Debate tournament on sustainability empowers Vietnamese youth

The competition organised by tech giant Netflix, the US Embassy, and NPX Point Avenue – a multinational tech company based in Hanoi – saw the participation of over 700 contestants, of which 66 finalists were shortlisted to participate in the final showcase. The tournament then culminated in the crowning of the top 15 speakers, storytellers, and debaters.

Aimed at raising awareness and spurring meaningful conversations on sustainability topics, Speak to Inspire brought together speakers from 60 provinces nationwide and diverse backgrounds to share their experiences and discuss ways to foster greater community engagement and build a more sustainable future.

Nguyen Phuoc Nguyen, Youth Storytelling category participant said, “I joined this public speaking competition because I see it as my responsibility to engage in important issues that affect us both locally and globally. Climate change is not just found on television news, Netflix documentaries, and social media. It is real and it is everywhere. This is a rallying point for youth leaders to engage, collaborate, and inspire others to work towards a greener planet.”

The tournament’s finalists underwent a three-day intensive training session at Yen Tu, where they got a chance to learn from and interact with over a dozen public speaking and sustainability experts from the US, South Korea, and Vietnam to sharpen their public speaking skills and enhance their understanding of sustainability efforts globally. The finalists drafted a manifesto, promising to contribute the knowledge and skills gained to sustainability efforts in their communities.

The competition consisted of three stages focused on speech, storytelling, and debate, aiming to raise greater awareness of sustainability and spur meaningful conversations on topics such as environmental protection and climate change.

US Ambassador Marc E. Knapper, remarked, “I applaud our colleagues at Netflix and Point Avenue for their vision in creating this wonderful opportunity for Vietnamese youth to deepen their knowledge of sustainability. This competition took many months of planning and it is great to see it come to fruition just prior to Earth Day. Congratulations to the students who made it to the final round of this competition. It hasn’t been easy, but your hard work has paid off.”

Tommy Nguyen, co-founder and COO of NPX Point Avenue said, “It’s been truly inspiring for us to witness the high levels of engagement from Vietnamese youths on the topic of climate change and sustainability. Congratulations to all the contestants and winners. We encourage you to continue honing your public speaking skills, but more importantly, we urge you to continue working collaboratively towards your shared ideas on sustainability to create meaningful change.”