Arduino Days 2026 empowers students across Vietnam through hands-on technology experiences

While hundreds of Arduino Days celebrations took place simultaneously in over 100 countries worldwide, on March 28th Vietnam stood out by hosting synchronized events in four major cities – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Can Tho – bringing more than 1,000 students together for a day of hands-on technology learning. Activities included an international watch party, project showcases, workshops, talk shows, and a highlight Mini Hackathon where student teams were challenged to build functional health monitoring devices capable of measuring heart rate and SpO2 levels.

The event was organized by FPT Polytechnic in collaboration with Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., demonstrating – in the words of Julián Caro Linares, Arduino Senior Engineer for Qualcomm Europe – the university’s “experience in training young people who can create impactful innovations and contribute to economic growth.” This event showed not just the energy and passion from the students from various cities and backgrounds on using technology to solve real world problems, but also how today the barriers to entry for AI at a device level are significantly lower. Participants showed how using Arduino solutions and the new Arduino® UNO™ Q board can truly democratize physical AI.

From knowing to doing

The theme for this year’s Arduino Days – “Writing the next chapter of AI together!” – reflects a moment when everyone is called to play an active role in defining a new era of innovation, shifting from theoretical knowledge into direct engagement with global technology standards. Everyone is the keyword here. Dr. Vu Chi Thanh, Principal of FPT Polytechnic, commented, “We do not want access to technology to be concentrated in just one place. By organizing the event simultaneously in four cities, students from different regions can connect directly with the global ecosystem and experience a real technology environment, rather than just hearing about it.”

Guneet Bedi, Senior Director of Sales at Qualcomm Technologies, emphasized the significance of Vietnam’s participation in the global Arduino community. “We are entering the AI era, and we need to train students – the future generations – not just how to use AI in everyday life, but how to stop being afraid of this technology,” he said. “Currently, there are millions of people developing on the Arduino platform, creating the world’s largest open-source community, and Vietnam has an incredibly active community that we are eager to support.”

The Mini Hackathon exemplified the event’s hands-on philosophy. Teams – including local students in fields such as automation, electrical engineering, information technology, as well as middle school and high school students interested in STEM – worked under tight time constraints to complete health-tracking devices. The challenge demanded not only technical knowledge in electronics and programming but also teamwork, troubleshooting skills, and product-oriented thinking. One student reflected on the experience: “When our product was reviewed by experts from Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies, we could clearly see the gap between an academic model and a product that could actually be deployed in real life. It is a pressure, but also a strong motivation.”

For Hoang Hung Hai, Product Marketing Staff Manager for Qualcomm Vietnam who helped bring to life the Hanoi event, this hands-on approach represents the future of technology education. “We want students to access Qualcomm and Arduino technologies while they are still in school, and then turn that knowledge into practical exercises, projects, and eventually larger-scale products in the future,” he said.

The strong message behind the success

The entire event embodied a powerful message: AI isn’t something to fear but something to master. As Bedi told students, “You need to learn not only how to use AI, but also how to build and customize it to solve real-world problems. Start now. Do not let yourselves fall behind in the AI revolution.”

At Arduino, we are certain you have the curious mindset and proactive attitude to shift from “using” AI to “making” AI, adding value with every project, prototype, or full-fledged product you create. Our mission is to provide you with access to the technologies you need, and to help you bridge any gaps on your way. The success of the event held by FPT Polytechnic during Arduino Days 2026 is a demonstration of how technology education can be both locally accessible and globally connected, how regional educational institutions can create synergies with the global technology ecosystem, and how each one of us is already part of something bigger.

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