Dang Van Thanh, a talented Year 6 pupil from the Da Nang-based Nguyen Khuyen Junior and Senior High Schoo, brought home a Gold Award at the Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) 2019, which took place from 6 – 9 July.

Thanh is seen showing off his Maths medals he has won over the past years

A total of more than 1,100 contestants from 19 countries and territories worldwide competed at the contest which consisted of 3 categories: 1 individual written Math Olympiad Contest and 2 team-based challenges – Maths Warriors Competition and Mind Sports Challenge.

Thanh won a Gold Award in the Math Olympiad Contest. He said this category is an individual written test, which consists of 9 differentiated levels. The duration of the contest is 90 minutes and every paper consists of 25 questions.

He and other member in Team Viet Nam brought home a Bronze Award at the team-based Mind Sports Challenge. This is a one hour activity where each team (same team as Maths Warriors), will be given 10 IQ logic questions in a booklet and 4 hands on puzzles to solve.

“I am very happy as this is the first time I has claimed the gold at an international contest. Not only does this encouraging result bring a joy and happiness for myself and my family, but it is also a pride for my school.”, happily said Thanh.

In the eyes of his teacher and coursemates, Thanh is kind-hearted, friendly, enthusiastic pupil. Aside from his high proficiency in Mathematics, the talented boy has recorded many worth-praising achievements in English and Informatics compared to his peers.

In the 5^th grade, Thanh took his family and school by surprise as he gained many notable prizes at domestic and international competitions. Notably amongst them were a Gold Award at SASMO 2018, a Bronze Award at AMO 2017, a second prize at the National Robothon Competition, and first prizes at the municipal-level Maths contest for Children and Youth Informatics Contest.

Remarkably, Thanh has been honoured the municipal People's Committee as one of the city’s most outstanding school pupils.

Fully aware of their son’s great passion for Maths, Thanh’s parents have paid heed to buying many Maths books as gifts for him. Thanh showed his aptitude for this tough but interesting subject when he was a very little boy, and he did his best to solve the hardest maths problems at school.

When asked how to be good at Maths, Thanh revealed he has always focused on thoroughly grasping the background knowledge of the subject, regularly spending time solving as many Maths problems as possible, and picking up more knowledge from the Internet. He always keeps in mind that she will do her utmost to constantly improve her knowledge, and gain more success in her studies.

In addition to Maths, the talented boy shows his active engagement in extracurricular activities and sports events at school.