All four Vietnamese students taking part in the 12th World Invention Creativity Olympic (WICO 2023) have pocketed gold medals, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

The four Vietnamese gold medalists at the WICO 2023 held in South Korea. Photo: MoET

The winners are Vu Duc Manh, Nguyen Trong Phuc, Tran Phuong Linh, and Hoang Mai Phuc Thinh awarded the highest prize for their topic "Squid ink-derived nano melanin protects human skin fibroblasts against X-rays".

They all have been guided by Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Xuan, Head of the Biology-Technology Team at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted.

This marks the seventh time that Vietnam has attended the WICO and achieved high results. In 2019, two inventions by Vietnamese students also won gold medals at the competition.

This achievement once again affirms the capacity for scientific research and teamwork of Vietnamese students.

This year, the 12th WICO was held in South Korea’s capital city of Seoul between February 3 and 4, with the participation of nearly 1,000 contestants from 28 countries, including those with the world's best educational systems such as the US, Australia, Canada, and Singapore.

The Vietnamese delegation participated in WICO 2023 with 99 members and 25 invention topics.

The WICO is an annual competition held by the Korea University Invention Association and sponsored by the South Korean National Assembly.

At the contest, secondary and high school students worldwide are offered the chance to present their innovations. It also encourages creative ideas, provides new insights, accelerates creativity, improves presentation skills, and establishes a global network.