All 4 Vietnamese students won medals at 'The most difficult chemistry exam on the planet': Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad

Four students participating in the 59th Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad all won medals, including: Tran Trung Kien (grade 12, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and Nguyen Ngo Duc (grade 12, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Nghe An) won gold medals; Dinh Trong An (grade 12, High School for the Gifted in Natural Sciences , Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and Tran Hoang Nam (grade 11, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted) won silver medals. Photo: VNA

All 4 participating students won medals, including 2 Gold Medals and 2 Silver Medals.

Specifically, the two students who won Gold Medals were: Tran Trung Kien, grade 12, Amsterdam High School for the Gifted ( Hanoi ) with 169.25 points; Nguyen Ngo Duc, grade 12, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Nghe An province) with 151.05 points.

The two students who won Silver Medals were: Dinh Trong An, grade 12, High School for Gifted Students in Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, with 149.70 points; Tran Hoang Nam, grade 11, Amsterdam High School for Gifted Students (Hanoi) with 136.65 points.

The 59th Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad will take place from May 5-12, 2025 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Vietnamese student team participating in this year's competition was selected from the results of the 2025 Regional and International Olympic Team Selection Competition (last March), in addition to the official team participating in the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). The University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi was assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training to preside over the training and organization of the delegation. Participation in the competition aims to expand opportunities for international academic exchange, foster capacity, and create conditions for many excellent students to participate in large-scale and high-quality academic activities.

The Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad is one of the most prestigious and challenging academic competitions in the field of Chemistry for high school students, often referred to as “The most difficult Chemistry exam on the planet”. In 2025, the exam gathered 192 candidates from 40 countries and territories, including countries with strong chemistry education development such as China, Russia, Korea, Japan, etc.

Candidates must pass 3 rounds in 3 days; in which, round 1 and round 2 are theoretical exams, round 3 is practical exam. The time for each round is 5 hours. The Organizing Committee will officially award prizes to 60% of the participating candidates, according to the ratio of Gold: Silver: Bronze medals of 1: 2: 3.

The goal of the competition is not only to test professional competence but also to discover and nurture young scientific talents and to enhance exchanges and cooperation between countries. The outstanding achievements of the Vietnamese student delegation continue to affirm the capacity, intelligence and integration spirit of the Vietnamese student generation in the international arena.

Viet Ha (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/ca-4-hoc-sinh-viet-nam-deu-gianh-huy-chuong-tai-ky-thi-hoa-hoc-kho-nhat-hanh-tinh-olympic-hoa-hoc-quoc-te-mendeleev-20250513083341077.htm