Students of the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering shined at the Finals of the 3rd Vietnam Mold Grand Prix 2026

On September 17th , 2026, the Finals of the 3rd Vietnam Mold Grand Prix 2026 took place at the Vietnam Exhibition Center (VEC) - Dong Anh, Hanoi. Overcoming a series of competitors nationwide, two teams from the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering (SMAE), HaUI affirmed their professional capabilities, in which the SMAE2 team excellently won the overall Second Prize and the SMAE1 team achieved the Consolation Prize of the competition.

A prestigious academic playground associated with production reality

The Vietnam Mold Grand Prix, organized by the Japan - Vietnam Mold Club in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries (VASi), is considered one of the prestigious professional playgrounds for engineering students. Following the success of the two previous seasons, the Vietnam Mold Grand Prix 2026 was organized on a larger scale with higher professional requirements, aiming to discover and foster high-quality technical human resources for the mold and supporting industries in Vietnam.

The Vietnam Mold Grand Prix was organized by the Japan-Vietnam Mold Club in collaboration with the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries (VASi).

The highlight of the competition is its approach, which closely resembles an actual production environment. The competing teams not only performed designs on software but also had to complete the entire process from conceptualization, 3D design, and technical drawing creation to mold manufacturing, product testing, and presenting as well as defending their solutions before a panel of experts. Through this, the competition contributes to narrowing the gap between training and practical production while helping students hone their ability to solve technical problems according to enterprise requirements.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc, Vice Rector of the SMAE, along with lecturers of the School attending the Finals of the Vietnam Mold Grand Prix.

Affirming the position of the SMAE (HaUI) in the national arena

This year's season recorded 31 registered teams from technical universities and colleges across the country. After the preliminary round, the SMAE, HaUI was one of the few institutions to have two teams officially featured in the Top 12 outstanding teams in the final round. Here, HaUI students competed against teams from many prestigious training institutions such as the School of Mechanical Engineering - Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Da Nang University of Science and Technology, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education.

Entering the Finals, two representatives of the SMAE confidently defended their projects before the Jury: Team SMAE1 - Plastic injection mold and Team SMAE2 - Progressive stamping mold. At the competition's final, with thorough preparation, technical mindset, and completed mold products with high precision and stability, the teams from the SMAE completely convinced the Professional Council.

Under the guidance of MSc. Pham Thi Thieu Thoa, team SMAE2 with the Progressive stamping mold project, led by Ha Cong Tao, batch student of 2023 of Mechanical Engineering Technology program, excellently won the National Second Prize. The group's product was highly appreciated for its feasibility in production, technical precision, stable operational capabilities, and process optimization mindset.

Team SMAE2 (Progressive stamping mold) excellently won the Second Prize at the 3rd Vietnam Mold Grand Prix

In addition, team SMAE1 with the Plastic injection mold project, guided by MSc. Nguyen Van Que and led by Van Huu Duc - batch student of 2024 of Mechanical Engineering Technology program, won the Consolation Prize at the competition.

Team SMAE1 (Plastic injection mold) won the Consolation Prize at the competition

Dr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc, Vice Rector of the SMAE, along with the lecturers, congratulated the teams on excellently completing their presentation

The results achieved at the Vietnam Mold Grand Prix 2026 are not only the fruit of the students' efforts and passion for research but also reflect the effectiveness of the training orientation linked to practice, production, and enterprise needs that the SMAEis pursuing. This achievement continues to affirm the position of the SMAE, HaUI in training high-level technical human resources, while creating motivation for the school's lecturers and students to continue conquering academic, research, and technological innovation playgrounds both domestically and internationally.

*SOME IMAGES AT THE FINALS OF THE 3RD VIETNAM MOLD GRAND PRIX 2026: