1 April 2026

Hackathon Humanitarian Logistics 2026

The second edition of the Hackathon in Humanitarian Logistics in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, was a great success, growing from 800 participants in 2025 to more than 1,000 in 2026. The event, hosted on 28-29th March, brought together high school and university students passionate about collaborating on solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in disaster response.

The hackathon, directed by the Vietnam National Union of Students in Ho Chi Minh City, Kühne Logistics University (KLU), Startup Support Center (BSSC), InnoEx and supported by HELP Logistics and the Red Cross, connected global expertise with local innovation. KLU President Andreas Kaplan emphasized the importance of global collaboration: “At KLU, we believe innovation in logistics can save lives, and that international collaboration is key to advancing humanitarian logistics. This hackathon empowers young talent from Asia and Europe to turn their ideas into real humanitarian solutions.” All participants shared one goal: improving humanitarian response systems so that no one is left behind. Each proposed solution not only demonstrated creativity and technological innovation but also carried the potential to save lives in critical situations.

International Participation with a Regional Focus

Vietnam provided a highly relevant context for testing ideas. Students from Cambodia pointed out the similarities between regional cities: “We see many common challenges between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh, such as frequent flooding, traffic congestion, and limited coordination between stakeholders.”

Vietnamese students, participating in the event for the second time, expressed strong motivation to continue developing their ideas: “The greatest appeal of the Humanitarian Logistics Hackathon is its high practicality and humanitarian impact. I participated for the second year because I wanted to continue developing my ideas and learn more from international teams.”

Students from Germany highlighted the importance of designing solutions that address the needs of elderly and vulnerable populations, emphasizing accessibility and efficiency in humanitarian response.

Participants emphasized that the experience not only strengthened their technical and teamwork skills but also deepened their understanding of how logistics can make a big difference in people’s lives.

Over two intensive days, participants developed a final presentation of five minutes, followed by a short Q&A session with the jury. The competition concluded with an award ceremony recognizing the top 20 teams, including 10 high school teams and 10 university teams.

A total of 60 teams competed in the semi-final and final rounds, working through two key challenges. Beyond the economic prizes, awarded to the top-performing teams, all participants gained something more valuable: a deeper understanding of the humanitarian logistics field and a unique experience of learning and peer collaboration.