“Panduranga Pottery - Entrepreneurship from the Mother Earth” - When local identity becomes a startup idea of students from the Faculty of Business Administration, Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU)
On the afternoon of January 8, 2025, Ton Duc Thang University successfully organized the Final Round and the Closing & Award Ceremony of the “TDTU Student Startup Idea Search Competition for the 2025 - 2026 academic year.” The competition is an annual activity with practical significance, aiming to create an environment for students across the University to promote innovation, cultivate entrepreneurial thinking, and gradually transform academic knowledge into ideas with practical application value.
From the launch stage, the competition attracted the enthusiastic participation of more than 200 students with 43 project proposals from 14 faculties and the Khanh Hoa Branch. The competing ideas were developed across five key fields, including: Industrial manufacturing and product development; Education, tourism, services, and finance; Healthcare - wellness - beauty technology; Social impact business; Sports business. The scale and quality of the participating projects demonstrated the growing interest of TDTU students in entrepreneurship, as well as their proactive spirit in seeking creative solutions oriented toward sustainable development and closely linked to societal needs.
From heritage to a sustainable startup model
At this year’s competition, the project “Panduranga Pottery - Entrepreneurship from the Mother Earth,” belonging to the field of Education, tourism, services, and finance, was implemented by student Quang Chau Thanh Khiet from the Faculty of Business Administration under the supervision of M.Sc. Vu Nguyen Tram Anh, lecturer of the Faculty of Business Administration, Ton Duc Thang University. The project excellently achieved a Consolation Prize and left a clear impression with its startup orientation closely associated with local cultural values. This achievement not only recognized the research and creative efforts of the individual student but also reflected an entrepreneurial spirit connected to indigenous cultural values and sustainable development orientation.
The project “Panduranga Pottery - Entrepreneurship from the Mother Earth” focuses on connecting Cham pottery of Bau Truc with contemporary life through experiential activities, workshops, and a sustainable business model, rather than merely stopping at display or passive preservation. The project’s highlight lies in placing the community and artisans at the center, using experiences and storytelling to create economic value in parallel with cultural value. Accordingly, the project aims to generate additional livelihoods for artisans and contribute to preserving traditional crafts in a way that enables the community to sustain itself through its own values.
Competition experience and the student’s growth journey
Reflecting on the competition journey, student Quang Chau Thanh Khiet shared: “During the implementation process, I realized that working with heritage is not only about creativity or entrepreneurship, but also a journey of listening, slowing down, and being more careful with the values passed down. The ‘TDTU Student Startup Idea Search Competition for the 2025–2026 academic year’ was not only a place to present ideas, but also an opportunity to receive feedback, to reflect on how I am working and how I will move forward. This journey has helped me become more confident in the path I have chosen and reminds me to continue accompanying the project through my current approach and the next steps ahead.”
By harmoniously combining traditional Cham Panduranga pottery with experiential education and cultural tourism, the project “Panduranga Pottery - Entrepreneurship from the Mother Earth” not only contributes to heritage preservation but also opens up directions for sustainable livelihood development for the local community. The achievement at the competition serves as an important starting point, laying a foundation for the project to continue being refined, expanded, and gradually realized as a startup model with long-term socio-economic value.
Spreading the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation among TDTU students
The “TDTU Student Startup Idea Search Competition for the 2025 - 2026 academic year” continues to affirm its role as an academic–practical creative space for students, contributing to spreading the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the University. The achievements of the project teams are clear evidence of the capacity, determination, and aspiration to contribute value to the community of Ton Duc Thang University students in the current period of integration and digital transformation.
