The 6th Youth Innovation Competition on the Lancang-Mekong Region's Governance and Development came to a close at Fudan University on Thursday, with teams of students attending an online awards ceremony and sharing their insights.

Themed on public health and medical care, the competition held by Fudan University and Shanghai Foreign Cultural Exchange Association saw 51 university teams from six countries in the region compete in the preliminary round in 2021.

Eight teams from countries including China, Cambodia and Laos entered the final.

Located in the Central South peninsula, with a basin area of about 795,000 square kilometers, the Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, originates from Qinghai province in China and flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, before joining the South China Sea.

The team, made up of three 19-year-olds from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, won one of the awards for best projects for incubation at the competition. The team had suggested the idea of producing environmentally friendly face masks using coconuts, a widely available natural resource in Vietnam.

"Medical masks are effective in preventing viruses and protecting human health, but the polymer fiber and woven fabric used in making masks take up to 10 years to decompose," explains team member Le Minh Khue, who majors in international economics.

"Some countries have even classified masks as hazardous medical waste as they pollute the air, land and water resources if they are discarded casually," she adds.