Male student from Vung Tau tops the entrance exam at the High School for the Gifted.

Nguyen Dang Sy Hoang, a student from Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, became the top student in the 10th grade at the High School for the Gifted with a score of 42.38/50.

In particular, Hoang scored 7 points in Literature; 6.8 points in English, 10 points in the qualifying Mathematics exam, and 9.25 points in the specialized Mathematics exam (a subject with a weighting factor of 2). The male student from Nguyen An Ninh Secondary School was admitted to the specialized Mathematics class, and is also the candidate with the highest scores in these two subjects at the High School for the Gifted, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Hoang said that when he decided to apply to the school, he set a goal of being among the top 15 candidates. This year, the High School for the Gifted has more than 3,000 students registered, with 864 specifically for Mathematics.

"When I saw the results, I breathed a sigh of relief because I had achieved my goal beyond expectations," Hoang shared.

Sỹ Hoàng took this photo at Nguyễn An Ninh Secondary School, Vũng Tàu City, in late May. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Hoang said that besides classroom learning, he mainly gathered advanced math knowledge from math groups on Facebook.

Since ninth grade, I've spent more than two hours each day looking at interesting and unusual math problems online. When I come across a good problem, I copy it down and ponder how to solve it. On some days, when I encounter a favorite problem, I become so engrossed that I forget about my homework for other subjects at school. Through social media, Hoang has made friends and exchanged ideas with other math enthusiasts from all over the world.

"Through a math group, I met and became close friends with a 9th-grade student from Quang Binh, learning from him knowledge and solutions to problems involving inequalities. This is the part of math where I'm not confident," Hoang recounted.

For Hoang, the joy of studying Math comes from contemplating and finding multiple ways to solve a problem. This helps him maintain his passion for Math and explore and learn more knowledge beyond the textbook. For social science subjects, he concretizes the content through mind maps to aid memorization.

Knowing he was prone to being careless and losing points on small details, in 9th grade, Hoang enrolled in extra math classes to improve his presentation skills and meticulousness.

Being accepted into the specialized math class at the High School for the Gifted means Hoang will have to leave home to study in Ho Chi Minh City. This is also a concern for his parents.

Hoang convinced his parents that the school had many good friends and teachers, and a dynamic and open learning and living environment that would help him develop more comprehensively in the future. The High School for the Gifted is also where many candidates for the International Mathematical Olympiad team in the South are trained.

"Many students from the provinces come to Ho Chi Minh City to study at specialized schools. If others can do it, so can I. I will become independent early and more proactive in life," Hoang said.

Ms. Le Thi Hoai Thu, Hoang's mother, said that the family was very surprised and proud to hear that their son was the top-scoring student in the entrance exam for the Gifted High School. According to her, Hoang is very proactive in his studies and daily life. The family did not pressure him to attend a specialized school or selective class; his studies and school choices were all his own decisions.

"Hoang studied and improved on his weaknesses, and independently researched the types of exam questions the school used. The family believed he would pass, but they didn't expect such a high score," Ms. Thu said.

Sharing her parenting approach, Ms. Thu said she prioritizes learning life skills, so she regularly encourages Hoang to practice sports , socialize with others, and develop independence and responsibility for his decisions.

Hoang and Ms. Sau (in purple shirt) during their last class of 9th grade, May 2023. Photo: Provided by the subject .

Commenting on Hoang, Ms. Ha Thi Sau, his homeroom teacher in grade 9 and the person who directly tutored him in Mathematics during grades 8 and 9, highly praised the boy's self-learning ability. According to Ms. Sau, many students are gifted and excel in Mathematics, but few can effectively learn from books and social media on their own. Whenever the teachers taught a particular topic, Hoang would independently research and learn more.

"Hoang likes to solve math problems in his own way. When the teacher gives a solution, he will try to find other ways to solve it, and the teacher and he often debate whose solution is shorter or better," Ms. Sau said. During these debates, she had to point out and convince Hoang which method was more effective and would get the maximum score.

Ms. Sau said that in grades 8 and 9, Hoang won first prize in the provincial-level math competition for gifted students. Given Hoang's academic abilities, Ms. Sau believes he will develop even further if he receives guidance from his teachers and helps to cultivate his talent.

"I will try to study on my own and learn from many good friends and teachers so that I can achieve even higher accomplishments," Hoang shared.

Le Nguyen

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