Three male students from the same school 'reap' international Olympic gold medals

Than The Cong, Truong Phi Hung and the gold medal of the International Physics Olympiad - Photo: HA QUAN

In addition, at the 2024 International Chemistry Olympiad in Saudi Arabia, Giap Vu Son Ha - a 12th grade chemistry major at Bac Giang High School for the Gifted - also won a gold medal.

Attention to detail

Smiling, Truong Phi Hung told Tuoi Tre reporter that when he heard the result, he was overwhelmed with emotion and happiness because his efforts over the past time had paid off.

With a solid foundation in mathematics and good preparation, Hung was not overwhelmed by the theory during the exam days in Iran (July 21 to 29), but was a little worried about the practical part on temperature measurement. Because this was a difficult, new lesson with many operations and no chance to do it again. Spending most of his time reviewing the theory, Hung only had about two months of practice. Therefore, Hung went to the lab many evenings to perfect his skills.

Hung always puts self-study and carefulness above all else. Even if it's a small detail like straightening the experimental platform or checking for exposed wires... Despite his "huge" achievements, Hung said he's still "scared" when it comes to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity or geometric optics.

"To study physics well, I think you need a good foundation in math because math is the language of physics. Math explains physics clearly. Physics is a subject of theory combined with practice, understanding the phenomenon clearly is the key to understanding it. If you study one-sidedly and memorize it, you won't get far" - Truong Phi Hung confided.

Competing in the International Olympics with the mentality of learning and interacting with international friends, Hung shared a lot about the country, climate, and people of Vietnam and did not forget to share "tips" for studying well.

For example, Vietnamese teachers are passionate and dedicated to teaching but do not correct the exercises immediately but ask students to present their solutions based on their own understanding. Teachers do not correct the exercises or give passive answers but instead guide and give feedback on each step of the solution, logical errors in thinking...

In return, many students on the Russian Olympic team talked about how they were taught discipline and order. That was the yellow card system. If a student was late or behaved rudely, they would receive a yellow card. If they had two yellow cards, they would receive a red card and be removed from the team.

Remind yourself to wear the Vietnam national team jersey

As a close friend who sat at the same table for three years of high school and ate "recruited meals" with Hung, Than The Cong expressed that although he had a firm grasp of the knowledge, he was also worried because the international exam format had many long questions on many pages of paper.

With a wealth of experience in taking exams, Cong carefully spent time checking each data and implementation step, looking for any illogical presentation so as not to lose points because he reminded himself that he was wearing the Vietnamese team's jersey.

Cong confided that he often sets goals early, invests in a good math foundation, and trains his sharp physics thinking. Since middle school, Cong has been curious, wondering, and asking teachers about phenomena such as why it rains, why rainbows are multicolored, where does electricity come from...

Cong said that there was a difficult lesson with new knowledge, he stayed up until 2-3am to think about it, and finally he was so tired that he fell asleep without realizing it. Not giving up, the next morning, the male student met the teacher to ask for help, listening until he understood.

"I always try to study and improve my English to become a physics researcher or electrical engineer in the future..." - Than The Cong shared.

Talking about friendship, Hung and Cong chatted about the times they argued about lessons and their opinions on solving exercises. Hung dreams of becoming an IT engineer, while Cong aims to become an electrical engineer or a physics researcher in the future. Although they are busy studying, the two still have moments of entertainment such as going to the cinema, listening to music, walking, and sightseeing around town...

According to teacher Nguyen Van Doa - physics teacher at Bac Giang High School for the Gifted, both Truong Phi Hung and Than The Cong demonstrated their ability, good knowledge, and courage to compete against very good candidates from China, Russia, India...

However, the two students sometimes miscalculated, skimmed, and skipped questions, which led to losing points, so the teacher and students often sat down to discuss and point out their mistakes so they could correct them. Teacher Doa said that physics requires passion, sharp mathematical thinking, and constantly asking why questions.

"The physical phenomenon already exists, you have to remember general knowledge and the nature of physics, plus practice mathematical thinking to quickly come up with results...", the teacher said.

Son Ha and the international gold medal

At the 2024 International Chemistry Olympiad in Saudi Arabia, Giap Vu Son Ha - Bac Giang High School for the Gifted - also won a gold medal.

Son Ha said that the exam had many difficult, new, and strange parts, but thanks to a stable mentality, deep breathing, and drinking enough water, he was in the best mood to do the test. However, Ha felt a bit regretful when he deleted a test because he was "unsure", but later the result of that test turned out to be correct.

"After class, I will choose the most important and core knowledge to study in depth through books and online documents. The evening is a suitable time to review old lessons because it is quiet. Depending on the nature of the exam, the time will be more or less. If it is a rush period, I maintain my review from 7pm to 12pm to maintain high intensity and get used to the pressure of the exam. After a stressful study session, I will reduce 1-2 hours to stay healthy," Ha shared.

Still wearing a white lab coat, Mr. Vuong Truong Son - a chemistry teacher at Bac Giang High School for the Gifted - said that Son Ha is very intelligent, creative, confident, has the ability to self-discover, self-read, self-research, overcome weaknesses and is passionate about chemistry.

Since grade 10, Ha has always completed her homework quickly, and then learned new knowledge. To achieve high results, Ha has been trained and nurtured by her teachers, especially in practical skills.

Unprecedented miracle

Giap Vu Son Ha (middle) practices in the lab under the guidance of teachers - Photo: HA QUAN

According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Phuong - Principal of Bac Giang High School for the Gifted, the three students participating in the school's international Olympic competition winning gold medals is an unprecedented feat. "When receiving the information, not only me but also the teachers of the school, the students, and the education sector of Bac Giang were very happy, excited, and proud of the students," said Mr. Phuong. This was achieved thanks to the attention and investment in education of Bac Giang province such as increasing the number of teaching sessions of professors, incentive scholarships, and the policy of building high-quality key schools in secondary schools... With the above achievements, the three students Than The Cong, Truong Phi Hung, and Giap Vu Son Ha received certificates of merit and bonuses (nearly 121.7 million VND/person) from the Chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee. The three students were also awarded money and valuable gifts by localities, the Association for Promoting Education, the Association of Bac Giang Fellow Countrymen, representatives of universities, and benefactors... Similarly, the two teachers who directly trained them, Nguyen Van Doa and Vuong Truong Son, also received certificates of merit and bonuses.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ba-nam-sinh-cung-truong-gat-huy-chuong-vang-olympic-quoc-te-20240804003713044.htm