In addition, Son was the contestant with the highest score of the Vietnamese team, ranked 7th out of nearly 350 students from 89 countries and territories.

Journey to the International Chemistry Gold Medal

Before coming to IchO this year, Dinh Cao Son already had excellent academic achievements. Since grade 9, he has always won first prize in provincial competitions for excellent students in Chemistry.

In grade 10, Son was the valedictorian of the Chemistry class at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted; valedictorian of the provincial Chemistry competition for excellent students in grade 10; second prize winner of the national Chemistry competition for excellent students in grade 11; valedictorian of the national Chemistry competition for excellent students in grade 12; valedictorian of the national Chemistry team selection exam. The excellent results from the exams were the leverage that helped the male student of Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted confidently conquer the Chemistry challenge in the international arena.

The results from the exam are the motivation for me to strive even harder, to overcome myself to conquer new challenges. I am very happy and proud to have devoted myself, bringing high achievements to the Vietnamese team at an international playground. But through the competition, being in contact with international friends, I see my own knowledge as a small grain of salt in the ocean. - Dinh Cao Son

Dinh Cao Son said that he and his teammates had gone through more than 100 theoretical and practical lessons under the dedicated guidance of leading professors and doctors. When he was selected as one of the four students representing Vietnam to compete in IchO 2023 in Switzerland, the male student told himself that he needed to make an effort to "bring something back to the Fatherland".

Son was quite nervous and anxious going abroad for the first time to take part in an international exam. In addition to clothes and study materials, Son also packed instant noodles in case the Swiss cuisine did not suit his taste.

“What I enjoyed the most during my time in Switzerland was making friends and interacting with and learning from people all over the world. Meeting friends who were also competitors in the competition made me a little nervous because they were all very talented. However, I told myself to try my best to overcome the psychological barriers,” Son said.

Son assessed that this year's exam was more difficult than previous years, especially the theoretical part. The questions covered many modern scientific issues such as environmental protection, renewable energy, etc. As for the practical part, this is the first time after 3 years of suspension due to the pandemic that the Organizing Committee has continued to include the practical part in the exam. For Son, this is a challenging but interesting part for him to fully demonstrate his abilities.

“The careful guidance of the teachers in the team helped me and my teammates achieve good results in the practical part. My experience while taking the exams is to always make full use of the time allowed to complete and review the test, and make sure I do it well. I don’t set my goals too high, but I always require myself to do my best,” Son shared.

With solid knowledge and determination for the country, Dinh Cao Son performed well in the practical part with a result of 87% and a total score of 82.14/100. After 2 days of brainstorming with more than 300 candidates from 89 countries and territories around the world, Dinh Cao Son won an impressive Gold Medal with the leading score of the Vietnamese delegation and ranked 7th in the world.

The achievements of Son and his teammates (3 Gold Medals, 1 Silver Medal) also contributed to helping the Vietnamese delegation continue to maintain its position in the top group of the IChO competition, ranking 3rd in the entire delegation in terms of the number of Gold Medals.

Recalling the moment his name was called on the honor roll, Son said he felt overwhelmed with joy, even surprised. Although he had many regrets, Son still felt very satisfied with his exam performance.

“To achieve the current achievements, I had to make a lot of effort. Besides, I am always grateful to my teachers, family and friends who have accompanied and followed my every step in the process of conquering Chemistry. IChO 2023 in Switzerland has become a memorable journey in my dream. And I want to express my most sincere gratitude to my loved ones,” the male student proudly shared.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan - Principal of Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted could not hide his joy - said: "The Gold Medal of the International Chemistry Olympiad of Dinh Cao Son is truly a priceless gift that he gives to his family, school, the education and training sector, his homeland and country. This glory comes from his talent, intelligence, determination and aspiration to conquer the pinnacle of knowledge.

This is also the result of the passion, dedication and creativity for the profession and for the students of the teachers of Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted - those who have accompanied me on the arduous journey to conquer the pinnacle of knowledge". It is known that this is the second consecutive year that Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted has won the International Gold Medal in Chemistry.

Humble Champion

Returning from Switzerland after the exam, Dinh Cao Son said that since receiving the award, he has been looking forward to returning home to share the joy with his teachers, friends and especially his family members. Son is the eldest son in a family of two brothers. His parents are self-employed in Ha Tinh city. Although life is difficult, Son and his brother are always given the best conditions to study. For Son, family is the first school of the will to succeed in life.

Continuously achieving high results in exams, many people still call Dinh Cao Son the "child prodigy" of Chemistry. But the owner of this nickname does not like to be called that. Because behind the medals are days of hard work and constant efforts of Son. Son's success is the "sweet fruit" after days of hard study, with the support and guidance of teachers and the support of family and friends.

“To achieve success, you not only need effort, but also passion and perseverance. Chemistry is a science full of thinking, creativity, and practicality, not mechanical, constrained, or theoretical; it combines knowledge with other natural sciences such as Mathematics, Physics, Biology, etc. Therefore, to study Chemistry well, you must study other natural sciences well. Regardless of the subject, in addition to interest, you also need to practice hard,” Son revealed.

Since he first learned Chemistry (grade 8), Son has been very interested in this subject. Dinh Cao Son shared that he was very curious about the experiments that teachers conducted in class. The more he studied, the more passionate he became and discovered that he had many qualities in Chemistry.

The passion for Chemistry grew, bringing Son closer to his dreams and great aspirations in studying. After becoming the valedictorian of the provincial Chemistry competition in grade 9 and becoming a student of the Chemistry specialized class at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted with the top entrance exam result, Son was nurtured, developed and participated in national and international competitions in Chemistry.

The male student shared that before that, during his 12 years of high school, he met many teachers who influenced, inspired, and fueled his passion for chemistry, from elementary school to high school. It was these great teachers in his life who inspired Dinh Cao Son to achieve many great achievements in his journey to conquer Chemistry.

Commenting on his "favorite" student, Mr. Hoang Van Nam - head teacher of the Chemistry team at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted - said: "Along with his talent in Chemistry, what impresses me most about Dinh Cao Son is his will. In both his studies and life, he always sets specific plans and is determined to carry them out. He also has very good life skills. I believe that with his own qualities and skills, Dinh Cao Son will have great strides towards success in the future."

Talking about his classmate, Nguyen Tran Tan Hai (class monitor of the 12th grade Chemistry class at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted) excitedly said: “In class, Son is very kind, enthusiastic with friends and also very eager to learn. Since grade 10, when we were still confused with the new environment, he has been researching and researching course materials from teachers and seniors. In his studies, Son has always been excellent but always modest, not afraid to share with his friends. We were not too surprised by Son's results because before the exam, his friends all believed that Son would bring the International Chemistry Gold Medal to the Vietnamese team.”

Dinh Cao Son's excellent results at the 2023 International Chemistry Olympiad have affirmed the efforts of himself, the team of teachers and leaders and Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted. This is also the effort of the Education sector, affirming the correctness of the strategy of discovering and nurturing excellent students, helping the Ha Tinh Education sector gain a position in the overall development of education in the country. - Mr. Le Ngoc Chau (Vice Chairman of Ha Tinh Provincial People's Committee)

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/dung-goi-em-la-than-dong-post651756.html