Final Round of Economist Up 2025 - The Integration Journey

After three months of intense competition through the Preliminary, Semi-final, and Pre-final rounds, the Top 5 outstanding teams - SEARIOUS, Chị đẹp đạp nước rẽ sóng, SEA-CRET, EconBlaze, and UPNEXT - advanced to the Final Round, ready to compete for the championship title.

Distinguished Guests and Judges

At the Final Round, the Organizing Committee was honored to welcome:

✨ Judging Panel

• Mr. An Thế Dũng - Former Director-General, Chief of Office of the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation; Former Trade Counsellor in the UK and the US
  
  
• Ambassador Tào Thị Thanh Hương - Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Singapore
  
  
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Anh Tuấn - Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Ukraine; Former Dean of the Faculty of International Economics, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Lịch - Former Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Vietnam in Italy; Former Dean of the Faculty of International Economics, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  
• Mr. Nguyễn Việt Lâm - Deputy Chief of Office (Tập sự), Head of General Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  
  
• Ms. Quản Phương Thúy - Deputy Director-General (Tập sự), Department of Economic Diplomacy
  
  
• Dr. Lương Thị Ngọc Oanh - Deputy Head, Faculty of International Economics, Foreign Trade University
  
  
• Ms. Bùi Kim Thùy - Former Senior Representative of the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC); Member of the Harvard Asia Pacific Advisory Board
  
  
• Ms. Bùi Kim Thúy - Director, Song Kim Media and Consulting
  
  
• Mr. Đàm Mạnh Tuấn - Director of Northern Operations, AEON Vietnam Co., Ltd.
  
  

Members of the Judging Panel and guests attended the Final Round of
Economist Up 2025 - The Integration Journey

Representatives from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

• Dr. Nguyễn Thị Thìn - Deputy Director, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  
• Mr. Trần Hữu Duy Minh - Deputy Head, Faculty of International Law; Secretary of the Youth Union, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  
• Mr. Nguyễn Tuấn Hiệp - Head of Political Affairs and Student Management Office, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  
• Lecturers of the Faculty of International Economics, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
  
  

From the Organizing Committee, the event welcomed Dr. Nguyễn Thị Minh Phương - Acting Dean of the Faculty of International Economics, Chief Organizer; academic advisors from the Faculty, including Dr. Nguyễn Vinh Thành, MSc. Hoàng Ngọc Bích, Ms. Lê Hoàng Quỳnh Anh, along with all Organizing Committee members.

Support from Partners and Sponsors

The Final Round was also honored with the participation of units under the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, distinguished guests, Sponsors, Strategic Partners, Supporting Partners, Media Partners, and the enthusiastic support of families, friends, and the audience for the Top 5 teams.

To open the Final Round, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Music Club (DMC) delivered a meaningful and heartfelt performance titled “Viết tiếp câu chuyện hòa bình”. Afterwards, Dr. Nguyễn Thị Thìn - Deputy Director of the Academy, and Dr. Nguyễn Thị Minh Phương - Acting Dean of the Faculty of International Economics, Chief Organizer, delivered opening remarks, reviewing the journey of Economist Up 2025 and offering best wishes to all competing teams.

Representatives of the Sponsors, Ms. Nguyễn Thu Trang - Business Manager, Oriflame (Diamond Sponsor), and Mr. Nguyễn Hải Long - Marketing Manager, iaeGLOBAL (Gold Sponsor), expressed their honor to accompany Economist Up 2025 and emphasized the practical value of the competition.

Competition Theme and Format

This year’s theme, “Nâng tầm thủy sản Việt”, focused on developing export proposals for Vietnamese seafood to the European Union (EU). The topic reflects current trends in deepening international economic integration and implementing free trade agreements such as the EVFTA.

With an innovative competition format, Economist Up 2025 enabled students to strengthen their knowledge, understand the operational mechanisms of international economics, international business, and international trade theories, and apply these insights to real business proposal development.

Final Round Presentations

In the first section, the Top 5 teams - SEARIOUS, Chị đẹp đạp nước rẽ sóng, SEA-CRET, EconBlaze, and UPNEXT - each had 15 minutes to present their proposals and 10 minutes for comments and Q&A with the Judges. All presentations were highly evaluated, showcasing the teams’ dedication and investment in this decisive stage.

Debate Round

The Debate Round commenced shortly after UPNEXT and EconBlaze were selected as the top two teams. Each team had 2 minutes to pose questions and 8 minutes to respond to their opponent. The debates were intense and engaging, highlighting sharp analytical thinking, strong logical reasoning, and agile rebuttal skills. The atmosphere was dynamic and competitive, giving both teams the opportunity to display their expertise, teamwork, and determination to win the championship title.

Results

After an exciting and highly competitive Final Round, the Judges announced the final results of Economist Up 2025 - The Integration Journey:

• First Prize & Most Popular Team:
  UPNEXT - “Exporting Frozen Barramundi Fillets to Italy”
  
  
• Second Prize:
  ECONBLAZE - “Exporting Whiteleg Shrimp to the Netherlands”
  
  
• Third Prize:
  SEA-CRET - “Exporting PTO Whiteleg Shrimp to Germany”
  
  
• Consolation Prize:
  Chị đẹp đạp nước rẽ sóng - “Scallops for the French Market”
  
  
• Promising Proposal Award:
  SEARIOUS - “Exporting Frozen Tilapia Fillets to the Netherlands”

  

Closing Remarks

With outstanding performances from the Top 5 teams and insightful, constructive feedback from the Judging Panel, the Final Round of Economist Up 2025 - The Integration Journey concluded with resounding success. After a three-month journey of effort and passion, the competition not only delivered practical value but also created unforgettable memories for the contestants and Organizing Committee. Economist Up 2025 opens new opportunities for young talents to continue shining on their path toward knowledge, innovation, and global integration.