Dang Van Vi, a young man from the Dao ethnic minority group, has earned selection to represent Lao Cai College at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Electrical Installation in Shanghai, China, competing following an intensive nine-month training program.
From Bao Nhai to the International Stage
Growing up in the commune of Bao Nhai, Dang Van Vi initially entered Lao Cai College with the straightforward goal of learning a practical trade to secure a stable livelihood. That local objective expanded as the institution began identifying candidates for the WorldSkills Competition. At the end of 2025, when Lao Cai College began selecting candidates to participate in the 48th WorldSkills Competition, the school selected 19 students from a total of 856 students in the Electrical Engineering Department.
Following selection rounds that filtered the candidate list from 19 down to five, and finally to two finalists, where only two candidates were selected to continue their training, Dang Van Vi was officially chosen to represent Lao Cai College at the World Skills Competition in Electrical Installation in Shanghai. Vi secured the nomination to represent the college on the world stage in Shanghai, becoming the first ethnic minority student from the northwest region to represent Lao Cai College at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Electrical Installation in Shanghai, China. This milestone marks the first time students of the school have participated in the WorldSkills Competition, and the first time institutions of vocational training from the northwestern region have had participants.
The Rigorous Training Framework Behind the Selection
Preparing for a 22-hour examination spanning three days required a physical and technical regime. Lao Cai College instituted a four-stage training architecture covering basic mechanics, advanced applications, exhaustive practice trials, and pre-examination reviews. The comprehensive syllabus addressed 16 distinct operational groups, ranging from workplace safety management and conduit fabrication to programmable logic controller (PLC) programming and KNX protocol configuration.
To withstand the physical toll of the competition, Vi supplemented his technical hours with physical conditioning, including running, stair climbing, pull-ups, and boxing. Concurrently, he mastered technical English to interpret complex schematic diagrams, wiring guidelines, and diagnostic criteria. Measurable progress emerged clearly through simulation trials: during initial practice runs, completing the required tasks exceeded 18 hours, but systematic repetition eventually reduced his execution time to 16 hours and 30 minutes.
| Training Metric | Initial Benchmark | Optimized Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Selection Pool | 856 Electrical Students | 1 Selected Representative |
| Simulation Completion Time | > 18 Hours (Attempt 1) | 16 Hours, 30 Minutes (Attempt 5) |
| Exam Duration & Scope | 3-Day Evaluation Window | 22 Total Operational Hours |
| Curriculum Coverage | Basic Wiring Tasks | 16 Advanced Technical Groups |
Infrastructure Investment and Regional Integration
Supporting Vi’s preparation required institutional adaptation. Because regional schools had never previously competed at this level, Lao Cai College upgraded its facilities by procuring specialized equipment, with nearly 100% of the tools and hardware newly acquired—many directly imported from Europe. Instructors also engineered custom simulation models to replicate international examination parameters.
