Vietnamese whizz-kid wins international math contest

By Lan Ha   July 15, 2016 | 02:04 am PT
Student team hits the right numbers in Hong Kong.

With one gold medal, four silvers and one bronze, Vietnam ranked 11 out of more than 100 countries and territories taking part in this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

Associate Professor Le Anh Vinh, head of the Vietnamese team at the IMO, said that the test was “fairly hard” and focused more on combination skills, which are not a strength of Vietnamese students. However, the six participants "fought" hard to bag six medals.

“I feel very happy with the result, but on second thoughts, I think some of the students didn’t perform to their full ability. Maybe it's because they aren't used to international competitions so felt added pressure this time,” Vinh said.

The only gold medal was awarded to Vu Xuan Trung from Thai Binh High School for Gifted Students. This is the second time he has won a gold medal for the country.

vietnamese-whizz-kid-wins-international-math-contest

The Vietnamese team at the 2016 IMO. 

The IMO is an annual contest held in a different country each year for high school students. This year the contest attracted 602 students from 109 countries and territories.

The U.S. team won the overall competition for the second consecutive year rank with six gold medals, followed by Singapore with four golds and two silvers.

The IMO was first held in 1959 and Vietnam started sending students to the contest in 1974. Last year, the Vietnamese team ranked fifth out of 106 rivals with two gold medals, three silvers and one bronze.

 
 
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