Sharing with Education & Times Newspaper about the outstanding results of Vietnamese students participating in regional and international Chemistry Olympiads, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha - Head of the Vietnamese delegation participating in the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) from 2023 to 2025, said:
In 1996, the national team officially participated in the IChO for the first time. Over the past nearly three decades, Vietnam has affirmed its position in the international arena with a total of 45 Gold Medals (HCV), 44 Silver Medals (HCB) and 24 Bronze Medals (HCĐ) - an outstanding achievement in the Chemistry Olympiad community.
2019 was a special milestone, when for the first time, Vietnamese students won the IChO gold medal with the highest practical score. In particular, the 2020 - 2025 period recorded outstanding results, when Vietnam was continuously in the top 1 - 3 countries in the world in terms of the number of gold medals achieved, with 21 gold medals out of a total of 24 contestants.
“We are a collective”
- According to you, what are the factors that make up the above very proud results?
- I think that the above results are the crystallization of many factors, including: Correct strategic orientation, timely direction of the Ministry of Education and Training ; innovation and flexibility in the selection, training, and organization of the Vietnam Chemistry Olympic team; and the continuous efforts of students and teachers in improving the quality of training.
The Ministry of Education and Training is the agency in charge of selecting and training the Vietnamese national team to participate in the IChO. The selection process is organized in two rounds, ensuring objectivity, fairness, transparency, aiming to accurately discover and nurture students with outstanding abilities in Chemistry.
After the national team was established, the Ministry of Education and Training assigned the task of presiding over the training to leading universities in each respective professional field. In particular, Hanoi National University of Education was assigned the task of presiding over the training of the national Chemistry team.
With the goal of constantly innovating training content and methods, the Chemistry team has proactively proposed and implemented a multi-unit coordination model in training. This is considered a creative and pioneering direction, demonstrating an open, cooperative and professional mindset in training excellent Chemistry students.
Within the framework of this model, Hanoi National University of Education has cooperated with three leading training and research institutions: University of Natural Sciences - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, School of Chemistry and Life Sciences - Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology.
This coordination mechanism allows for effective utilization of specialized human resources, modern facilities and practical research experience of each unit, thereby facilitating training. A prominent advantage of this model is that students have the opportunity to access and practice in many different laboratories, helping to improve practical skills, adaptability and confidence when participating in international competitions.
The main contents of the training program are implemented as follows: Developing training content based on the preparatory exercises issued by the IChO Scientific Committee; inviting lecturers to participate in teaching; organizing mock exams, evaluation, and in-depth feedback; updating documents and international exam trends; focusing on psychological training and team bonding.
In addition to consolidating professional knowledge, the training focuses on training competitive mentality and fostering team spirit. Extracurricular activities are organized regularly to strengthen the bond between teachers and students, and between team members. This bond not only helps students reduce stress during training, but also builds the spirit of "we are a collective" - a traditional characteristic of the Vietnamese Chemistry team for nearly 30 years.
In addition, students are always reminded that “Achievement is important, but it is not the only measure of value”. If they have tried their best, even if the results are not as expected, it is still a proud experience, proving their spirit of learning and their desire to constantly improve.
- As the Head of the Vietnamese Chemistry Olympiad delegation participating in the IChO for many years, can you share about the delegation leadership work and how to accompany and support students throughout the preparation and participation process of the international competition?
- The Vietnamese team maintains four teachers leading the delegation, including: Head of delegation, Deputy Head of delegation and two members - all of whom have experience in the field of General Chemistry. During the 10 days of the International Chemistry Olympiad, the working schedule of the members leading the delegation takes place at a high intensity, requiring absolute professionalism.
According to the regulations of the IChO Organizing Committee, teachers must participate in almost all main activities, including: Reviewing and giving comments on exam questions; translating exam questions into Vietnamese; attending meetings, discussing exam questions, scoring plans; checking laboratories, practical exam areas, ensuring that Vietnamese candidates are provided with adequate and accurate chemicals and tools.
Teachers also participate in grading their team's candidates; debate the grading results with the jury in case of differences in evaluation. Each stage requires concentration, accuracy, speed, and high performance.
For example, in translating exam questions, it is necessary to ensure the accuracy of technical terminology, avoid adding or removing information; express clearly and simply so that candidates can grasp the correct requirements.
Similarly, the process of debating the exam results is of particular importance, because the gap between gold and silver medals is sometimes only 0.01-0.02 points. Teachers must defend their students' arguments with solid professional evidence, ensuring maximum benefits for them.
In addition to professionalism, the leadership of the Vietnamese Chemistry team also clearly demonstrates the inheritance and sustainable development. The team includes teachers who have participated in leadership for many years, accumulating valuable experience and building prestige in the international community.
Teachers are always ready to guide and pass on their skills and experiences to the next generation. In contrast, young lecturers always show a spirit of learning, being open-minded and proactive in absorbing; starting with online activities, scientific observers, before taking on official duties.
Key lessons learned
- From practice, in your opinion, what lessons can be drawn that contribute to the success of the Vietnamese Chemistry team?
- I think there are 3 key lessons to be learned, specifically as follows:
Firstly, the correct policies, flexible mechanisms and effective organization of the Ministry of Education and Training are the foundation of success.
Second, professional training according to international standards, harmoniously combining theory - practice - competition psychology is the decisive factor.
Third, a cohesive, humane environment is key to maintaining motivation and sustainable performance.
From these lessons learned, it is essential to continue to maintain, promote and expand the existing model to ensure sustainable development and further improve the team's performance in the future.
On that basis, I would like to propose some recommendations. Firstly , maintain and expand prestigious regional competitions in terms of expertise (such as Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad (IMChO), Al Biruni (ArBIChO)), in order to increase opportunities for international competition and promote the movement of excellent students in high schools.
Second, invest in depth in laboratory facilities, aiming to build international standard laboratories, ensuring modern, safe and standardized learning and practice conditions.
Third, develop a successor team, focus on training the next generation of lecturers and young experts, to ensure continuity in training.
- Do the survey results of students who won regional and international Chemistry Olympiads after they went to university show any notable points, madam?
- The first problem is that the information system and connection mechanism between the award-winning students still lack unity and connectivity. Currently, there is no official information channel, forum or common organizing group to help connect, share and maintain the relationship between generations of students who have participated in the Olympic competitions.
Second, the survey results of 47 out of 116 students who won prizes at the IChOs show that most of them continue to pursue their studies and research in the field of Chemistry at leading universities around the world. Another group actively contributes to training and research at universities in the country and around the world. In addition, some students choose to switch to other fields such as Medicine, Biotechnology or Information Technology, showing the adaptability and diversity in career orientation of this group of excellent students.
Notably, interviews with the wishes of a number of students showed that they expressed two outstanding wishes: having an effective support and consulting mechanism during their study abroad or transfer from domestic universities to foreign ones; having the opportunity to cooperate in scientific research with domestic scientists and research groups, in order to maintain connections and contribute to Vietnamese science, creating the premise for returning to Vietnam to work.
- From the above survey results and implementation practices, what do you propose about orientations and solutions to improve the effectiveness of training, fostering, and promoting students who have won regional and international Olympic prizes?
- My first suggestion is to build a mechanism for connecting and communicating with talents: Establish a department or committee in charge, and at the same time build an official connection network to promote the image, achievements, learning and research journey of award-winning students; at the same time, create a space for them to exchange, share experiences, and support each other.
Along with that, strengthen international training cooperation by researching coordination mechanisms between domestic universities and leading international training institutions, aiming at transfer or joint degree programs, helping students to continue studying abroad without having to start from scratch.
Finally, develop a parallel research network domestically and internationally: Establish collaborative research groups between Vietnamese and international scientists, with the direct participation of award-winning students. They will both act as a bridge of knowledge and have the opportunity to practice and research in international and domestic environments, creating a foundation for returning to contribute to Vietnamese science in the future.
Thank you very much!
“The success of the Vietnamese national team at the International Chemistry Olympiad not only reflects the increasingly improved capacity of students and the quality of training in the country, but also shows positive steps in the development of general chemistry education. These results contribute to affirming the right direction in training gifted students and gradually improving Vietnam's position in the region, as well as in the international chemistry education community.” - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/vung-vang-tri-tue-viet-tren-dau-truong-quoc-te-post759650.html
![[Photo] Urgently help people soon have a place to live and stabilize their lives](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2025%2F12%2F09%2F1765248230297_c-jpg.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)