Hard work and long hours of study paid off for Ha Khuong Duy, a 17-year-old Nung ethnic student, when he took top honours at the International Math Olympiad.

Ha Khuong Duy, a Nung ethnic student, beat 565 competitors from 140 countries for gold at the International Math Olympiad in Germany last month.

“Mum! I won a gold medal,” Duy cried into the phone, after his win.

Duy’s parents will never forget that day, when the silence of the early morning was interrupted by the ring of the telephone, followed by Duy’s voice exclaiming that he had won.

“We were all awakened with such joy,” Duy’s mother, Nong Thi Tinh, said. “My son’s hard work has finally paid off.”

Glowing with the memory of that day, Tinh said that her son had brought pride to her family, her ancestors and her village.

Bac Giang Provincial Party Secretary Dao Xuan Can and other provincial authorities visited the 17-year-old’s family when he returned to his home in Hoa Binh Village, Yen The District to praise him and present flowers and gifts, including a laptop.

“Duy is the pride of our province. He is the first ethnic student in Bac Giang to win such an honour. He is the second math winner at an International Olympiad in Bac Giang after Nguyen Duc Son, who won at the 2007 contest,” Can told Viet Nam News.

“Duy is a bright example for pupils in the province to follow,” Can added.

“I’m very happy to receive such an honour from the province. The laptop will be very useful in my studies,” said Duy.

Duy’s mother said her son has had a passion for learning since he was in first grade, particularly with math.

“He likes to read books and he never leaves a math lesson,” said Tinh.

“My son studies from 7pm until 2-3am every day, despite my telling him to go to bed by midnight,” Tinh said.

When asked about the secrets of his success, Duy said that he prepared all lessons before going to class very carefully. “I often highlight unclear or difficult passages to discuss with my classmates or ask my teachers about.”

Thanks to this method, Duy understands all his lessons very well.

“Besides the school’s main textbooks, I often read extra documents related to the curriculum.

Borrowing textbooks

“But my parents are poor, so I often borrow textbooks from my friends or my teachers, or ask my parents to borrow them from their friends,” said Duy.

At Noi Bai Airport, after handing his mother a piece of paper with his address in Germany, Duy was gone.

“During the competition in Germany, we encouraged my son every day through phone calls,” Duy’s mother recalled.

Tinh and her husband’s pride in their child is evident from the family’s modest home; its walls are papered with certificates recognising Duy’s academic excellence.

In addition to his studies, the student also has to help his parents with house work.

Duy always helped his family save money by cooking meals and walking to school.

Since primary school, Duy was always the top student in his classes, receiving many awards for academic excellence.

After he finished at the village primary school, his parents were determined to enrol all of their children at a district secondary school.

“Although poor, we still placed importance on our children’s studies,” Tinh said.

“Even during the summer, my husband took my son to extra classes so he could pass the exams to enrol in Ha Noi University’s Math-IT section, an elite school at the university for 12th grade students.”

Duy’s parents’ efforts paid off when he passed his exams and enrolled in many national math contests.

In the 11th and 12th grades, Duy took national second and third prizes for math, and then became the leader in a round robin competition to select a team to attend the International Math Contest in Germany.

All six Vietnamese students who competed in the 49th International Mathematics Olympiad in Germany won medals, the Education and Training Ministry reported.

Duy and fellow 11th grader Pham Duc Hung from the northern port city of Hai Phong took two gold medals, while the other Vietnamese competitors secured two silver and two bronze medals.

Viet Nam began taking part in international math competitions in 1974, when five Vietnamese students recorded a win, second and two thirds between them.

Since then, Viet Nam has participated in 31 similar competitions and regularly ranked in the top 10.

Outstanding record

The nation performed particularly well at the International Math Competition in Greece in 2004 with four wins and two seconds. Viet Nam ranked after China, the US and Russia.

Thus far, the country has won a total of 39 gold, 75 silver and 53 bronze medals. Many of the winning Vietnamese students have become outstanding scientists and researchers.

VietNamNet/VNS