Hanoi welcomes 'intellectual ambassadors' returning home with excellent achievements at IOAA

Excellent performance

On the morning of August 22, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training held a ceremony to welcome and congratulate the achievements of the delegation of Vietnamese officials, teachers, and students participating in the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in 2025.

Reporting on the delegation's achievements, Mr. Pham Quoc Toan - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, head of the Vietnamese student delegation participating in the IOAA 2025 competition, said: This year's competition was held in Mumbai, India with the participation of nearly 300 students from 66 countries and territories - the largest competition ever.

Candidates must pass the exams, including theory, data processing, sky observation practice and indoor projection test. This year's exam has many innovations in content and format compared to last year. The Organizing Committee has implemented a methodical and thoughtful organization of the exam, with full modern equipment in the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

“Compared to other natural sciences , Astronomy and Astrophysics are the oldest sciences and are considered one of the most difficult sciences of mankind. In Vietnam, this is a truly new subject and field,” said Mr. Pham Quoc Toan.

Participating in this year's competition, the Hanoi team representing Vietnam had 5 students, including 4 students from Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and 1 student from Newton Secondary and High School. As a result, 100% of the students won medals with 1 Gold Medal, 3 Silver Medals, 1 Bronze Medal - the highest result ever for Vietnam in this competition.

Specifically, the Gold Medal went to Vu Nguyen Nguyen (Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted). 3 Silver Medals went to 3 students: Dang Nam Phong, Nguyen Minh Hieu (Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted); Hoang Pham Minh Khanh (Newton Secondary and High School); Bronze Medal went to Nguyen Truong Yen (Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted).

With 288 contestants, the Organizing Committee awarded 144 sets of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals (50% of the contestants). Vietnam is one of the few countries and territories with 100% of students winning medals and is one of the teams with the best results in the contest.

Mr. Pham Quoc Toan said that during the competition, the Vietnamese delegation received a warm welcome and strictly followed all regulations of the Organizing Committee. Along with the excellent completion of the competition content, the delegation visited the Vietnamese Embassy in India and participated in a number of exchange activities with the student delegation participating in the competition according to the program.

Spread the spirit of passion for learning

At the ceremony, Vu Nguyen Nguyen (Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted) - the Gold Medal winner expressed his honor and emotion when he and his team members achieved excellent results in the exam.

To achieve this result, on behalf of the team members, Nguyen Nguyen would like to thank the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, Newton Secondary and High School, teachers in the team as well as parents who accompanied the students throughout the preparation and competition period for their care and support.

“IOAA is not only an international knowledge competition but also an opportunity for us to exchange and broaden our vision of the world . The results achieved at the competition are a meaningful gift we give to the country, the capital and the school on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on September 2nd,” Nguyen Nguyen shared.

Emphasizing the resounding, highest ever achievement of Vietnamese students at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong affirmed that this is a proud result and an honor for the entire Hanoi Education and Training sector, schools, teachers and students' families.

The Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training highly appreciated the contributions of the schools, teachers and students of the two schools and affirmed that the students are intellectual ambassadors of Hanoi and the whole country. The students' passion for learning has contributed to spreading the passion for learning to students throughout the capital. This is a favorable first step for them to continue to strive on their journey to establish themselves and their careers.

"This brilliant achievement is not a matter of luck but the result of a long journey full of efforts by students, teachers, school leaders, experts; the attention and direction of the education and training sector as well as the city leaders when recognizing and determining this as an important exam, an opportunity to affirm Vietnamese intelligence in the international intellectual arena," Mr. Tran The Cuong emphasized.

At the ceremony, the Director of the Department of Education and Training awarded 5 medal-winning students and 3 staff and teachers who contributed to the excellent achievements of the delegation.

Vietnam to host IOAA 2026

At the ceremony, the Department of Education and Training announced that Hanoi - Vietnam will host the 19th Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2026, the 10th year Vietnam has participated in the competition. This is great news, a strong affirmation of Vietnam's position on the global knowledge map. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training has reported to the city's leaders and prepared the necessary conditions to ensure the success of the competition.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/ha-noi-chao-don-cac-dai-su-tri-tue-ve-nuoc-voi-thanh-tich-xuat-sac-tai-ioaa-post745195.html