Inside the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad exam room in Australia

(Baohatinh.vn) - The 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in 2025 will take place from July 10 to 20 in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, with the participation of more than 630 contestants from more than 110 countries and territories.

The official test will be held on July 15 and 16 at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre at the Novotel Twin Waters Hotel. This is the second time Australia has hosted the test, the first being in 1988.

The contestants reunited in Australia on the first day.

The opening ceremony of the IMO 2025 competition took place on July 14, at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre.

In the solemn and joyful opening ceremony, the contestant delegations took turns on stage to introduce themselves and meet international friends. In the photo: The Vietnamese delegation of 6 contestants attending IMO 2025. (Source: MOET)

VIDEO : Vietnam delegation debut. (Source: IMO 2025)

During the two official exam days, candidates from all over the world entered a special exam room together – arranged in a very large common space. Each candidate was assigned a separate table, placed far apart.

Candidates are only allowed to bring the required items. Because the test is quite long, the organizers have arranged an area to serve food and drinks and have invigilators to assist candidates when they need to go out to use the restroom.

Candidates took 9 hours of exams on July 15 and 16. The IMO 2025 exam consisted of 6 problems: 2 arithmetic problems, 2 combinatorial problems, 1 geometry problem and 1 algebra problem (with combinatorial statements and combinatorial thinking requirements).

Each day of the exam, students must solve three problems. Candidates can receive the questions in their mother tongue, but must register in advance and be approved by the organizing committee.

Notably, the only geometry problem in the exam, problem number 2, was proposed by Vietnam, authored by Mr. Tran Quang Hung, a teacher at the High School for Natural Sciences , University of Natural Sciences , Vietnam National University, Hanoi. This is the fourth time Vietnam has had a problem selected for the official exam of IMO, after 1977 (author: Phan Duc Chinh), 1982 (author: Van Nhu Cuong) and 1987 (author: Nguyen Minh Duc).

Outside of exam time, students can participate in many recreational activities such as playing table tennis, badminton, playing video games, visiting the zoo and getting acquainted with typical Australian animals such as kangaroos and koalas.

These activities not only help candidates relax after exam hours but are also an opportunity for them to interact and connect with international friends.

On the morning of July 19, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the official results of the Vietnamese national team at IMO 2025. Accordingly, the Vietnamese team ranked 9th overall with a total score of 188, surpassing many math powerhouses and achieving significantly higher results than in 2024. All 6 participating students won medals, including 2 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals and 1 Bronze Medal.

The two Gold Medals went to Vo Trong Khai (grade 12, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Nghe An) with 38 points - ranked in the top 10 candidates with the highest scores in the exam and Tran Minh Hoang (grade 12, Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted) with 35 points, ranked 27th in the world. Notably, Khai and Hoang were classmates in secondary school in the old Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh province, and now shine together in the international arena.

The International Mathematical Olympiad has been held annually since 1959. Vietnam has participated since 1974 and has continuously achieved outstanding results.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/ben-trong-phong-thi-olympic-toan-quoc-te-nam-2025-tai-australia-post292023.html