At the DevFest Hackathon 2019 competition organised by the Da Nang-based Google Developers Group (GDG) Mien Trung in mid-October, many young tech-lovers across the city developed many useful mobile apps and websites for the sake of environmental protection.

Contestants were required to develop ideas and create tech apps for the sake of environmental protection during the 48-hour competition.

In the end, the first prize went to Do Minh Huy and Do Thi Nhan Huyen from the Le Quy Don Senior High School for the Gifted for their ‘Doctor’s Eyes for Plant’ app.

Thanks to the high efficiency of this app, users can post a picture of such parts as leaves and fruit so that the app can detect whether or not the plant is infected with the disease, and give suggestions about how to handle this matter.

Also receiving high appreciation from the contest’s judges is the ‘We collect-we share’ mobile app which was developed by a group of programmers from the Enouvo Information Technology Development Co. Ltd.

Mr Le Xuan Hoang, leader of the group, said his team’s app would help to connect charity organisations with those who have unwanted clothes or items but they don't know how to do with it. In addition, the app users can create events to collect charity items, and present badges and certificates to the most outstanding individuals and organisations.

Other projects, including ‘Live Noise’ - an app for noise pollution monitoring, and ‘FoRe’ - a food sharing app, were highly appreciated at the competition.

Nguyen Huu Hoang Hung, a student of the Information Technology Faculty of the Da Nang University of Science and Technology, said environmental pollution is currently the biggest challenge facing the word today and pollution is destroying ecosystems and wreaking havoc on human and environmental health. Hung, therefore, highlighted the significance of developing advanced technologies to mitigate adverse environmental impacts.

The chief programmer of the Hai Chau District-based Wakumo Vietnam Co., Ltd. Mr Doan Huu An, remarked that this year’s DevFest Hackathon saw a growing number of creative and highly-applicable mobile apps and websites relating environmental protection.

He added developers of some potential projects would join in the city’s startup incubation programmes in order to perfect their ideas or products, and bring them into fruition.