Smart Air Team Wins Prize at the NAPROCK Procon 2026 International Programming Contest

The 17th NAPROCK Procon International Programming Contest has officially concluded at VNU University of Engineering and Technology. The year 2026 marked the first time the contest was held in Vietnam, bringing together 36 teams and 114 students from four countries: Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, and Mongolia. The event was hosted by VNU University of Engineering and Technology in collaboration with the KOSEN Programming Contest Support Association (NAPROCK) and the Vietnam Informatics Association.

As part of the contest, teams competed in two main categories: programming competition and themed software development (Themed Section). While the programming contest focused on building algorithms to solve specific problems, this year’s themed software section, under the theme “ICT for a Green Future,” attracted many highly practical technological ideas aimed at addressing real-world challenges.

At this year’s contest, the Smart Air team, consisting of students from VNU University of Engineering and Technology and members of GEOI Lab, developed a product to raise public awareness about air pollution in Vietnam. The system was designed with two main features:

• Displaying air quality across Vietnam in the form of a heatmap, while also providing forecasts for the next 7 days.
• Tracking users’ exposure to air pollution and forecasting exposure levels for the next 7 days, helping them proactively protect their health.

With this idea and solution, the Smart Air team proudly won Third Prize in the themed software development category. At the same time, Smart Air was also the highest-achieving team across both competition sections in Southeast Asia, marking a proud accomplishment for Vietnamese students in an international academic arena.

To achieve this result, the Smart Air team received guidance and professional support from the directly supervising members of the GEOI research group. Their in-depth feedback, continuous support throughout the preparation process, and encouragement from the GEOI community played an important role in helping the team refine its idea and perform well in the competition.

Smart Air’s achievement is not only a source of pride for the team itself, but also demonstrates the capability and potential of Vietnamese students in the field of information technology, especially in applying technology to solve practical social issues. It also serves as motivation for the team members to continue studying, conducting research, and striving for even greater accomplishments in the future.