CMC Telecom’s CtelAI team, made up of two engineers born in 2002 and 2003, has claimed first prize in the RoadBuddy category at the prestigious Zalo AI Challenge 2025, overcoming more than 1,000 competing teams nationwide.

Held as part of the Zalo AI Summit 2025 under the theme “Vietnam in the Era of AI-fication,” the event brought together over 400 AI engineers, researchers, and experts from across Vietnam and abroad. It spotlighted the growing importance of artificial intelligence in shaping national competitiveness and delivering real-world impact.

Real-world AI, real-world impact

The 2025 Zalo AI Challenge focused on two highly applicable AI problems:
- AeroEyes - drone control for search and rescue missions
- RoadBuddy - an AI driving assistant capable of understanding dashcam video content and answering context-based traffic questions.

Out of 1,060 registered teams, CtelAI, consisting of Nguyen Dich Nhat Minh and Nguyen Tran Dang Duong from CMC Telecom’s Data Analytics and Strategy Division, impressed judges with their intelligent video analysis system. Their AI model analyzes dashcam videos (5–15 seconds long) to recognize and understand traffic signs, signals, and road scenarios - and generate accurate answers to complex questions.

What sets their solution apart is its ability to not only detect visual elements but also comprehend context and make decisions in real-time - bringing AI closer to daily use cases such as driver assistance and intelligent transportation.

Built in 20 days, built for the future

The CtelAI team developed the entire solution within just 20 days, handling large-scale video data, continuously optimizing model performance, and balancing key factors like accuracy, processing speed, and scenario generalization.

“RoadBuddy is more than just a competition entry. It’s a foundation for intelligent transportation systems that can support human decision-making in dynamic real-world environments,” said engineer Nhat Minh.

He added that the solution can already serve as a post-trip driving assistant, allowing users to review road situations and check compliance with traffic laws.

The team also praised the Zalo AI Challenge for offering a well-standardized dataset, allowing participants to focus on deep model development and practical applications - rather than spending time on data preprocessing.

CMC Telecom’s AI vision: Data, people, and purpose

The victory reflects CMC Telecom’s long-term strategy to invest in AI, data infrastructure, and - critically - human capital. The CtelAI team’s success is a clear example of how young engineers, when given the right environment, can master sophisticated AI problems and deliver high-impact solutions.

In the era of AI-fication, the true value of AI is not in algorithmic complexity, but in the ability to convert data and technology into tools that serve people and society.

CMC Telecom continues to pursue this philosophy - empowering its next-generation engineers to be both innovators and solution-builders at the core of Vietnam’s digital future.

Thuy Nga