HSIL Global Hackathon 2026 – Vietnam Hub opens door for Vietnamese participants shining in building high-value health systems with AI. — Photos courtesy of Phenikaa University

HÀ NỘI — The Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Global Hackathon 2026 – Vietnam Hub officially opened on April 10 in Hà Nội, bringing together 41 teams to design solutions aimed at strengthening health systems.

The global hackathon is an intensive, collaborative two-day event in which participants brainstorm, build, and pitch new ideas to address specific challenges. The goal is to move from concept to a functional prototype or working product within the event timeframe.

Every year, HSIL organises the hackathon in collaboration with partner countries and institutions around the world. In 2025, the HSIL Hackathon brought together more than 500 teams across 19 hubs globally, making it the largest event of its kind to date.

This year marks the seventh season of the programme with the theme Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging AI. Việt Nam’s hub is co-organised by Phenikaa University, Hà Nội Medical University, and PATH, a global organisation working to advance health equity through innovation and partnerships.

Accordingly, teams of three to five members comprising students, engineers, programmers, and experts from various backgrounds will work over 48 hours to develop AI-powered solutions to address practical challenges in the healthcare system.

Topics are encouraged to focus on areas such as analysing electronic health records, AI-assisted diagnosis, intelligent medical chatbots, addressing health care staff shortages and technological solutions for preventive care and personalised medicine.

This year’s competition, held at Phenikaa University, provides an opportunity for Vietnamese participants to directly engage in a global innovation arena in the healthcare sector. Through the competition, interdisciplinary teams can collaboratively develop and test technological ideas to address practical challenges in health care systems.

41 teams will take part in the 2026 HSIL Global Hackathon season.

Professor Dr Lê Trung Thành, Director of Phenikaa University, said: “With a university model that connects research, businesses and hospitals, Phenikaa University is excited to participate in the HSIL Global Hackathon.

"We believe that the programme creates an environment for our students and researchers to work directly on problems in the global health care system, thereby developing technological solutions with practical applications.”

This approach also reflects Phenikaa University’s ongoing efforts to build an academic environment where research and innovation are linked to practical societal issues.

Meanwhile, a representative from Hanoi Medical University said the combination of medical expertise and technology opened up many new approaches to improving the efficiency of the health care system.

Programmes like the HSIL Global Hackathon facilitate the development of technological ideas alongside in-depth medical knowledge, thereby leading to practical and feasible solutions.

After the hackathon, the best teams will step to the next phase where they will develop multi-phase projects with Harvard HSIL’s expert network. Selected teams will participate in an online bootcamp, receive one-on-one mentoring from international experts, and have the opportunity to connect with investors in the health technology sector. The programme is planned to conclude with a global Demo Day in June. — VNS