Viec.Co, a platform connecting employers and freelancers, scored the highest in a startup competition organized by VnExpress, Vietnam's most-read online newspaper. 

Viec.Co surpassed other contestants in the top 5 to be named winner of the Vietnam Startup 2019, which concluded in final Gala on December 2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Themed "Unicorn to be", the final gathered the top 5, including Viec.Co, TripHunter, Liberzy, Tez and Sphacy for a debate in front of judges. Viec.Co was chosen as winner, based on criteria including leadership ability, uniqueness, new technology, product feasibility, global reach and community contribution.

Phan Xuan Canh, founder of Viec.Co.

Specialized in helping freelance workers access employment oportunities, Viec.Co provides a one-touch experience via a human resources platform. It is also a tool for employers to evaluate and recruit candidates at lowest cost and simple procedure.

Viec.Co has further applied the API (Application Programming Interface) to the Momo ecosystem, Vietnam's mobile, e-wallet and payment application, to provide simple and convenient payment solutions.

After one year of operation, the startup grew 30 percent per month, now boasting over 40,000 registered users, 10,000 employable freelancers and 30 customers.

Ho Anh Tuan (right), founder of TripHunter.

Of the top 5 in Vietnam Startup 2019, TripHunter is a tool to automatically build travel schedules, based on web and application platforms. The tool enables users to manually adjust their own schedules, and compare prices between online travel agents (OTAs), booking and managing all services such as airline ticketing and hotel reservations all via one application.

Mai Xuan Viet, Tez's founder.

Tez, the online library startup, is an educational platform that provides a comprehensive system of online lectures and materials for teachers and learners at all levels. It aims to create a "social network" that connects students, teachers and community to share knowledge more easily, conveniently and broadly.

Tez's business model consists of two channels, which include selling user accounts and advertising revenue. Accordingly, 85 percent of Tez's revenue comes from users and the rest from advertising services for English schools, institutes and organizations. 

Tez has colated 83,000 lectures, 115,000 documents, 175,000 registered members over 10 months of operation. It has a turnover of VND8.3 billion ($358,000) and more than 18 million website and app visits.

Sphacy's CEO and founder Vu Van Thanh.

Operating similarly to the Grab ride-hailing platform and food ordering apps, Sphacy developed a pharmaceutical ordering application. It allows users to buy drugs anytime, anywhere via ordering - delivery using a mobile app.

Sphacy directly connects customers with pharmaceutical suppliers, including wholesalers and retailers, along with quality control regulations. "It provides a solution to modern pharmaceutical problems, such as unknown origin, incorrect dosage, high level of antibiotic resistance," said Sphacy's CEO and founder Vu Van Thanh.

Truong Duc Thang, Liberzy's CEO and founder.

Also specialized in tourism, Liberzy is a platform that helps create schedules and provides useful information about a specific trip, gathering together people with similar travel interests. "Liberzy stands for Liberty and Easy, denoting traveling with freedom and ease. In addition, the 'S' of 'Easy' has been changed to 'Z' to represent a travel platform for Generation Z, who love self-sufficient travel using modern technology," Truong Duc Thang, Liberzy's CEO and founder explained.

With Liberzy, users can design trips according to their needs, with itineraries and notes visually displayed on the map. Each user has a personal page to share destinations, experiences and connect with others. Libezy also connects with suppliers to recommend suitable services such as airline tickets, hotels and restaurants based on a user's schedule.

At Vietnam Startup Gala 2019, Thinsulin, a startup that provides blood sugar lowering and weight loss methods, was named as the startup with the most audience votes. As a part of the Gala, a series of "Speed Dating" activities opened opportunities for Vietnamese startups to meet and present their ideas and projects to investors.

Vietnam Startup 2019 is a voting event, annually organized by VnExpress. It underwent eight months of registration, online submissions, training and voting to find the top 25 and top 15 best startups in 2019.

The five judges are well-known investors or mentors with great experience of the local start-up community, including Truong Gia Binh, chairman of FPT Corporation; Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, founder and chairman of Global Integration Business Consultants (GIBC); Tran Ngoc Thai Son, founder and chairman of e-commerce firm Tiki; Nguyen Lan Anh, CEO of Endeavor Vietnam; and Bui Kim Thuy, country representative of the US-ASEAN Business Council in Vietnam (USABC).

The event is sponsored by Tiki (diamond sponsor), Grab (gold sponsor), IMAP (silver sponsor), Sun*Startup and LG (copper sponsors). AIM and Zone Startups Vietnam also act as partners.