Vietnamese Teen Aces Physics Test That Stumps China's Olympians

Nguyen Nhat Minh, a Vietnamese high school student, has won a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from July 4 to 12, achieving a perfect score of 30 out of 30 in the theoretical section. Minh was one of only two contestants globally to achieve a perfect score in the theoretical exam, the other being Vu Nguyen Nguyen, an 11th grader from Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. Their scores propelled Vietnam's five-member team to a seventh-place finish among 85 participating countries and territories, marking the best result in the nation's IPhO history. The team secured four gold medals and one silver, matching Vietnam's 2017 achievement, though no contestant that year achieved a perfect score in theory. Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Cong Toan, a vice principal at Minh's school and an experienced Olympiad coach, noted that perfect theory scores are exceptionally rare, even for top-tier teams like China's. "My goal was gold, but I never thought I could get a perfect theory score. I'm very happy, surprised and delighted," Minh said. Minh, a student in the specialized physics track at the High School for Gifted Students at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, was the sole applicant among over 600 to earn a perfect 10 on the physics entrance exam. He developed a passion for physics in middle school and led his district's physics team by eighth grade. This year, he won first prize at the national student competition and successfully navigated both regional and international selection rounds. In May, he also earned a silver medal at the Asian Physics Olympiad. The team underwent intensive training at Hanoi National University of Education. Minh dedicated himself to solving past Asian and international competition papers, analyzing problem construction and data extraction techniques. For the practical exam, he reportedly stayed in the lab past curfew on several nights. Mechanics, optics, and calculation-intensive problems were his strengths, while abstract questions about the universe posed the greatest challenge. He aimed for a bedtime before 12:30 a.m. and was often the first to finish, encouraging teammates to rest. Nguyen Nhat Minh with his IPhO 2026 gold medal. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Nhat Minh Minh found this year's papers gentler than in previous years, built around familiar phenomena with few tangled questions. The essay-based theory paper opened with a mechanics problem split into three scenarios. "I opened the paper and hit my strong suit right away, so I was quite excited," he said. The final theory question asked him to prove a formula linking magnetism and heat. He rated it the hardest and spent an hour on it, weighing approaches before sticking with his own. In the practical exam a broken water valve cost him about 10 minutes while organizers repaired it, and he judged one of his results well off the true value. "Luckily the problems didn't affect my composure or my results much," he said. Toan, who has mentored Minh since ninth grade, attributes his success to the integration of fundamental physics principles with strong mathematical skills for complex problems. "When I heard Minh had won gold with a perfect theory score, I was happy but not really surprised, because I believed he could handle those problems," Toan stated. This trip marked Minh's first long-haul flight. In Colombia, he interacted with competitors from numerous countries and sampled local cuisine, including dishes made from ants. Minh now plans to focus on improving his English skills in preparation for future applications to study abroad. Subsidiary of VnExpress License number: 71/GP-CBC, Ministry of Information and Communications, September 22, 2021 Editor-in-Chief: Pham Van Hieu Email: [email protected]: 028 7300 9999 - Ext 8556 10th floor, Block A FPT Tower, 10 Pham Van Bach, Cau Giay Ward, Hanoi Information source: VnExpress International