On a bright July day in Australia, the 2025 International Mathematics Olympiad Gold Medals were awarded to Tran Minh Hoang and Vo Trong Khai.
Two boys from the old Nghi Xuan district, used to study in the same class, sit at the same desk in the small village school on the Lam River. Their achievements made the whole country proud. But, more than that, it is a story of pure, lasting and inspiring friendship from childhood to the day they reached the top of the world .
Seven years ago, in class 6E of Nguyen Trai Secondary School, Nghi Xuan District (old), two young students, one from the old Xuan Thanh Commune (Tran Minh Hoang is from Xuan Thanh Commune, now Tien Dien Commune), the other from the old Xuan Hoi Commune (now Dan Hai Commune) rode their bicycles to school every day, quietly immersing themselves in numbers. They soon found each other in Math classes, in the delighted look when they solved a difficult geometry problem, in endless conversations about prime numbers or inequalities. Without being noisy or ostentatious, that friendship grew like an underground stream, strong and enduring.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Tho - Vice Principal of Nguyen Trai Secondary School (who directly taught Math to Tran Minh Hoang and Vo Trong Khai from grade 7 to grade 9) could not hide his emotion when mentioning the beautiful friendship between the two former students. Although each student is now studying at a different specialized school, the contact and bond between them is always close.
“Hoang and Khai are very close friends, playing together throughout middle school. Both have a clear talent for Math and what impressed me most was their passion and eagerness to learn. Whenever they encountered a difficult problem, they did not hesitate to discuss and share solutions with each other in a serious and very straightforward manner. Once in 7th grade, I gave them an advanced problem taken from the exam of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. At first, neither of them could solve it. Hoang was the first to propose a rather lengthy approach, and soon after, Khai also proposed a similar solution. When I suggested the method, both of them were very excited, sitting together to continue solving the problem until the end of the problem” - Mr. Tho shared.
The precious thing is that even though they have gone to high school, they still regularly text their old teacher to ask for homework and report good news when they achieve good results. Every summer vacation, Khai returns from Nghe An to Ha Tinh to visit Hoang and teacher Tho's son. The group of friends take the electric car to go everywhere, laughing and talking all day long. Everyone is happy because in addition to being good students, they also maintain a pure and affectionate friendship.
In high school, Tran Minh Hoang studied at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted, while Vo Trong Khai chose Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Nghe An). Geographical distance did not keep them apart, because what they kept was the companionship in thinking, the habit of studying together, discussing together, and working towards the same goal: representing Vietnam at the most prestigious competition in the world for students who love Math - International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
They always know that the other person is also trying somewhere else, with the same intensity, the same passion, and that is enough for each person not to give up.
Before coming to IMO 2025, both of them had a solid record of achievements in international mathematics competitions. Minh Hoang won the Silver Medal at IMO 2024, Gold Medals at competitions such as SEAMO, SASMO, and the special prize at MYTS.
Khai is no slouch either, with a Gold Medal at MYTS, AMO and a Silver Medal at the Iranian Geometry Olympiad. But their victory was no miracle. It was the result of thousands of hours of silent study, summer vacations with no free time, a discipline that few students can maintain for years. And above all, the strength of friendship that spans from a small classroom to the stage of the world's most brilliant mathematical minds.
The 2025 IMO took place on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, with the participation of 113 countries and territories. All 6 Vietnamese contestants won medals, but the 2 Gold Medals of Hoang and Khai carry a special story.
Tran Minh Hoang scored 35 points, while Vo Trong Khai scored 38 points – one of the highest scores in the exam. They not only made the name Ha Tinh - Vietnam appear on the international mathematics map, but also left a deep impression of a rare and beautiful student friendship.
The moment the two stepped onto the stage to receive their medals, no one knew what they said to each other. Just a look, a handshake was enough to encapsulate the journey from the first day standing next to the village board to the podium of glory in a foreign land. Perhaps the power that brought the “golden couple” to the pinnacle of glory was not only intelligence, but also the silent trust the two had for each other over the years.
Many members of the delegation always admired the friendship between Hoang and Khai. Although each was an independent individual in the national team, Tran Minh Hoang and Vo Trong Khai always accompanied each other throughout the journey to conquer IMO. From the intense review sessions before the exam to every meal and sleep in a foreign land, the two not only cared for each other like long-time friends, but also silently supported each other with encouraging looks, gentle reminders, or simply by being there.
When I saw Hoang and Khai step into the international arena together, I was really moved. They are not only two excellent math students but also a pair of friends who have accompanied each other since their years of studying together at the village school. Witnessing them sharing each math problem, encouraging each other before the competition, and then raising the medal high next to the national flag, I clearly saw the wonderful value of a friendship that has grown in learning and aspiration.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chuyen-chua-ke-ve-doi-ban-than-cung-gianh-hcv-olympic-toan-quoc-te-post292034.html
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