Tra Vinh University students secure investment with hometown specialties

The fourth edition of the Mekong Delta Student Startup Idea Competition, known as INNOBE 2026, held its grand final recently at the No. 1 Hung Vuong Guesthouse in Bac Lieu city, Ca Mau province, drawing 100 finalist teams from universities, colleges and high schools across the region.

Co-hosted by Tra Vinh University and Bac Lieu University, the competition is designed to cultivate an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem among students throughout the Mekong Delta. Competing teams were assessed across three stages: a project presentation, a technical cross-examination before a panel of specialists, and an investor pitch session.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Minh Hoa, rector of Tra Vinh University and chairman of the Startup Innovation Network board, praised the creative spirit and confidence on display. He described INNOBE 2026 not merely as an academic exercise but as a launch pad, a structured opportunity for students to refine their ideas and bridge the gap between the classroom and genuine market demand.

A defining feature of this year's competition was the concentration of projects built around local agricultural products and regional specialties, with a shared emphasis on deep processing, value addition and commercial viability.

Among the standout entries was SABAY, an instant soup cube developed from the signature flavors of bun nuoc leo, a iconic Southern Vietnamese noodle broth, reformatted for the convenience demands of modern consumers. The project, created by students Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh, Danh Quoc An, Le Truong Huy and Nguyen Thuy Vy, claimed second place overall and drew an immediate investment commitment of 150 million dong in exchange for a 49 percent equity stake, secured on the spot during the pitching round.

A second Tra Vinh team also made its mark. The project "Deep-Processing Value Chain from Shallots," developed by Tu Van Thua, Tran Du Thanh Dat, Le Thi Y Huynh and Nguyen Tran An Thinh, earned an honorable mention and attracted a commitment of 50 million dong for a 5 percent stake. A third project from the university, "Vegetarian Seasoning from Shallots," by Le Thi Tuyet Trinh, Son Tran Minh Man, Ly Gia Han and Duong Ngoc Thu Thao, also drew favorable attention from judges for its approach to transforming local produce into value-added consumer products.

Tu Van Thua, the shallot project's team leader, said the group set out to tackle the persistent challenge of finding reliable markets for locally grown produce while elevating the value of a regional specialty through innovative thinking. "The investors' confidence gives us the motivation to keep refining our product and bring it to market in the near future," he said.

Organizers noted that all finalists were selected on the basis of novelty, commercial potential and the capacity to scale production. The fact that multiple projects attracted live investment commitments during the competition reflects a broader shift in student entrepreneurship across the Mekong Delta, away from purely theoretical exercises and toward business models anchored in agriculture, deep processing and the exploitation of regional culinary heritage.

Rather than stopping at academic ideation, a growing number of student ventures are actively engaging with real market problems: raising the value of farm produce, creating new outlets for local specialties and building commercially credible pathways from field to consumer. The performance of Tra Vinh University's delegation at INNOBE 2026 further cements the institution's standing as a driver of innovation and startup culture linked to agricultural development across the Mekong Delta.

The Mekong Delta Student Entrepreneurship Ideas Competition is organized annually by the Mekong Delta Student Entrepreneurship Support Network to identify and recognize promising startup ideas, connecting them to real-world opportunities. This year's edition drew nearly 300 initial online submissions, with a professional panel selecting 117 teams across six provinces and cities for the training round. Submitted projects spanned agriculture and fisheries, science and technology, education, healthcare, tourism and innovative business models. Tra Vinh University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center has set an ambition for 2026 to inspire entrepreneurship in at least 300,000 students and organize events connecting experts and investors with domestic and foreign businesses.