This talk is part of a series of activities celebrating 50 years of Vietnam's participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO, 1974 - 2024).

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality Management, Ministry of Education and Training, said that in 50 years with 48 times participating in IMO, the Vietnamese team had 289 students participating and won 69 Gold Medals, 118 Silver Medals, 84 Bronze Medals, 3 Certificates of Merit. Of these, 10 excellent students achieved absolute scores, 10 students won 2 Gold Medals. In terms of unofficial team achievements, the Vietnamese team was in the top 10 in the world in most years of the competition.

Delegates attending the discussion

Many medalists at the IMO have become world-leading scientists . In addition to Professor Ngo Bao Chau, there are also Professor Dam Thanh Son, Professor Dinh Tien Cuong, Professor Ngo Dac Tuan...

Prof. Dr. Le Anh Vinh, Director of the Vietnam Institute ofEducational Sciences, who also won the IMO Silver Medal and spent 10 years as a captain leading the team to international competitions, said that Vietnam's achievements in participating in the IMO were based on the system of specialized high schools in the provinces and cities. If Vietnam wants to compete at the top, it can think about and improve the selection of teams.

Dr. Tran Nam Dung, Vice Principal of the Gifted High School, Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that the team's achievements depend on whether or not good students are selected. Using many exams will make the denominator very accurate. Currently, there is only one exam to select the team, the national excellent student exam, so sometimes there are errors. Therefore, the team selection process should be more careful. The team training work needs to prioritize young members and former members of the IMO team.

Starting from universities

Professor Ngo Bao Chau, Scientific Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, believes that IMO is just one path among many paths to lead a person to become a scientist. He himself affirmed that if he had not participated in IMO, he would certainly not have become a mathematician like today. According to Professor Ngo Bao Chau, Vietnam is talking a lot about training human resources for artificial intelligence, semiconductor microchips and wants to master these technologies. "But how can we master them if the time for Math subjects and perhaps many other basic subjects is cut, both in high school and university? In the era of information explosion and artificial intelligence, I think we need to avoid cramming in new knowledge, but need to return to the basic foundations, with basic principles of reasoning and thinking," Mr. Chau suggested.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son said that if you want a tree to grow tall, you have to cultivate it from the roots. The Ministry of Education and Training always emphasizes the role of Mathematics, from high school to university and post-graduate training, and in research. Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, Mathematics becomes more and more important.

Attracting talented people to work in the country may take more time, but what can be done immediately is that universities are the best environment for Vietnamese teachers and scientists abroad to return to work and teach.

NGHIEM HUE