Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Doctranslate.io, an AI-powered online translation platform, has won the Golden Startup Star award worth 100 million VND (3,878 USD) at the final round of the Tuoi Tre Startup Award 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event was organised by Tuoi Tre online newspaper and Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Vietnam Youth Federation (VYF Ho Chi Minh City), in coordination with the InnoEx International Innovation Alliance and partners on October 31.
Doctranslate.io offers contextual translation, audio recording, transcription and content summarisation services for communication, meetings and international events. Supporting 80 languages, the platform aims to add more less widely spoken languages. International partners account for around 80% of its revenue, while the company plans to expand in Vietnam and further improve its technology.
The Silver Startup Star award, worth 50 million VND, went to BioWraps, which develops biodegradable materials and packaging to replace conventional plastics. The project uses fruit peels and agricultural by-products to produce biomaterials, contributing to resource efficiency and a circular economy. The company is seeking preferential international funding, particularly from Japan, to expand production and exploring cooperation to establish a factory there.
Two student startup awards, each worth 10 million VND, were presented to A-EYE FRUIT, a platform for agricultural product quality control, and GEOCARBON, an AI-powered application for measuring forest carbon. The other startups among the 11 finalists each received 30 million VND.
A highlight of this year's competition was the final round, entitled "Conquer", where startups presented their solutions, implementation results and development plans and answered questions from the judging panel.
The projects focused on infrastructure, transport and logistics, social welfare and sustainable development. They were assessed against six criteria covering innovation and technology, practicality and effectiveness in addressing urban challenges, business models and scalability, team capacity and implementation, presentation skills, and the ability to respond to critical questions.
The judging panel evaluated 30 startup applications and 10 student projects, noting their efforts to develop innovative solutions to community challenges, with technology and sustainability emerging as key priorities.
Over seven editions, the Tuoi Tre Startup Award has attracted around 1,200 startups and honoured nearly 200 individuals and startup businesses.
The 2026 edition promoted the implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation, and Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW on private sector development, aiming to help turn innovative ideas into commercially viable products and services.
Prof. Dr. Mai Thanh Phong, Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology under Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, said this year's theme, "Innovation for Future Cities", was particularly relevant as the city pursued development models based on science, technology and innovation.
He stressed that future cities should not only feature modern technology and advanced infrastructure but also effectively address challenges in transport, logistics, the digital economy, the environment, social welfare and sustainable development.
Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Council on Science, Technology and Innovation (SACSTI) and programme adviser, said the theme was practical as Ho Chi Minh City faced both new development opportunities and challenges in transport, the environment, healthcare, education and quality of life./.
