The story of winning the Silver Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in a 'foreign land'

Nghe An Newspaper reporter had a conversation with Mr. Ho Sy Hung - teacher at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted about those special "trips".

Always believe in "victory"

- Hello teacher Ho Sy Hung! Congratulations to you and your students on your proud achievements at the International Mathematical Olympiad - IMO 2019. How was this year's exam, especially for the teachers and students of the Vietnamese delegation?

- This is the first time we have been to the UK and we really enjoy the British summer weather when the sun often lasts until 10pm. In such a change in weather environment, our teachers and students quickly adapted and integrated into the pace of the exam. In general, the mentality of both teachers and students is very light, no pressure, but also determined to try to "fight" with all our might.

This year’s exam, in our opinion, was easier than the 2017 exam. However, the structure of the exam was not an advantage for the Vietnamese team. For a long time, our team was strong in algebra, but in 2019, the algebra questions were quite “easy” so all teams did quite well. Therefore, the score of the Vietnamese team was quite high, but we did not win the Gold Medal absolutely.

Teacher Ho Sy Hung. Photo: Duc Anh

Entering the 2-day exam, each day you have 4.5 hours to do the test and you will solve 3 problems in order of increasing level with 4 sub-subjects: algebra, geometry and combinatorics.

The interesting thing about this exam is that the exam questions are all “new”, there is no duplication and students are forced to develop their thinking and creativity to analyze and solve problems. This also leads to the phenomenon that many teams and candidates cannot do any of the questions because the questions are different every year and candidates cannot memorize them.

- This is the second time you and your students have won the International Mathematical Olympiad and it is also a “miracle” for Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. How do you feel each time your students receive glory?

Teacher Ho Sy Hung's training session at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Photo: Duc Anh

- It is very touching and also very joyful because through the Olympic competitions we have made certain marks in the development of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Winning the competitions has also gradually affirmed the image of the province's Mathematics, giving us a "spring" to be able to confidently step out to national forums and major competitions.

This is also the result of a collective after a long process of accumulation, perseverance, passion and sacrifice.

In the teaching process, we - the teachers - must change ourselves first. That is, we must boldly upgrade the lesson system, invite more experts to train, and improve our qualifications. Fortunately, in this process, we received support from the school, which created the best conditions for us to have the opportunity to develop.

Teacher Ho Sy Hung and his students at the welcoming ceremony held at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Photo: My Ha

- Can you share more about Nguyen Canh Hoang and Vu Duc Vinh - the two students who brought home the Gold Medal and Silver Medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad for Nghe An?

- Vu Duc Vinh is a student with a strong will to study. If he encounters a difficult problem, Vinh can do it in 4.5 hours. He is also a smart student. He can handle all the topics that the teacher gives him well. Another lucky thing for both teacher and student is that when he entered Phan, his initial knowledge base was not much.

Therefore, you will be a blank sheet of paper for the teacher to guide you comprehensively and if you try hard, your resilience will be better than those students who have studied a lot but are "messy", a little bit of everything.

Hoang was the same. However, Hoang was at a disadvantage because at that time I was not really confident to let Hoang join the team early. Therefore, when grade 11 took the exam, Hoang only determined that it was a trial, it was difficult to get results.

As teachers, it is a great joy to have students who do well in their studies. However, to achieve these results, we must guide and direct them. Teachers and students do not only exchange a few lessons a week but also interact with each other every day.

During the process of accompanying them, I really love my students because compared to their friends, they have to make more efforts, have to try harder, even though I have never forced them to work too hard. However, to stick with the team, they must be healthy, have good physical strength and this is the first criterion.

Teacher Ho Sy Hung with student Vu Duc Vinh - Silver Medalist of the 2019 International Mathematical Olympiad in the UK. Photo: NVCC

Can't just teach the same old lesson plan

- In recent years, students entering specialized schools often have two tendencies: either taking the university entrance exam or joining a team. As teachers, what guidance have you given to help students make the right choices that are appropriate to their abilities?

-This is absolutely true. In fact, when they first enter, students do not yet have a clear direction on which path they will take and must undergo a period of testing and evaluation.

On the teacher's side, only through observing the spirit and attitude can we give the right direction to the students. This is similar to plowing a field. After plowing once, any stubble that can stand up will continue to grow. On the contrary, any stubble that lies flat and has no strength will automatically retreat. In fact, each class only has 10-12 students on the team and we give priority to those with breakthrough thinking.

Teacher Ho Sy Hung with student Nguyen Canh Hoang - Gold Medalist of the 2017 International Mathematical Olympiad in Brazil. Photo: NVCC

- Have experience participating in national and international competitions. So, how do you evaluate the ability of Nghe An students compared to students nationwide?

- In terms of intelligence, all regions have the same index. However, if there is earlier and more systematic investment, there will be more success. Currently, compared to the provinces, we are at the top. However, compared to big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the students there receive earlier investment.

For example, 10th graders in Hanoi can take the national excellent student exam because they have the conditions, and they go to specialized schools in grades 7 and 8. As for us, students usually only start receiving training in 10th grade, so it is still difficult for them to take the national exam in 11th grade.

In a larger arena such as the International Mathematical Olympiad, Vietnamese students are highly regarded and are always in the top 10. However, some countries such as China, Korea, and the US are very good and have always been in the lead for many years. This is also not an easy competition, strong countries invest heavily, the review process is selective, systematic, and long.

On the contrary, after the success of our country's education in the international arena, many other countries are willing to invite experts from Vietnam and other major countries to come for training and education.

- Thank you for the chat!