VinUniversity student’s idea backed by a fortune 500 company

What makes a student idea ready for the real world? 

For Team VinAnchor from VinUniversity, it began with a question: how can advanced technology be used to solve a problem that society genuinely needs? 

That question led Trần Đăng Khoa (Cohort 5, CECS), Phan Trần Hà Linh (Cohort 5, CBM), and Nguyễn Ánh Tuyết Nhung (Cohort 6, CBM) to develop TruthTag, a physical-digital verification system designed to authenticate identity documents directly on hardware without opening or sharing sensitive databases. 

With a simple phone tap on the card, users can complete verification in just three seconds, without specialized equipment or complex app installation. The solution addresses a practical gap in current verification processes, where documents such as driving licenses are still often checked through visual inspection, photos, or PDF files, while real-time verification for private-sector use remains limited. 

Built upon Avery Dennison’s strengths in digital identification and self-adhesive labeling materials, TruthTag combines hardware reliability with software innovation to create a more secure and scalable verification solution. The project has potential applications for governments, citizens, ride-hailing platforms, insurance providers, and other service sectors that require fast and reliable authentication. 

At the AD NextGen Program – Pitch Contest 2025–2026, organized by Avery Dennison, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in materials science and digital identification solutions, Team VinAnchor was named Winner of ASEAN Region. The team has secured USD 3,000 in project funding and will enter a three-month incubation phase with Avery Dennison leaders and industry experts to further develop and validate TruthTag in real-world settings. 

What makes this achievement meaningful is the standard behind it. The program did not evaluate teams on creativity alone. Students were challenged to respond to real industry needs, demonstrate market demand, prove implementation of feasibility, and show commercialization potential. 

For Phan Trần Hà Linh, that was also the most demanding part of the journey. 

“The challenge was not only to show that the technology worked, but to prove that people would actually use it and that businesses would see value in investing in it,” shared Hà Linh. 

The team also credits their learning experience at VinUniversity as an important foundation for the project. From specialized courses that helped them think through cost and feasibility, to the support and guidance from faculty members and E-Lab, VinUniversity’s Entrepreneurship Lab, the team was able to shape TruthTag not only as a technical idea, but as a solution with a clearer business model and implementation pathway. 

That commitment to real-world value is also reflected in the name VinAnchor. As Nguyễn Ánh Tuyết Nhung explained, the name represents the team’s belief that global exposure should ultimately be connected back to local impact. 

“For us, VinAnchor means no matter how far we venture, our ultimate destination is always to bring value back home. Competing on a major global stage, our biggest goal was to master advanced technology to solve the concrete challenges of Vietnamese businesses and consumers. TruthTag is our very first step toward making that a reality,” shared Tuyết Nhung. 

VinAchor in Avery Dennison’s Distribution Center 

The AD NextGen Program journey began on April 24 and is expected to conclude in early September. After passing the proposal and pitching rounds, Team VinAnchor will now move into the implementation phase before competing against winning teams from China and South Asia for the final USD 18,000 prize. 

Congratulations to Team VinAnchor as they bring TruthTag into its next stage of development.