Olympia finalist can read and do math at age 4

Entering the final round of the 25th Road to Olympia, Doan Thanh Tung (student of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Khanh Hoa) said that his strong point is always having a relaxed competitive spirit, without pressure to achieve results.

Doan Thanh Tung (11th grade Biology student of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Khanh Hoa ) has just won convincingly in the third quarter of the Road to Olympia 2025 competition with 255 points. Thereby, he not only has a laurel wreath for himself but also brings the television broadcast of the year's final match back to Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted.

Doan Thanh Tung (student of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Khanh Hoa) brought the television broadcast of the 25th Road to Olympia finals to Khanh Hoa.

According to Thanh Tung, this result was due to a combination of playing well, being good enough, and being lucky.

Tung said he had the intention to compete in the Road to Olympia after cheering on the 2019 Olympia final broadcast of his senior Nguyen Hai Dang. “At that time, watching the seniors compete, I admired them and started thinking, 'Let's learn more, maybe one day I will be able to stand there too'. And now the dream has come true,” Tung said.

The male student said he spent a long time preparing a wide range of knowledge for Olympia. “During that process, I researched groups of knowledge based on my interests. For example, in the field of Literature, I chose a prominent and frequently asked topic. For each field, I spent a few days digging deeply, telling myself to go step by step, slowly but surely, to grasp knowledge from my true understanding, not just reading the words,” Tung said.

Tung prioritizes arranging his study time reasonably. He doesn’t study for several hours straight, but divides it into 30-40 minute breaks, then rests or does a few pull-ups or push-ups to regain his alertness before returning to his desk.

The male student does not go to extra classes, only studies at school and self-study.

“I try to grasp the most basic lessons in textbooks and workbooks, then gradually improve. I often look for documents and read more online,” Tung shared about his learning method.

Doan Thanh Tung (left cover) with his parents and brother. Photo: NVCC.

Ms. Doan Thi Hien, Tung's mother, said that her son is very independent in his studies. She and her husband also respect his thoughts and let Tung make all his own decisions.

Since childhood, Tung has loved to explore and research on his own. “We try our best not to affect or interrupt his concentration when studying,” said Ms. Hien.

Before each exam, Hien and her husband do not set goals or expectations that are too high. “We always think that our child will accept as much as he can, so the whole family feels comfortable,” the mother shared.

Ms. Hien said that Tung showed his ability to read and calculate very early: "When Tung was about 4 years old, the teachers at school discovered that he could read before his friends. They even let Tung stand up and read a speech in front of the school."

According to her, since Tung was little, on the way to school every day, she often taught him by asking questions. “I often guessed what the license plate numbers were on the car in front of me. The same goes for recognizing letters or colors, I always asked riddles with surrounding objects and this was repeated every day,” the mother said.

Tung studied all subjects equally and was an excellent student for 11 consecutive years. He won the first prize in Biology at the provincial level for grade 9, the national encouragement prize for grade 11, and many other certificates of merit.

Doan Thanh Tung with his "collection" of academic achievements. Photo: NVCC.

In his spare time, the male student often searches for websites or reads books about Literature and his favorite topics are Wartime Literature and Historical Literature of Vietnam.

In addition, Tung plays many sports and likes to work out at home to stay healthy. Tung can work out with anything in the house, no need for professional equipment. “He lifts heavy objects with dumbbells or sometimes bags of rice…”, Ms. Hien laughed.

The male student is also good at chess. Thanh Tung believes that the Olympia journey is the most special experience for him. “In addition to the good results, I met many good friends, expanded my knowledge, changed my thinking and became more confident, daring to try things that I used to be hesitant about,” Tung shared.

Before Thanh Tung, Khanh Hoa had only had one televised Olympia final. The highest achievement so far was runner-up Nguyen Hai Dang in 2019.

Doan Thanh Tung at his school Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted. Photo: NCCC.

There are about 3 months left to prepare for the final match, from now on, Tung is trying to improve his knowledge, prioritize the areas he is lacking, and update more news.

“The amount of knowledge is very vast. I have to try to read books and newspapers, and learn more about current events every day,” Tung determined.

The male student added: “My opponents in the final match of the year are all very good players and possess a wide range of knowledge. I set a goal to try my best for the final match, to compete to the best of my ability so that I have no regrets.”

According to the male student, in the final round of the year, he cannot be subjective with any question or group of knowledge, even in his strong field. "I majored in Biology but missed 2 questions about Biology in the program," Tung expressed.

Tung said he will practice more skills such as typing and clicking the mouse quickly. “In the quarterly competition, I typed with two fingers, now I am practicing typing with 10 fingers to be faster,” he said.

Besides the goal of conquering the year's final laurel wreath, Tung still prioritizes completing his school curriculum well.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-khanh-hoa-tiet-lo-diem-manh-de-vao-duoc-chung-ket-olympia-2424824.html