All six members of Vietnam’s team won medals – three golds and three silvers – at the 54th International Mathematical Olympiad for high school students held this year in Santa Marta, Colombia from July 18-28.

Vo Anh Duc, of Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam, and Pham Tuan Huy and Can Tran Thanh Trung, of Ho Chi Minh City, won gold medals.

All six members of Vietnam’s team won medals – three golds and three silvers – at the 54th International Mathematical Olympiad for high school students held this year in Santa Marta, Colombia from July 18-28.

Vo Anh Duc, of Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam, and Pham Tuan Huy and Can Tran Thanh Trung, of Ho Chi Minh City, won gold medals.

Dinh Le Cong, of the north-central province of Nghe An, Hoang Do Kien, of Vinh Phuc Province in the north, and Tran Dang Phuc, of Hanoi, won silver medals.

All six attend high schools for gifted students.

Vietnam finished seventh out of 97 participating countries and territories. China won the competition, followed by South Korea, the US, Russia, North Korea and Singapore.

It was Vietnam’s strongest performance at the event since 2008. 

The country finished in third place in 2007 and 1999, its two best showings so far.

Last year, Vietnam bagged one gold, three silver and two bronze medals to finish ninth, bouncing back after its worst ever performance in 2011, when it came in 31st place.

The annual math contest was first held in Romania in 1959. Vietnam first competed at the event in 1974.

All other members of the Vietnamese team also won medals at other annual international contests earlier this year.

They won two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the 44th International Physics Olympiad held in Denmark from July 5-15, and one gold and three silver medals at the 45th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Russia from July 15-24.

The students were also awarded two silver and two bronze medals at the 25th International Olympiad in Informatics from July 6-13 in Australia; and four bronze medals at the 25th International Biology Olympiad in Switzerland from July 14-21.

Vietnam will host the 46th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad next year.