By Ly Ly Cao

SEOUL — Vietnamese agritech startup Enfarm has won the 2nd AI Startup Award at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK 2026) in Seoul, putting its artificial intelligence-powered agricultural technology in the international spotlight.

Co-founded and led by CEO Nguyễn Đỗ Dũng, Enfarm competed in the Startup Pitch & Discussion: 2nd AI Startup Award, alongside four other startups from India, South Korea, Singapore and China.

Dũng said the award and the opportunity to present Enfarm's technology at the conference marked an important step towards international cooperation and market expansion.

APK 2026 brought together leading German and international businesses, with the participation of the German and South Korean prime ministers as well as German cabinet ministers. Dũng said the presence of senior government officials and major companies highlighted the importance of the event as a platform for international business cooperation.

"Having Việt Nam and Vietnamese technology represented at such a forum is a source of pride and a great opportunity to open doors to the world and cooperate with businesses internationally," he told Việt Nam News. 

Enfarm focuses on agricultural technology, a sector Dũng described as particularly important to Việt Nam, where around 60 per cent of the population still lives in rural areas.

He said Vietnamese farmers had built a strong foundation for the country's agricultural sector through their hard work and ability to produce goods that compete in international markets.

Building on that foundation, Enfarm has developed technology combining the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to help farmers optimise input use, reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and increase crop yields. The technology is also designed to improve farmers' incomes while reducing chemical pollution in agricultural land and supporting food production.

However, developing technology for agriculture presents particular challenges, Dũng said.

Hardware designed for outdoor use must withstand harsh weather conditions and practical risks, including damage caused by ants and rodents. Weaknesses in the domestic manufacturing ecosystem also make it difficult to produce reliable equipment at prices affordable to farmers.

Despite these obstacles, Enfarm has made progress in bringing its products to market. Within two years, the company had installed thousands of sensors across Việt Nam, mainly in the southern region, the Central Highlands and the Southeast, reflecting growing acceptance among farmers.

Dũng said that although Enfarm's products were considerably cheaper than comparable international solutions, their prices remained beyond the reach of many Vietnamese farmers. The company is therefore continuing to develop new technologies to lower costs and broaden access.

At APK 2026, Enfarm introduced a new platform that relies primarily on AI and does not require additional hardware devices, helping reduce costs for farmers. Dũng said he hoped the technology would eventually benefit millions of Vietnamese farmers as the company expanded its presence in international markets. — BIZHUB/VNS