All six members of the Vietnamese team participating in the 63rd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2022) have secured medals, with two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes, lifting Vietnam ten places compared to 2021 results, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

The results placed Vietnam in the fourth position out of the 104 teams participating in the competition, behind China, South Korea, and the United States, the MoET said.

The two students who achieved the gold medals were 12^th-grader Ngo Quy Dang and 11^th-grader Pham Viet Hung. Both of them are from the Hanoi University of Science High School for the Gifted under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-HN).

Six Vietnamese students at the International Mathematical Olympiad 2022 in Oslo, Norway. Photo: MoET

Notably, Quy Dang got the highest score in the Olympiad with 42/42 points. It marked the first time in 20 years that a contestant from Vietnam has scored maximum points at the IMO, with the last time being back in 2003 when two local representatives scored a  total of 42 points each.

The silver medalists are Pham Hoang Son from the High School for the Gifted under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCMC), and Nguyen Dai Duong from Lam Son High School for the Gifted in Thanh Hoa Province. Both students are in twelfth grade.

The bronze medals went to 12^th-grader Vu Ngoc Binh of the Vinh Phuc High School for the Gifted in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, and 12^th-grader Hoang Tien Nguyen of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted in the central province of Nghe An.

The IMO 2022 has been held in person in Oslo (Norway) from July 6 to 16,  featuring the participation of 589 competitors from 104 countries and territories worldwide.

The IMO is a contest held specifically for high school students. Each country is allowed to send up to six participants.

The competition was first held in Romania in 1959 and has since been held every year except in 1980. IMO 2020 and 2021 were held online due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the MoET, the achievement of the Vietnamese national team at this year's Olympiad continue to show the quality of general education in the country, even after three years of severe disruptions caused by the pandemic.

“Besides, it shows the discovery and nurturing of excellent students is going in the right direction,” the MoET said.