Hoang Tien Nguyen's journey to win the Bronze Medal at the International Mathematics Olympiad

Desire to conquer the international arena

Hoang Tien Nguyen - a 12A1 student at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted - has just returned from Oslo, Norway after a 10-day trip to participate in the International Mathematics Olympiad.

This was also Nguyen’s first trip abroad, so he had many memories. Besides, there was a bit of disappointment and regret because for him, the Bronze Medal was not the best achievement he could have achieved.

Hoang Tien Nguyen is a student at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Photo: My Ha

Nguyen is one of 6 members of the Vietnamese team participating in the 2022 International Mathematics Olympiad.

The journey to officially be named in the national team was not easy because after winning the first prize in the national excellent student competition, Nguyen and nearly 50 other candidates across the country had to continue participating in round 2 to select the 6 candidates with the highest test scores. This year's Vietnamese team is also considered very strong with candidate Ngo Quy Dang - High School for Gifted Students of Natural Sciences, Hanoi National University, who won the Gold Medal at the International Math Olympiad in grade 10. The other candidates all achieved high results in excellent student competitions and all came from famous specialized schools across the country.

This is also the second time Hoang Tien Nguyen has entered the second round of the national team selection. However, compared to the first time he took the exam in grade 11, before entering this round, Nguyen felt a lot of pressure because this was the last time he could fulfill his dream.

Vietnamese students in Norway. Photo: NVCC

After 12 years of high school and many exams, Nguyen said that the International Mathematical Olympiad is the biggest exam that Nguyen aspires to achieve. Sharing more about this, Nguyen added: Mathematics is my passion and I have studied the exam questions of the International Mathematical Olympiad very carefully. Compared to other exams, the most attractive thing for me about this exam is the novelty and creativity, "no exam is the same as any other exam" and I am very eager to explore the exam questions of 2022.

Before attending the International Mathematical Olympiad, Nguyen’s biggest regret was that he only had more than 5 weeks to focus on studying with the team. Meanwhile, before, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, Nguyen mainly studied at home or online.

The days participating in the International Mathematical Olympiad brought Nguyen unforgettable experiences. Photo: NVCC

Participating in the International Mathematical Olympiad, Nguyen and the other contestants have 2 days of competition, each day the contestants will do 3 tests in the sections of geometry, algebra, combinatorics and arithmetic. The tests are distributed from easy to difficult and the competition process is strictly supervised by the jury.

Talking about this year's exam, Nguyen added: In the two days of the exam, I did quite well on the second day. As for the first day, I spent too much time on the third test (which was also the most difficult), so I was careless when checking the results of the first test and made an unnecessary mistake, and I lost a point on this exercise.

With two days of competition, Nguyen got 28 points and was only one point short of changing the color of the medal. Not only was Nguyen disappointed with the result, but the teachers in the group were also truly regretful.

At the end of the journey in Oslo, Nguyen also said: I have come a long way to get the Bronze Medal of the International Mathematical Olympiad. Maybe this is not the best result but I think I have tried my best. Behind my success are the efforts of teachers, school, encouragement and support from my whole family and I really want to express my sincere thanks.

Hoang Tien Nguyen and teachers in Norway. Photo: NVCC

Male student with many mathematical achievements

Before being selected for the National team to participate in the International Mathematical Olympiad, Nguyen was a highly regarded student because he was one of the few candidates who won the first prize in the National Excellent Student Competition for two consecutive years. Teacher Phan Van Thai - one of the two teachers who trained Nguyen in the team also shared that: Nguyen is a student with a special passion for Mathematics and is very hard-working. During his studies, Nguyen is a student with a scientific and creative way of learning and does not put pressure on himself.

Hoang Tien Nguyen with the Bronze Medal at the 2022 International Mathematical Olympiad. Photo: NVCC

Nguyen's love for Mathematics and the person who passed on his passion for Mathematics to him is his mother - teacher Ho Thi Minh Lan, who is currently teaching Mathematics at Nghi Phong Secondary School (Nghi Loc).

Talking about her son, Nguyen's mother said: At the age of 17, Nguyen had only a second sibling, so he was almost the only child in the family during his childhood. Because at that time, his parents only had Nguyen, so the family never put pressure on him to study but let him develop his own abilities. However, since primary school, Nguyen had a talent for Math. I still remember, when he was in primary school, he came home from an exam, as long as his mother asked him the question, he could remember it very clearly and read the answer. After that, he studied Math completely with passion and for him, solving a difficult problem was a joy.

Hoang Tien Nguyen with his parents and younger sister. Photo: My Ha

Nguyen's house is in Hung Loc commune, so from grade 1 to grade 5, Nguyen studied at a primary school near his house. At the end of grade 5, with his achievements in the IOE English contest and the IT award, Nguyen was admitted directly to Dang Thai Mai Secondary School in the city.

Coming from a suburban school, when entering grade 6, Nguyen participated in the exam to select excellent students of the city and became valedictorian, surprising many teachers and friends. Later, Nguyen maintained this position continuously for three years in grade 7, grade 8 and grade 9. In grade 10, when taking the entrance exam to the specialized Math class of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Nguyen also excelled and won the valedictorian position with a "record" score of 19.88 points.

Nguyen's mother also said: When looking at his score, the family was very surprised because they didn't think Nguyen would have such a high score.

Leaders of the Department of Education and Training congratulate Hoang Tien Nguyen and teachers of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Photo: My Ha.

With such a favorable first step, even though he studied in a specialized Math class - which gathered many excellent students from the whole province - Nguyen still studied very easily.

Sharing his secret to learning Math, Nguyen said: Everyone says learning Math is stressful, but I am the opposite. I only learn Math when I am comfortable. I personally like this subject because Math is logical and develops thinking. Therefore, the more I learn, the more interesting I find it.

During his 12 years of high school, Nguyen shared that there were many teachers who influenced his studies such as Ms. Ngoc and Ms. Hien Luong (who taught him during his junior high school years at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School).

Later in high school, teacher Phan Thai and teacher Trong Dat also helped me and guided me a lot. Another special teacher that Nguyen mentioned was his mother, and she was also his strictest teacher, helping him improve: His mother not only cared about his studies but also demanded a lot from him, especially in the way he presented and the neatness of his work. When he was preparing for the national team, his mother still bought university entrance exam solution books and asked him to do them carefully so that he would not be subjective and practice his presentation.

Nguyen's joy with his family after winning the Bronze Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Photo: My Ha

The encouragement and inspiration from his mother and teachers also motivated Hoang Tien Nguyen to pursue Mathematics and later become a teacher or a researcher in Mathematics.

Currently, Nguyen is also completing the procedures to enroll in the Faculty of Mathematics - Mechanics - Information Technology - University of Natural Sciences and will continue to write his dream of developing Mathematics in the future./.