Nguyen Canh Hoang: Mom! I have gold...

(Baonghean.vn) - "Mom! I have gold" - That is the text message that Ms. Tran Thi Viet Ha - mother of Nguyen Canh Hoang - the owner of the Gold Medal of the International Mathematical Olympiad - received on the morning of July 22. This is also the first Gold Medal of the International Mathematical Olympiad of Nghe An province since a student participated in this competition.

Nguyen Canh Hoang and teacher Ho Sy Hung in Brazil. Photo: F Ho Sy Hung

When I arrived at Nguyen Canh Hoang's house, Ms. Tran Thi Viet Ha had just returned home from work. Working at the Irrigation Department (formerly the Dike and Flood Prevention Department), in the past few days, dealing with the effects of storm No. 2, Ms. Ha often had to be on duty day and night. But the great good news from her youngest son made her forget all the hardships of the past few days.

From morning until now, the phones of her family members have been ringing non-stop with hundreds of congratulatory messages from family, friends, and teachers. Talking about her feelings, Ms. Ha said, “I couldn’t sleep all night. I called my child and saw that he got about 28 points, within the range of points that could win a gold medal, but it’s not certain, it’s just speculation. The official results won’t be available until this morning.”

Nguyen Canh Hoang's family. Photo: My Ha

Hoang had a talent for mathematics since childhood and loved numbers. At the age of 4, he was able to do calculations within 40. In grade 2, Hoang was able to solve negative number problems and do mental calculations very well. They had high expectations for their child, but Hoang's parents let him develop naturally. Talking about their child, Ms. Ha added: "In other families, parents have to work hard to find extra classes and teachers to tutor their children, but my husband and I are the opposite. He studies mainly by himself and if he encounters any difficulties, he will go to the teachers himself and decide to ask the teachers to tutor and tutor him."

Because of his excellent academic performance, Hoang's studies were very smooth during his high school years. However, he was unlucky in exams and mostly came in second place. One year, he was the valedictorian of the Vinh City Math Competition, but the result was also second place (no first place). When he studied at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, he won second place in the national excellent student competition both years. In particular, in grade 12, he was half a point away from winning first place.

Vietnamese student delegation in Brazil (Nguyen Canh Hoang second from right, front row) Photo: F Ho Sy Hung

Although he spends most of his time studying, Hoang is not a bookworm, but an “extrovert” and has hardly missed any school or class activities. Being so carefree, when entering the International Mathematical Olympiad in Brazil, while many people were worried, Hoang “could eat, sleep well”, and even gained nearly 80kg (Hoang is 1m78 tall). After finishing the exam, the boy simply told his mother, “I got 28 points, probably gold, Mom.” This morning, his message was also simple and concise: “Mom, I got gold.”

The joy was multiplied many times when this was the first Gold Medal in Mathematics that Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted had many students participating in the International Mathematical Olympiad. Talking about this result, teacher Ngo Sy Thuy - Principal of the school confided: This is truly a very proud achievement not only for the school but also for the education sector of the province. The victory has strengthened the school's confidence and given us the motivation to try harder in the upcoming journey.

My Ha