Thanks to their outstanding critical thinking skills and serious preparation, DTU students won numerous top awards at the 12th National Student Chemistry Olympiad in 2025.
DTU students won:
o one first prize,
o one second prize,
o one third prize, and
o two honorable mentions.
Notably, the Chemical Society of Vietnam honored the DTU team with a certificate of merit for the entire team’s remarkable contributions and achievements at this year’s Olympiad.
The 12th National Student Chemistry Olympiad, organized by the Ministry of Education & Training, the Vietnam Union of Science & Technology Associations, and the Chemical Society of Vietnam in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) University of Technology of the Vietnam National University HCMC from April 15 to 18, 2025, aimed to create an exciting platform for students passionate about chemistry. With 316 outstanding students from 45 institutions across the country, the Olympiad this year was the largest in scale so far.
The five outstanding DTU students who won awards
Continuing the success of its previous eleven installments, the 12th Olympiad marked a significant step forward in both format and content. The structure of the questions had been overhauled to better integrate theory and practice, reflecting modern educational trends in chemistry. The content was specialized, spanned several key fields, had an emphasis on sustainability, creativity, and real-world applications, and covered:
o general chemistry,
o inorganic chemistry,
o analytical chemistry,
o organic chemistry, and
o green chemistry.
A highlight of this year’s Olympiad was two thematic seminars that explored the role and importance of chemistry in addressing global issues like climate change, environmental protection, and sustainable development.
The seminars were:
o Chemicals and Sustainable Development, and
o Chemistry in Sustainable Environmental Technology.
Student Dan Phuong Anh received a first prize and a precious gold medal
Competing in Group C, DTU with its team of five talented students achieved impressive results, demonstrating their academic excellence and eagerness to learn, and affirming the high quality of specialized training at DTU.
The DTU team won:
o first prize and gold medal: Dam Phuong Anh,
o second prize and silver medal: Tran Thanh Thien,
o third prize and bronze medal: Pham Yen Nhi,
o honorable mentions: Le Nguyen Kieu Linh and Hoang Thi Linh Chi.
“I always felt like this is a competition for the most outstanding students in the country, so I was quite nervous at first,” Dam Phuong Anh, a third-year student of Pharmacy at the DTU Faculty of Pharmacy who won first prize in Group C, shares her thoughts on participating in the Olympiad for the first time. “After studying chemistry for a while, I started to like it more and more, and whenever I managed to solve a difficult problem, I grew more aware of the beauty and wonder of science. The Olympiad gave me a chance to challenge myself, train my thinking and my resilience, and meet people who share my passion. The first prize I won at the Olympiad is the result of continuous effort and the dedicated support of my lecturers at DTU. Mr Thuan, Ms Ha, Mr Tien, and the university leadership supported me and gave me the confidence to compete. To me, this award is not just an achievement but a major milestone in my personal growth: ‘I dared to try, and I could do it.’ ”
DTU received a certificate of merit from the Chemical Society of Vietnam
The Chemical Society of Vietnam honored the DTU team with a certificate of merit for the entire team’s remarkable achievements. This reward is a testament to the university’s serious investment, its team spirit, and the relentless efforts by both lecturers and students for the sustainable development of an academic community in chemistry at DTU.
“The Olympiad this year marked a breakthrough in both scale and academic content,” Dr Phan Thi Viet Ha, Head of Food Technology & Biochemistry at the Faculty of Environmental & Natural Sciences who personally guided the DTU student team for the Olympiad, explained. “The format of the questions was comprehensively overhauled to harmoniously combine theory and experiment, which not only required of the students that they have solid knowledge but also that they can demonstrate applied thinking and quick reactions in the practical test. The organizers also revamped the award evaluation in format and number of awards, to ensure fair and precise awards that recognize of the most outstanding students. The achievements of DTU students at this Olympiad are therefore a source of great pride and testament to the relentless progress in interdisciplinary education and the DTU students’ eagerness to learn and push past their own limits.”
(Media Center)