Students were equipped with skills to identify scams, protect accounts and behave responsibly online, enabling them to proactively protect themselves and their communities while helping build a healthy and secure digital environment.
On October 31, at Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Area in Ho Chi Minh City, the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA), in coordination with Google Vietnam, organized the 2026 Student Cybersecurity Festival under the patronage of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Education and Training.
A key highlight of the event was the workshop “Cyber Vanguards - Student Online Shield 2026,” which focused on skills for identifying online scams, preventing risks and protecting oneself in cyberspace.
According to Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan, alongside management and technological solutions, user awareness and skills play an especially important role. A single careless decision can lead to account breaches and personal data theft. Therefore, the ability to protect oneself in cyberspace should become an essential skill for every digital citizen.
With their ability to quickly adopt technology, creative thinking and broad influence, students can make positive contributions to building a healthy digital environment, starting with protecting themselves, recognizing risks and promptly warning relatives and friends.
Discussing artificial intelligence (AI), Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan said technology can assist people by offering suggestions and solutions but cannot replace human conscience. Final decisions, along with legal and ethical responsibility, still rest with individuals. Therefore, young people need to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary to proactively master technology.
At the event, Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan, Deputy Director of the National Cybersecurity Center under the Ministry of Public Security, stated that in the first 11 months of 2026, losses resulting from online fraud amounted to an estimated VND6 trillion. Between 2020 and 2025, there were 24,295 such cases nationwide, causing losses of nearly VND40 trillion. Notably, a significant portion of the victims fall within the 17–20 age group.
As part of the program, experts discussed topics such as “From online traps to AI-powered scams: Identifying threats and self-protection in the digital space”, “Upgrading students’, ‘digital immune system’ in cyberspace” and “Creating a safer online environment.”
Through real-world scenarios and interactive challenges, students learned to recognize fraudulent tactics, manage potential risks, and develop habits for using digital platforms safely.
