Vietnam finishes fifth out of 80 teams at International Chemistry Olympiad

Their combined score put the team in fifth position out of 80 countries and territories behind China, South Korea, Russia, and the U.S., the Ministry of Education and Training said on Monday.

The gold medals were won by Tran Ba Tan of the Hanoi Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and Nguyen Van Chi Nguyen of the Lam Son High School for the Gifted in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Tan also won the Best Practical Exam award with the maximum points in his practical test.

Nguyen Dinh Hoang of the Nguyen Tat Thanh High School for the Gifted in the northern province of Yen Bai and Pham Thanh Lam from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in the northern Nam Dinh Province won the silver medals.

The International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual event for high school students. Held this year from July 21 to 30, it attracted more than 300 contestants from 80 countries and territories.

Vietnamese students have fared well in international academic contests this year.

A six-member team participating in the International Mathematics Olympiad in the U.K. won two gold and four silver medals. At the International Physics Olympiad in Israel, Vietnam bagged three golds and two silvers.