Design Speak Out event empowers packaging and product design talent

Starprint and Duy Tan, both members of SCGP, organised the event in collaboration with The Student Culture House In Ho Chi Minh City and Mondelez Kinh Do.

Photo courtesy of SCGP

Outperforming numerous outstanding submissions, this year’s first prizes were awarded to Team ReFold in the Packaging Design category and Team Bupbindi in the Product Design category. Both teams impressed the judging panel with innovative, highly practical design solutions that effectively address modern consumer needs.

Alongside the competition, the two SCGP member companies also organised a seminar on the packaging and design industry for partners, businesses, and university students. The seminar aimed to advance design knowledge and strengthen industry collaboration by bringing together insights on consumer trends, marketing, and design. It highlighted the importance of integrating these perspectives to create solutions that truly resonate with people.

Building on the success of Packaging Speak Out, the competition embarked on a new chapter in 2026 as Design Speak Out, reflecting its expanded vision beyond packaging design to the broader world of product design, and providing participants with a more comprehensive perspective on the design industry. The programme encourages students to adopt a user-centric mindset, combining creativity with market understanding to develop practical solutions that strengthen connections between brands and consumers.

Guided by this vision, Design Speak Out 2026 expanded its competition categories to include category 1 for packaging design (Kinh Do Mooncake Giftset Packaging), and category 2 for product design (Plastic Food Container for the MATSU brand by Duy Tan).

To enrich participants' learning experience, the programme also featured a series of capability-building activities, including a bootcamp, mentoring sessions with industry experts, and a seminar. These activities brought together experts from Starprint, Duy Tan, and Mondelez Kinh Do to share practical insights into consumer trends, marketing, design, and product development.

Through these experiences, participants gained valuable exposure to professional design practice, strengthened their design capabilities, and developed a deeper understanding of how creative ideas can be translated into solutions that address evolving market needs.

Ekarach Sinnarong, general director of Starprint and member of SCGP, shared, “Vietnam is home to a young workforce with tremendous potential, creativity, and a strong ability to adapt to evolving market trends. Through real-world design projects developed with industry partners, students are able to apply their creativity to address actual business and consumer needs.”

Held from May to August, Design Speak Out this year attracted nearly 100 students from universities across Vietnam. Following a series of training programmes, expert mentoring sessions, and multiple evaluation rounds conducted by the judging panel, the competition successfully identified the most outstanding teams in each category.

In the Mooncake Gift Box Packaging Design category, Team ReFold impressed the judging panel with Kham Nguyet project, a design inspired by the intricate traditional art of mother-of-pearl inlay, blended with the distinctive architecture of Vietnamese communal house roofs under the blue hues of a full-moon night.

A key highlight of the design is its interactive packaging, with a box structure that can be transformed into a board game, extending the packaging’s value beyond its initial use and creating a fun family activity.

Meanwhile, in the MATSU Food Storage Container Product Design category, Team Bupbindi also made a distinctive impression with their ECOFOLD project, which combines Vietnamese cultural identity with practical functionality. The design captures the charm of Vietnam’s three regions through its colour palettes and product concepts, highlighting cultural value while creating a distinctive identity.

Its space-saving collapsible structure also allows for adjustable height and easy storage, while food-grade materials, refrigerator and microwave compatibility, leak-proof lids, silicone handles, and steam-release valves ensure convenience, safety, and ease of use.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lien, corporate and government affairs lead at Mondelez Kinh Do, shared, “Three years of partnering with Design Speak Out have shown us one thing clearly: Vietnam’s young generation of designers is not only highly creative but also demonstrates a deep understanding of consumers. This is the foundation for creating designs that truly resonate with consumers.”

Packaging Speak Out 2024 - Vietnam competition equips young talents with design skills SCGP (SCG Packaging Public Co., Ltd.), in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Student Assistant Centre (SAC), has announced the launch of the Packaging Speak Out 2024 – Vietnam competition.

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