurance compensation, helping shorten processing times and improve customer experience.

Vietnam’s second gold award went to VCB Tablet, developed by the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, commonly known as Vietcombank, in the digital innovation category.

The platform turns traditional fixed bank counters into mobile, paperless service desks, enabling staff to assist individual and corporate customers with opening customer identification files and accounts, registering for digital banking, issuing debit cards, and accessing a wide range of other services regardless of location, including overseas.

In the public sector category, Hanoi-based Elcom Technology Communications Corporation received a bronze award for its Intelligent Transport System, known as Elcom ITS.

The solution integrates artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data to monitor, analyze, and manage traffic in real time, with applications ranging from AI-powered cameras and electronic toll collection to automatic vehicle weight control stations.

The system is currently operating on urban roads, expressways, and traffic management centers across Vietnam, helping ease congestion, reduce traffic accidents, and enhance transparency for the public.

It has also contributed to cost savings and lower emissions, supporting Vietnam’s broader net-zero goals.

This marks the first time Vietnam has won an award in the public sector category after years of participation in the ASEAN Digital Awards.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung described the ADA as one of the region’s most successful initiatives, noting its growing ability to attract high-quality entries from across Southeast Asia.

He said the awards continue to honor digital products and solutions that deliver tangible benefits to people’s lives while contributing to ASEAN’s socio-economic development.