HÀ NỘI – All six Vietnamese students participating in the 13th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), held earlier this month in Bali, Indonesia, have brought home medals.

Nguyễn Ngọc Đức and Phan Minh Đức, both from the Hà Nội – Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, won gold medals, the Hà Nội municipal Department of Education and Training said.

Nguyễn Nga Nhi and Phạm Quốc Khánh, also from the Hà Nội – Amsterdam High School, grabbed the silvers, while another schoolmate, Phan Hà Linh, and a student from Hà Nội-based Nguyễn Huệ Gifted High School, Đặng Nguyễn Tiến, bagged the bronze medals.

The team’s achievements in the IJSO will be a stepping stone for their journey into more prestigious competitions, such as the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), IPho (on Physics), ICho (on Chemistry), and IBio (on Biology).

The Olympiad is organised annually for 15-year-old students and is held in the first week of December by a council of world-renowned scientists. Currently, 75 member countries attend the IJSO, and this year, 276 students from 48 countries participated in the competition.

Each participant has to take three tests: a multiple-choice examination, a theoretical examination, and an experimental examination. Each test includes questions on physics, chemistry, and biology – the three key subjects – that demand logical reasoning in addition to a fundamental knowledge of science. 

On the sidelines, a conference was held for the first time this year to serve as a dialogue between secondary school science teachers from Indonesia and other countries so that they could meet and share their best practices and explore opportunities for co-operation. – VNS