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🇻🇳 Vietnamese National Excellent Student Exam - Chemistry

Học Sinh Giỏi Hóa Học

🌐 Key Websites

📖 Overview

The Vietnamese Chemistry Olympiad is part of the broader Học Sinh Giỏi (HSG) system — Vietnam's premier national academic competition for high school students across all subjects. The chemistry component is administered by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), with academic support from Vietnam National University (VNU) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam is one of the strongest IChO nations in the world, regularly ranking among the top 5 by gold medal count. Between 2020 and 2025, all 24 Vietnamese participants won medals — 21 gold and 3 silver — an unmatched 100% medal rate over that period. The country's success is built on a well-developed system of specialized schools for the gifted (Trường Chuyên), which serves as the primary talent pipeline.

🏆 Competition Format

The Vietnamese chemistry olympiad operates within the broader HSG framework.

  • 1⃣ Provincial/City Competition

    Students compete at their province or city level. Winners qualify for the national HSG competition. Major provinces include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Nghe An.

  • 2⃣ National HSG Competition

    Provincial winners compete at the national level across all subjects, typically 6,500–6,800 participants in 68 examination councils nationwide. The chemistry exam spans 2 days × 180 minutes. First Prize is capped at ~5% of entrants and grants direct university admission (tuyển thẳng) to top universities. The HSG is one of Vietnam's most prestigious educational events, and provincial governments offer substantial monetary rewards.

  • 3⃣ IChO Selection + Training

    Selection exams by MOET determine the 4-member IChO team. The team undergoes intensive training at VNU Hanoi before the IChO in July.

Talent Pipeline — Specialized Schools

Vietnam's chemistry olympiad success is closely linked to its network of elite specialized high schools:

  • Hanoi–Amsterdam High School for the Gifted (Hanoi)
  • VNU High School for Gifted Students in Natural Sciences (Hanoi)
  • Phan Bội Châu High School for the Gifted (Nghệ An)
  • VNU-HCM High School for the Gifted (Ho Chi Minh City)

These schools provide accelerated chemistry curricula and dedicated olympiad preparation programs. There are approximately 77 Trường Chuyên nationwide — one or more per province — forming the backbone of Vietnam's gifted-education system. In 2026, one Hanoi class alone produced 3 of the 4 IChO team members.

🎓 Career Paths of Top Students

Vietnamese olympiad medalists are highly sought after by top universities domestically and internationally. Between 2016 and 2024, approximately 66% of national olympiad medalists chose to study abroad, with destinations including MIT, Stanford, NUS, and leading European institutions. Among those who stayed in Vietnam, the top three choices are Hanoi University of Natural Sciences (VNU-HUS), Hanoi Medical University, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST).

The Medicine Pipeline

There is a strong cultural preference for medicine (y khoa) among Vietnam's top science students. Among recent chemistry and biology olympiad medalists, a notable majority chose medical school over pure chemistry. For example, 4 of 6 tracked chemistry/biology medalists enrolled in medicine.

📜 History

  • 1996: Vietnam first participated in the IChO (38th IChO, Moscow)
  • 2014: Hosted the 46th IChO in Hanoi (July 21–29) — 75 countries, 291 students. Vietnam won 2 Gold + 2 Silver
  • 2020–2022: All participants won medals during the pandemic-era virtual IChO editions
  • 2023: 3 gold + 1 silver at the 55th IChO (Zürich)
  • 2024: 3 gold + 1 silver at the 56th IChO (Riyadh)
  • 2025: 4 gold at the 57th IChO (Dubai) — tied with China and the US for the most golds; the strongest result ever at an in-person edition
  • 2026: 4 gold at the 58th IChO (Tashkent)

IChO Performance

Medal Count
🥇 Gold 49
🥈 Silver 44
🥉 Bronze 24
🏅 Honourable Mention 3

2020–2025 Dominance

All 24 Vietnamese participants won medals during this period — 21 Gold and 3 Silver — achieving a 100% medal rate, unmatched by any other country.

✨ Distinctive Features

  • Top-5 IChO nation: Vietnam consistently ranks among the world's best, often competing with China, the US, and South Korea for top gold medal counts
  • 100% medal rate (2020–2025): Every Vietnamese participant won a medal over this six-year span
  • Trường Chuyên system: The specialized schools for the gifted are the foundation of Vietnam's olympiad success, providing concentrated chemistry education from an early age
  • MOET centralized strategy: The ministry centrally manages the entire talent-identification, selection, and nurturing pipeline

Past Exams Archive

Limited Resources from Vietnam

Public resources online are still quite limited. I have only found a few recent HSG national-round exam papers.

We would be very grateful if Vietnamese friends could share additional materials with the community.

Year HSG - National
2026 Link
2025 Link
2024 Link
2023 Link
2022 Link