Ly Ly Cao

HÀ NỘI — The Better Choice Awards 2026 honoured 45 award categories spanning artificial intelligence, technology products, businesses and vehicles at a gala ceremony in Hà Nội on October 4, recognising innovations that deliver practical benefits to consumers and contribute to the country's development.

Held at the National Convention Centre as part of National Innovation Day 2026, the fourth edition of the awards attracted nearly 1,000 delegates, business representatives and guests. 

This year's theme, "Innovation Beyond Borders", reflected the role of innovation in connecting countries, industries and different forms of products and services.

The awards were organised by VCCorp in collaboration with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) and the Agency for Innovation under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Speaking at the ceremony, Võ Xuân Hoài, deputy director of NIC, said innovation was becoming increasingly important amid rapid technological changes, the expansion of artificial intelligence and the emergence of new business models.

For Việt Nam, which is targeting double-digit economic growth, innovation is playing a greater role in improving productivity, technological capabilities, workforce quality and the development of new products, services and business models.

Hoài highlighted Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo, which sets a strategic direction for promoting science, technology and innovation as direct productive forces to strengthen the country's competitiveness and domestic economic capacity.

He also stressed that innovation should be measured not only by rankings but also by the ability to translate knowledge, technology and creativity into commercial products, businesses, productivity gains and tangible benefits for society.

"An innovation is ultimately validated by the market and transformed into value," Hoài said, emphasising that technologies must be applied and research results transferred into practical use to generate meaningful impact.

The 2026 awards were structured around four categories: Innovative Choice Awards, Nation Builders Awards, Smart Choice Awards and Car Choice Awards.

The results combined assessments by a panel of domestic and international experts with public voting through VCCorp's digital media platforms. Some categories were decided entirely by the judging panel, while others relied solely on public votes.

Vương Vũ Thắng, chairman of VCCorp, said the awards sought to recognise products that provide users with genuinely good experiences and high value, rather than relying solely on technical specifications or sales performance.

"Those things cannot tell the whole story. Only users who actually experience a product can determine the value it brings," he said.

He noted that the involvement of NIC since 2023 had helped elevate Better Choice Awards into a platform recognising innovative products that bring tangible benefits to users. 

The awards had also expanded their scope, with the introduction of Nation Builders Awards this year to honour businesses making positive contributions to national development and people's quality of life, Thắng said.

Among the award recipients, Viettel was named the outstanding technology and industrial enterprise of the year, while Viettel IDC received recognition for digital infrastructure. Petrovietnam won the national energy enterprise award and Techcom Securities (TCBS) was honoured for leading digital investment.

In the technology and consumer categories, FPT.AI received recognition for a representative Make in Vietnam AI product, while MoMo was among the winners for digital payment and consumer-orientated innovation solutions.

MoMo co-founder and vice chairman Nguyễn Bá Diệp said the company received three awards, including recognition from experts through the Innovative Choice Awards and an award reflecting consumer trust in its financial products.

"These are two completely different perspectives: one comes from experts, while the other comes from consumers. For a product developed by Vietnamese people, this is a great source of happiness and recognition for what we have worked towards for nearly 20 years," he said.

He added that the recognition also encouraged the company to improve its products continuously to maintain the trust of customers and experts.

Given the backdrop of rapid AI development, MoMo was working with partners, particularly the Ministry of Public Security, to use AI to detect unusual transactions in real time and help customers conduct online transactions with greater confidence, he said.

The Car Choice Awards recognised vehicles across different segments, with electric and hybrid models accounting for seven of the 13 vehicle awards.

The ceremony also announced the Better List 2026 rankings, based on evaluations and votes from technology-savvy users and the wider community. — BIZHUB/VNS