A Vietnamese student receives gold medal on Sunday afternoon. — VNA/VNS Photos Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — All 10 Vietnamese students competing at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA 2026) have won medals, including six golds and four silvers.

As the host country, Việt Nam fielded two teams with a total of 10 students.

The official Team Việt Nam 1 won two gold medals and three silver medals, while Team Việt Nam 2 secured four golds and one silver.

The gold medallists from Team Việt Nam 1 were Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt, a Year 12 student at Nguyễn Huệ High School for the Gifted in Hà Nội, and Lê Gia Hồng Minh from Hà Nội-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

The three silver medallists were Trần Minh Thái, Bùi Nguyên Hồng Quân and Nguyễn Trường Chinh, all from Hà Nội-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

Team Việt Nam 2's gold medallists were Lê Bá Tuấn Việt from the High School for Gifted Students under Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Lê Quang Trí from the High School for the Gifted under Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; and Nguyễn Quang Dũng and Mai Văn Khánh from Lam Sơn High School for the Gifted in the northern province of Thanh Hoá.

The team's silver medal went to Đinh Quang Dũng from Vĩnh Phúc High School for the Gifted in the northern province of Phú Thọ.

IOAA 2026 took place in Hà Nội from September 25 to October 5, bringing together 309 outstanding students selected from participating countries.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Vũ Thu Hà, Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Hà Nội said that over nearly 10 days, contestants had taken part in theoretical tests, team competitions, telescope observations, data-analysis tasks and activities at a planetarium.

The demanding tests required solid knowledge, independent and creative thinking, precise practical skills and the ability to work effectively as a team.

The organising committee, scientists, experts and team leaders had carried out the academic components in a serious, objective and fair manner, she said.

The competition awarded 51 gold medals, 48 silver medals, 60 bronze medals and 22 honourable mentions.

The organising committee presents the gold medal to the winning contestant.

Special prizes were also presented for the highest overall score, best theoretical performance and best practical performance, as well as for the winning seven-member team in the team competition and five top-performing teams in the poster competition.

Hà noted that at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Government leaders had stressed the importance of identifying and developing young talent and expanding international cooperation in education and science.

Việt Nam's strong performance at IOAA 2026 reflected a rigorous process of selection, training and preparation, as well as the efforts of students, coaches, experts and teachers and close coordination among education authorities, educational institutions, research institutes and universities.

Hosting the Olympiad in Hà Nội also demonstrated Việt Nam's capacity to organise major international education and science events, while promoting academic exchange and inspiring greater interest among students in astronomy, space science and STEM fields. — VNS