According to the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA), the closing ceremony and awards presentation took place on November 21 in Busan, South Korea. This marks the third edition of the ASEAN Cyber Shield, organized by Southeast Asian cyber safety authorities in collaboration with the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA). The event aims to identify and nurture emerging cybersecurity talents across the region.

This year’s contest featured 40 teams from 10 ASEAN countries, competing in two divisions: the General category (open to all groups) and the Student category (reserved for university students).

Vietnam sends four elite student teams to the finals

Four Vietnamese teams advanced to the final round, having emerged as national leaders from the 2024 ASEAN Student Cybersecurity competition. These teams were:

KMA.LightBlue (Academy of Cryptography Techniques, Hanoi)
HCMACT.Akatsuki (Academy of Cryptography Techniques, Ho Chi Minh City campus)
Central Unique Mountain (University of Information and Communication Technology – Hanoi University of Science and Technology)
Hanni Fanclub (University of Technology – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City)

The competition was structured into two rounds. In the preliminary phase, teams participated in themed Jeopardy-style challenges. The top five scorers in each division moved on to the finals.

In the 15-hour-long final round, contestants were tested in three formats: Attack & Defense, Jeopardy, and Scenario simulation.

All four Vietnamese student teams advanced to the finals and ultimately brought home three major awards:

First Prize, General category: KMA.LightBlue (Academy of Cryptography Techniques, Hanoi) – USD 20,000
Third Prize, General category: HCMACT.Akatsuki (Academy of Cryptography Techniques, Ho Chi Minh City) – USD 5,000
Second Prize, Student category: Hanni Fanclub (University of Technology – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) – USD 10,000

Vietnam emerges as a regional cybersecurity force

Vu Ngoc Son, Head of Technology and International Cooperation at NCA and leader of the Vietnamese delegation, emphasized the competition’s importance in fostering regional collaboration.

“Cybersecurity is not a battle that any one country can win alone. It demands partnership, shared knowledge, and collective strength,” Son said. “These competitions offer our students not only technical challenges but opportunities to network and grow into the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”

Dr. Lai Minh Tuan, who supervised the teams from the Academy of Cryptography Techniques, added that the competition offered students hands-on, real-world experience beyond conventional lab work.

“They gained essential skills like attack-defense thinking, incident analysis, and team collaboration under high-pressure scenarios. Vietnamese students stood out in terms of adaptability and technical speed - they’re absolutely capable of mastering global cybersecurity technologies,” he said.

Consistent excellence through the years

Vietnam’s track record at ASEAN Cyber Shield has been impressive. In 2023, Vietnamese teams claimed top spots in both categories: UIT.pawf3ct from the University of Information Technology (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) won First Prize in the General category, while ISIT-DTU1 from Duy Tan University won Second. The Student category was topped by SecGang from Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

In 2024, when Vietnam hosted the event in Quang Ninh, UIT again won First Prize in the General category, while the Academy of Cryptography Techniques team won Second in the Student division.

PV