From AI to culture: ASEAN students discover Da Nang
DNO - At the recent ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026, students from across Southeast Asia connected through cultural exchange and shared experiences, turning a technology event into a meaningful bridge for ASEAN’s next generation.
When code opens the door to connection
For students from leading universities across ASEAN, the final round of the ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026 in Da Nang marked the beginning of new opportunities for collaboration.
Alongside developing their AI solutions and presenting them to the judging panel, participating teams took part in a series of cultural and social activities in Da Nang.
Supported by DTU Buddy, a volunteer network of students from Da Nang-based Duy Tan University, the international participants explored Da Nang, experienced Vietnamese culture and exchanged stories about their own countries.
Visits to Linh Ung Pagoda, the Son Tra Peninsula and other local attractions, together with cultural performances and informal gatherings, helped turn initial conversations about technology into broader exchanges about food, traditions, lifestyles and everyday experiences.
For many participants, food became one of the simplest ways to build connections. Familiar Vietnamese dishes such as “pho” and “banh mi” offered an easy starting point for conversations, while differences in language, religion and lifestyle became opportunities to learn more about the diversity of ASEAN.
AI became the starting point for young people from different countries to meet. But the connections and friendships formed throughout the journey are what will last.
This is my first time visiting Da Nang, a beautiful coastal city in central Vietnam. The people here are very friendly and welcoming. I had the opportunity to visit several scenic attractions, which helped me gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese people and culture.
Seh Jia Jun, a Singaporean student and member of the ITE-AwareGuard team.
Accoording to student Karl Vincent Suayan, representing NCF ApexNode from the Philippines, the trip gave the team a deeper appreciation of ASEAN’s diversity in religion, cuisine and ways of life. These firsthand experiences offered young people an opportunity to respect differences while discovering shared values.
“Vietnamese cuisine is amazing. If I have the chance, I will definitely return to Da Nang and visit other major Vietnamese cities such as Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat,” Karl Vincent Suayan said enthusiastically.
P2A: Connecting ASEAN’s next generation
Behind many of these cultural exchanges is Passage to ASEAN (P2A), an international organization focused on educational cooperation, cultural exchange and mutual understanding among ASEAN countries.
The ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026 created a space where students could learn from one another, compete in a spirit of friendship and experience the human connections that underpin a stronger ASEAN community.
This approach reflects P2A’s “Glocal” philosophy - thinking globally while acting locally. Through cultural exchange, academic mobility and career-oriented initiatives, the organisation seeks to create more opportunities for students, educators and education leaders to connect across borders.
Programmes such as P2A Journey and P2A Hybrid Mobility by Disciplines provide students with opportunities to study, travel and engage with peers across the region.
Meanwhile, ContactASEAN.org connects young talent with career opportunities, while the ASEAN Research Network promotes collaboration among researchers, academics and educational institutions.
The ASEAN AI Council, meanwhile, contributes to discussions on technology and education in the digital era.
Together, these above-mentioned initiatives demonstrate that regional connectivity is built through repeated encounters, from competitions and academic exchanges to cultural experiences and informal conversations.
In fact, ASEAN is defined by extraordinary diversity in culture, language, religion and history.
Those differences give each country its distinctive identity while creating an enduring need for dialogue and mutual understanding among younger generations.
Events such as the ASEAN AI Hackathon offer a particularly powerful way to encourage that dialogue.
Technology, with its universal language, provides the initial platform for collaboration. Cultural experiences then take the relationship further, allowing participants to understand one another beyond technical skills and professional interests.
On the competition stage, teams may compete intensely to develop the strongest AI solution. Away from the stage, however, competitors become friends, sharing meals, stories and memories of their time in Da Nang.
The ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026 is a technology competition for university students from ASEAN countries, bringing together teams to develop and present AI-powered ideas and solutions to real-world challenges.
The final round in Da Nang brought together outstanding teams for both competition and a range of cultural exchange, sightseeing and experiential activities. Technology served as a common language, while culture became a bridge connecting ASEAN’s younger generation.