You don't have to do math research to need math.

Professor Ngo Bao Chau is currently the Scientific Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics and Professor at the University of Chicago (USA). He is the first and only Vietnamese person to date to win the Fields Medal; the first student and one of 10 Vietnamese students to date to win the IMO Gold Medal twice (IMO 1988 and IMO 1989).

Talking about mathematics, Professor Ngo Bao Chau said that currently, many people in society are concerned about mathematics and learning mathematics. They often ask the question: What is the purpose of learning mathematics? Why do we have to learn so much mathematics when we will never use integrals, differentials or solve quadratic equations in our entire life?

According to Professor Ngo Bao Chau, learning math is not just to solve equations but to increase the ability to make decisions independently. Decisions here are not made because people tell them so, but must be justified to oneself, that the decision is correct for oneself. Therefore, learning math is not only important for scientists but also important and meaningful for everyone. The country will grow when everyone has the ability to think independently and rationally. The face of the country will also change positively if students and people learn math better.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Phi Le - Director of the International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (BKAI), Hanoi University of Science and Technology - who won a Silver Medal at IMO 2000, and is also the 11th female student from Vietnam to win a medal in the history of IMO Vietnam, mathematics plays a very important role in life.

Learning math is not for competitions, but more importantly, math gives people good logical thinking. When studying math intensively for a long time; it means being trained in perseverance, not being afraid of difficulties, not being afraid of hardship; so that if encountering any problems, they will focus, try to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Phi Le stated that math is not only used for research in mathematics, but can be applied in many industries, professions, and fields. If you have in-depth knowledge of mathematics and study mathematics well, it will be very helpful. In management and in life, if someone has good thinking, they will have good synthesis and overview skills; from there, they can plan and solve problems well.

Cultivate perseverance and determination from learning math

For Dr. Pham Tuan Huy, Stanford University, USA - who won the IMO Gold Medal twice (2013, 2014), math knowledge may not be directly related to work but is very meaningful in training him to not be afraid of difficulties.

For example, when solving elementary math problems, he hopes to have a beautiful solution, but when taking exams, he cannot always find the desired solution. Just like life, we always encounter bumpy roads, but no matter how difficult it is, we still have to try to go slowly and be as patient as possible; like that, sooner or later, we will reach the final step. He got this philosophy from studying math and he always carries it with him in his life and work later on.

Mr. Pham Kim Hung - who won the IMO Gold Medal 2004 and IMO Silver Medal 2005, and received a full scholarship to Stanford University, USA, shared that the philosophy of mathematics and the logical thinking of mathematics help him a lot in life as well as in work. The greatest value of studying mathematics is that it helps him to be persistent; to be able to concentrate for a long time.

Proving that mathematical thinking is helpful in many different professions, editor and football commentator Nguyen Huu Viet Khue, working at Vietnam Television, shared a very interesting story. Editor Viet Khue, who graduated as Valedictorian of the Bachelor of Mathematics Talent program at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Valedictorian of the national university in 2006; a former outstanding student of Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, who was admired by the online community for his university transcript of "all 10s", said that although he is currently working in a job unrelated to mathematics, his mathematical knowledge and logical thinking of a mathematician help him a lot in his work.

For example, in the EURO 2024 finals, the round between Belgium - Romania - Slovakia - Ukraine had 4 teams with the same points. Before the final match, there were many possibilities that could happen to the 4 teams and he spent about 2 minutes analyzing these possibilities with football fans on TV. After that program, he received many positive responses from colleagues and the audience. According to him, it was just a small application of what he had learned about math.