Nurturing young talent!

(Baonghean)Today (August 1st), 224 young IT talents from all three educational levels, representing 51 provinces and cities nationwide, gathered in Vinh City to participate in the 19th National Youth Informatics Competition. This competition is organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Television, and the Vietnam Informatics Association. This is a valuable platform that contributes to nurturing and cultivating high-quality IT talents for the country.

According to Mr. Ta Van Ha, Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Innovation and Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of the Competition, although it was the first year hosting the event, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union acted proactively, responsibly, and professionally; the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Nghe An Province gave great attention and support to the Competition. Relevant departments and agencies of Nghe An Province, especially Vinh University of Technology and Education - the venue for the Competition - made great efforts to meet the stringent requirements for material and technical conditions. All eight examination rooms were equipped with high-quality computers and projectors. The University also sent teachers and experts to participate in the judging panel.

The support and assistance from various agencies and units contributed significantly to the success of the 19th National Youth Informatics Competition 2013. Besides the core force of the Provincial Youth Union, the volunteer student team from Vinh University also participated very diligently and responsibly, creating a deep impression on the participating delegations and contestants. Mr. Phan Van Khang, Deputy Head of the Youth and Urban Affairs Department of the Lam Dong Provincial Youth Union, expressed: “I, as well as the four contestants from the Lam Dong delegation, are very happy that this year's National Youth Informatics Competition is being held in Nghe An. Coming to the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh for the first time, we feel warm-hearted because of the warm and thoughtful welcome and guidance we received.”

Contestants participating in the 19th Nghe An Provincial Youth Informatics Competition, 2013.

According to the Organizing Committee, the number and quality of contestants participating in the grassroots-level competition have gradually improved in line with the overall development of information technology. Many provinces, cities, and sectors have successfully organized competitions at the district, county, and cluster levels. In Nghe An province in particular, the movement to learn and master information technology among young people has developed strongly. With the attention and support of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and relevant departments at all levels, the Provincial-level Youth Informatics Competition has been successfully held 19 times, with the participation of contestants from mountainous districts such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Que Phong, and Quy Chau...

Through this, many young IT talents have been discovered and nurtured, some of whom have won high awards at the National Youth Informatics Competition. Typical examples include Le Thuc Anh, who won second prize at the National Youth Informatics Competition and the Vietnamese Talent Award, and is currently a third-year student in Communication & Information at Paris 3 Sorbonne University (France); Cao Thanh Hai, a student from Dang Thai Mai Secondary School (Vinh City), won third prize in the primary school category at the 2012 National Youth Informatics Competition; Bui Quy Bao, a poor student whose parents are farmers in Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen district), won first prize at the provincial-level Youth Informatics Competition for two consecutive years and an honorable mention at the national-level Youth Informatics Competition; and Nguyen Xuan Duoc, a student from Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School (Vinh City), who won first, second, and third prizes at the provincial-level Youth Informatics Competition, first prize in the Postal and Telecommunications sector's Youth Informatics Competition, and first prize in the provincial-level Informatics competition for gifted students. Having won two second prizes in the national excellent student competition in Informatics, he also excellently secured the title of valedictorian of Group A at the University of Technology - Vietnam National University (Hanoi) with 28 points.

This year, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Informatics Competition attracted 182 contestants, from which 6 were selected to participate in the National Youth Informatics Competition. Although Nghe An is not a strong province in IT, the fact that the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union hosted this national competition is a great motivation for the province's young informatics talents to compete with high determination. Ha Huy Cong, a 5th grade student from Truong Thi Primary School (Vinh City), who won second prize in the 2013 provincial youth informatics competition for primary school students and is one of the 6 contestants from Nghe An participating in this year's national competition, shared: “I feel very honored to participate in the competition, to interact, learn, and exchange experiences with young talents nationwide. I will try my best with high determination and passion for informatics…”

A new feature of this year's competition is that the exam focuses on assessing practical skills, rather than being heavily and broadly theoretical. The exam questions and instructions were announced and guided in advance by the Organizing Committee so that localities could disseminate information and guide contestants in preparation. This year's theme is the competitive game "Color-Changing Balls," and the final round will be held in a knockout format between teams, making it very exciting, engaging, and fair. This is also the most anticipated round of the competition, eagerly awaited by all contestants.

For the innovative software competition, this year the majority of entries were practical and relevant to social life, with 107 software programs from 24 provinces and cities participating. The preliminary judging panel evaluated and selected 25 software programs that met the criteria for creativity, practicality, user-friendly interface, and applicability. Among these, 3 products using embedded software will be sponsored by Intel Vietnam Co., Ltd. with 3 tablet computers.

In addition, the competition also includes attractive and beneficial cultural and outdoor activities such as: visiting the tomb of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan - President Ho Chi Minh's mother; visiting President Ho Chi Minh's paternal and maternal hometowns; and exchange and celebration activities between the contestants and young people and delegates from Nghe An province.

The contestants participating in the competition are all talented students (including 6 from ethnic minority groups) who have won top prizes at provincial, city, and sectoral competitions nationwide, representing hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese high school students who love information technology. The competition is divided into three levels: Primary School (Category A), Junior High School (Category B), and High School (Category C), with 36 awards for the general competition and 15 awards for the creative software competition. In addition, the Central Youth Union, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Information and Communications also awarded Certificates of Merit and Creative Youth Badges to the top-ranking winners of the competition. The organizing committee also awarded prizes to encourage the youngest contestant and the contestant from an ethnic minority group.

Text and photos: Khanh Ly