EVVO Labs Leads Cybersecurity Contest in Vietnam with 50+ University Teams
Four participants from the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) emerge as champions of the ‘Digital Dragons: The Cybersecurity Challenge 2023’, a nationwide cybersecurity competition held in Vietnam, co-hosted by EVVO Labs, Singapore’s leading digital transformation service provider, and the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU).
Endorsed by the Vietnam Authority of Information Security (AIS) and sponsored by HUAWEI Cloud, Agentis Intelligence, and Roundesk, the Digital Dragons: Cybersecurity Challenge 2023 represents a significant milestone for EVVO Labs, following its recent entry into Vietnam to meet the country’s growing digital landscape.
More than facilitating bilateral knowledge transfer between Singapore and Vietnam, this partnership underscores their commitment to fostering the next generation of computer scientists and cybersecurity experts. This initiative aligns with Vietnam’s broader mission of advancing cybersecurity technology and innovation to support national development and defence efforts.
The competition began in August and concluded in September 2023, and featured the participation of over 100 teams from leading universities across Vietnam. The teams engaged in a series of “Capture the Flag” (CTF) challenges, where the flag represents a digital element as simple as a sequence of concealed characters within a database. Participants had to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities to reach the flag. Teams with the highest scores advanced to the next round, with each challenge testing participants’ skills in reverse engineering, cryptography, digital forensics, and more.
The grand finale took place at the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU) on 16 September 2023 and was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huỳnh Công Pháp and Dr. Trần Thế Sơn from Vietnam-Korea University (VKU), along with Mr. Lê Công Phú and Mrs. Bùi Thanh Hà representing VietNam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT – MIC), Mr. Mai Tấn Linh from the Danang Department of Education, and Mr. Huỳnh Sang from the Department of Science and Technology in Danang.
Lê Thanh Duẩn, Tô Đỉnh Nguyên, Nguyễn Đăng Nguyên, and Lê Khắc Trung Nam from Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) emerged as champions in the grand finale, securing a total score of 2282 and taking home a prize of US$1500. The first runner-up team, representing Duy Tan University (DTU) and the Academy of Cryptography Techniques Ho Chi Minh City, scored 2014 points, earning them US$750. The third-place team, also from VNU-HCM, received a prize of US$350, having amassed a final score of 1532 points.
“The competition’s success represents the first in our holistic plan to nurture cybersecurity talent in Vietnam. Central to our strategy is a lifelong learning program designed to equip individuals with cutting-edge cybersecurity skills while fostering global citizenship and essential competencies like problem-solving and ethical reasoning. Next, we are expanding our workshop offerings, launching mentorship programs, and forging collaborations with more local universities. We hope that these initiatives will help to cultivate a versatile talent pool capable of tackling cybersecurity challenges, both local and global,” said Vince Chew, COO of EVVO Labs.
EVVO Labs and its team of experts are dedicated to continuous innovation and the provision of diverse digital solutions, alongside advancements in technology. Their successful collaborations with SMEs, agencies, startups, and established companies have propelled them towards a new mission: to empower a wider array of organisations with state-of-the-art solutions, fostering exceptional operational excellence and driving significant digital progress within their respective industries.
