Conquering the international arena

Born and raised in mountainous villages, but overcoming the overwhelming difficulties in infrastructure and learning conditions, many students in Tuyen Quang have reached their dreams of international intellectual achievement through their courage, aspirations, and persistent journey on the arduous path to school. Through this, they have made a significant contribution to the strong transformation of education in the highlands.

Students from Dong Van Ethnic Boarding Secondary and High School confidently showcased their skills at the Robotics for Good 2026 competition.

Cultivating a thirst for knowledge amidst hardship.

It was late at night, but the lights in Tran Duc Hieu's classroom, a 12th-grade student specializing in Mathematics at Ha Giang High School for Gifted Students, were still on. Hieu is the only student from the province to have successfully earned a spot among the 15 students nationwide participating in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO). To reach this intellectual competition, Hieu had to go through a rigorous selection process with the best students in the country. Prior to that, he had won first prize in the national Informatics Olympiad for gifted students. Behind that achievement were months of hard work with computers, algorithms, and thousands of challenging programming problems. His teacher, Tran Thi Trang Nhung, shared: “As someone who has accompanied Hieu throughout his three years at Ha Giang High School for Gifted Students, I see that Hieu possesses intelligence, a strong passion, and dedicates a lot of time to Informatics. Students from mountainous regions are at a significant disadvantage in terms of access to technology and opportunities for practical experience, but Hieu always uses this as motivation to strive for self-improvement and learn more.”

In boarding schools in mountainous regions, students mostly come from disadvantaged backgrounds, are accustomed to living away from their families from an early age, and have limited access to technology. But it is precisely in this context that the desire to change their lives through knowledge burns intensely. Nguyen Thanh Tra, a student at the ATK Son Duong Ethnic Minority Boarding School, is a prime example. Born and raised in a rural family, Tra showed early signs of intelligence and relentlessly strived for excellence in her studies. In the 2025-2026 school year, from her boarding school in the highlands, Tra surpassed thousands of other contestants to make her mark on the international Olympic gold medal list by winning the DIAMOND 1 award (the Diamond Award for the most outstanding students) in English at the FISO Online Olympic Competition.

In the eyes of her teachers and friends at school, Thanh Tra is an intelligent and diligent student. Outside of class, she dedicates almost all of her time to self-studying English. Tra shared: "The FISO Online Olympiad is an international academic competition, officially organized by the FISO Olympiad Team with the mission of fostering curiosity, reasoning ability, and critical thinking. Unlike traditional exams, FISO doesn't just test memorized knowledge but focuses on developing logical thinking, creativity, and practical application skills."

Not only in basic science subjects, but students from mountainous regions have also made a significant mark in international technology competitions. At the National Finals of the Robotics for Good 2026 competition held in Hanoi, the Sa Moc Da team from Dong Van Ethnic Boarding Secondary and High School in Dong Van commune made a strong impression with their robot model for agricultural applications. Three students from mountainous regions, Hoang Nhat Long, Ly Mi Tu, Vang Thi Dinh, and Vang Duong Thien, programmed the robot to perform completely automated tasks of planting, irrigation, harvesting, and sorting agricultural products.

Teacher Vang Thi Dinh shared: "The students all come from poor families, lacking in many ways. The process of creating the robot started from scratch; without components to assemble the robot, the teacher and students borrowed them. The programming and testing of the robot's operation were all done by the teacher and students through self-study and experimentation, without any formal training. But they are all passionate and never give up."

Amidst a modern competition space filled with cutting-edge technology models, these students from the mountainous region confidently presented their ideas and competed against strong teams from major cities across the country. At the end of the competition, their team won the "Most Impressive Robot Decoration" award and the "Outstanding Coach" award. But perhaps even more valuable is the growth in their thinking, resilience, and aspirations as these students stepped into a large-scale technology competition for the first time.

Tran Duc Hieu diligently worked with computers, algorithms, and thousands of challenging programming problems to reach the Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO).

Transformation of advanced education in mountainous regions

In recent years, the province's advanced education system has shown significant progress, no longer limited to isolated achievements but has formed a generation of students with the capacity to compete in major competitions. At the 2025-2026 National High School Excellent Student Selection Exam, the province excelled, winning 59 awards, including 2 first prizes, 11 second prizes, and dozens of third and consolation prizes. Two students were selected to participate in the selection exam for the International Olympiad team.

Notably, students in Tuyen Quang are not only strong in traditional cultural subjects but are also gradually making their mark in the fields of science and technology, applied research, and artificial intelligence. At the National Science and Technology Competition for high school students in the 2025-2026 school year, the province had two projects that won fourth prize nationally. Among them, the project “Green Habit AI - Applying AI to create a green future, supporting disaster warning and rescue” by students Tran Minh Phuong and Dang Dinh Phong from ATK Son Duong Ethnic Boarding High School made a strong impression due to its high practicality for mountainous areas frequently affected by natural disasters. In the field of foreign languages ​​and international integration, the mark of Tuyen Quang students is becoming increasingly clear, with Nong Tuan Duong, a 7th-grade student from Le Quy Don Secondary School, excelling in winning the Gold Medal in English at the ASMO 2025 International Science, Mathematics and English Olympiad. In addition, 29 students from the province were honored at the National Online English Olympiad.

Behind those medals lies a transformation in the local educational mindset. From focusing on universal education and raising the general level of knowledge, Tuyen Quang's education sector is gradually shifting its focus to training gifted students, identifying talented individuals early on, and investing in STEM, technology, and foreign languages. This is the source of high-quality human resources for the province's future. From classrooms in remote, rocky areas and boarding schools lacking basic resources, more and more students in mountainous regions are gaining access to technology, science, and global thinking. Geographical distances are gradually being narrowed by the confidence, knowledge, digital transformation, and learning aspirations of the younger generation.

An Giang

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/giao-duc/202606/chinh-phuc-san-choi-quoc-te-a0b7499/