First-Ever DEBATE UEH 2021 Competition at UEH

As part of a series of activities celebrating the 45^th anniversary of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) and the 90^th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, DEBATE UEH 2021 is the first-ever debate event held at the university. The competition aims at establishing an intellectual playground for students to learn and develop effective communication skills, as well as improving their critical/creative thinking and have greater insights into socio-economic issues, all of which are essential to their studies at UEH. DEBATE UEH 2021 consists of 2 phases with 160 teams in the Faculty Qualifier, 16 teams in the University Qualifiers and the Top 4 contenders in the Final Round that took place on September 11, 2021.

DEBATE UEH 2021 – A new playground for Economics students

The Preliminary Qualifiers started off in March 2021 with great excitement across 14 of UEH Schools and Institutes with a total of 160 teams signing up to compete. Each involved department were both proactive and creative in terms of method, content, regulations, debate topics and even the main language for the entire competition. Each team brought along their unique energy and voice, further affirming their stance as a GenZ in many aspects within the fields of socioeconomics.

Are familiar topics well understood?

The University Qualifiers officially commenced in September 2021 with an online exam. Round 1/16 of the competition began with some of the most common real-life issues yet still harboring unknown/undiscovered risks to help the contestants gain a deeper and more multidimensional look into current social issues, such as job hopping, personal goals, social media, etc. Then, the debate topics in round 1/8 further elaborated on the roles and impacts of technology on people’s lives. At the end, even though the rounds were finished, it was an eye-opening experience for students and participants to gain a better understanding on traditional operations and settings in the context of modern e-commerce businesses, applications for good/food deliveries, financial technology or even dating sites that may or may not be used for the right intended purposes. Amplified by the enthusiastic attitude towards the debate and competition, the participating teams were successful in defending their positions and giving the judges and spectators a sneak peak into their courage as a young leader in the new age.

University Qualifier: The Reunion of Talents and the problems that are COVID-19

After many intense and dramatic qualifying rounds, 4 outstanding teams were chosen to enter the University Qualifier of DEBATE UEH 2021 on Saturday, September 11. The overarching theme was GenZ and COVID-19, and the students were unapologetically candid and vocal in sharing their views and perspectives on this hot topic as the leading youths of today. Randomly drawn and divided into either For or Against, the teams still came well-prepared with extremely sharp critical thinking abilities and demonstrate strong arguments regarding the pros and cons of various topics, including work from home policies, socio-economic and environmental issues, and most importantly, the beauty of the Vietnamese culture in the context of a very complicated pandemic.

The Judging Panel of the Final Round included MSc. Huynh Phuoc Nghia - Vice President of UEH Institute of Innovation; Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quynh - CEO of Saigon Books and current Vice President of UEH Alumni Association; Ms. Nguyen Thanh Mai - Head of International Relations and Corporate Culture Department, PwC Vietnam; Ms. Hong Phuong - MC, Editor of HTV; Ms. Lieu Ha Trinh - TV MC, poet, writer. With this collection of experienced, prestigious and diverse group of judges across different fields, the students were at tremendous advantage as they were given insightful and productive advice, feedback from the judges, all of whom participated on only in helping the students diversify their visions and directions, but also in terms of skills refinement throughout the competition.

DEBATE UEH 2021 Final Round

MSc. Nguyen Dinh Hoang Uyen - Secretary of the Youth Union, on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the program shared: "Having followed the competition from its early days, I am extremely impressed by the energy and the number of participants this year. Even when the circumstances forced us to go online instead of the offline tradition, I’m still amazed at how quick the students adapted to the situation and showed even more creativity during DEBATE UEH 2021”

According to judge Nguyen Tuan Quynh - CEO of SaigonBook: “The teams didn’t just participate in the competition for the sake of competing, but they have indeed truly dedicated themselves to bringing about meaningful values, knowledge and appreciation for diverse cultural understanding to the UEH student community.”

The Champion title of DEBATE UEH 2021 finally went to team THE FLAMES of the School of International Business – Marketing. The Runner-Up was team DPT of the School of Public Finance. Lastly, at Third Place were both team WINX ENCHANTIX of the School of International Business – Marketing and team STARK of the School of Management.

Sharing from Team THE FLAMES, the Champion of this year's competition: “When we received the results, we were very surprised because we never suspected we could be the winning team. Our rival, Team DPT was a very strong contender, and it truly was a tough debate session. After the initial shock wore off, we were overcome with joy, not only because we came out on top, but because of the experience throughout the entire competition. We came into the contest as a clean slate, which was then molded and trained by our professors and judges, as well as all the helpful advice from our peer. Thanks to the competition, we have acquired even more knowledge and skills, and have learnt how to make use of them to better ourselves. THE FLAMES commit to even more growing and constantly improving ourselves to be deserving of this title and make UEH proud.

Team THE FLAMES - DEBATE UEH 2021 Ultimate Champion

DEBATE UEH 2021 finally concluded after 7 months, but its legacy remains strong as a proud talent incubator for future debate enthusiasts to participate in a healthy intellectual playground for all UEH students. It is also where students are connected and where they are able to meet and have lively conversations with renowned judges, all of whom are the university’s lecturers, researchers and honorable partners.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we would like to express our greatest gratitude to our lecturers and honorable judges for your support and participation during the entirety of the competition. Special thanks extended to UEH 14 Schools and Institutes for your direct involvement in the planning and facilitating process of the event, and the entire 160 teams for your enthusiastic performance over the past few months. Lastly, we would also like to show our appreciation to all UEH students for your welcoming attitude towards DEBATE UEH 2021, making it the success that it is.

News, Photos: Youth Union - Student Association, Department of Marketing – Communication, Department of Research Management – International Cooperation

The press agency reported:

1. HCMC portal: DEBATE UEH 2021: A new playground for Economics students

2. Vietnam Student Newspaper: New playground for Economics students