Sea, OpenAI bring Regional Codex Hackathon Series to Vietnam

Vietnam marks the third stop of the regional series across the Asia-Pacific region, following earlier editions in Singapore and Taiwan.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, there is a growing opportunity for developers to gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies and explore how to apply them to address real-world needs.

Through the hackathon, Sea and OpenAI aim to provide Vietnam’s technology community with expanded access to advanced AI tools like Codex and the latest model, GPT-6 Astra, as well as opportunities to learn, experiment, and turn ideas into practical solutions.

“The Vietnam edition of the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon reflects our growing collaboration with OpenAI to support AI talent, connect technology communities, and encourage meaningful innovation across the Asia-Pacific region,” said David Chen, co-founder at Sea and chief product officer at Shopee.

“Vietnam has a vibrant and growing technology ecosystem, and we hope the hackathon will provide a platform for local builders to exchange ideas, strengthen their skills, and explore how AI can help address real-world needs for businesses and communities.

“Through initiatives like this, we hope to support the broader ambitions of Vietnam’s national strategy for artificial intelligence research, development, and application through 2030, particularly in nurturing AI talent and encouraging innovation that can benefit the digital economy.”

Bringing together Vietnam’s AI builder community

The hackathon will bring together developers, students, startups, and technology builders from across Vietnam, creating opportunities for participants to gain hands-on experience with AI, exchange ideas, and connect with others across the country’s growing AI and developer community.

Working in teams of three or four, participants will explore innovative ways to apply AI and develop practical solutions that address real-world needs across businesses and communities.

Projects will be evaluated by a judging panel comprising senior leaders with extensive experience at leading technology companies, including Son Le, OpenAI Codex ambassador in Vietnam, and Kyle Tran, country product manager of Shopee Vietnam, bringing diverse perspectives on the creativity, practical applicability, and growth potential of the projects.

Participants will also receive onsite support and guidance from OpenAI’s global experts.

Winning teams will receive up to US$30,000 in OpenAI API credits, with additional prizes including ChatGPT Pro subscriptions for members of the top five teams.

Fostering creativity with AI innovative solutions

A key focus of the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon Series is giving participants hands-on experience with Codex, a leading AI-powered coding solution.

Participants will explore how emerging AI tools can help them experiment more quickly, improve development workflows and turn ideas into practical solutions for real-world needs.

Importantly, the hackathon will encourage participants to look beyond purely technical problems and consider how AI can address meaningful needs for consumers, businesses, and communities.

From improving everyday experiences to enhancing productivity and accessibility through AI, participants will have the opportunity to foster deeper perspectives and discussions on the role of the AI ecosystem in driving innovation and contributing to the development of Vietnam’s digital economy.

“Developers play a central role in bringing AI into the real world,” said Sidharth Sharma, head of GTM, ASEAN at OpenAI.

“Vietnam stands out for its combination of technical talent, creativity, and genuine willingness to experiment.

“Bringing our regional hackathon series to Vietnam allows us to deepen our engagement with local developers and support them as they build with Codex and our latest model, GPT-6 Astra, learn from one another and tackle real-world challenges.

“We’re excited to see what Vietnam’s next generation of AI builders will create.”

With upcoming editions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, Sea and OpenAI will continue to bring the hackathon series to developer communities across Asia Pacific, creating more opportunities to experiment with AI and apply it to real-world needs that are relevant to local contexts.