On 8/11, the People's Committee of Gia Lai Province honored Le Kien Thanh, a 12th-grade student in the computer science program at Le Quy Don Specialized High School. At the 2025 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Bolivia, Thanh led the Vietnamese team, ranking 12th out of 334 contestants.
Previously, Thanh won a silver medal at the Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad and has repeatedly won first and second prizes in provincial and national competitions. The school's principal, Huynh Le Minh, said Thanh has had outstanding academic results throughout his three years of high school. He also holds an IELTS certificate with a score of 8.0, achieving perfect scores in reading and writing.
This is the first time Gia Lai Province has had a student win an IOI gold medal. The monetary award is also the highest in the province in recent years.
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Le Kien Thanh speaking at the meeting. Photo: Tran Hoa |
Le Kien Thanh speaking at the meeting. Photo: Tran Hoa
At the award ceremony, Le Kien Thanh acknowledged the support and inspiration he received from provincial leaders, the school, his family, and friends.
"Thank you to my parents for always being there for me, even during the late nights I spent coding or when I struggled with difficult problems," Thanh added.
Thanh shared that his biggest challenges in Bolivia were the time difference and the harsh cold, which caused sleeplessness and fatigue. He also experienced stress from his forceful typing. Therefore, he believes the path to the gold medal involved not just hours of practice and refinement, but also lessons in resilience and intense focus.
Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, said Thanh's achievement inspires young people to pursue their passions and strive for global achievements.
"The province will continue to create conditions to discover, nurture, and develop talent, especially in science, technology, and innovation to achieve breakthroughs," Giang said.
The 2025 IOI took place in Bolivia from 27/7 to 8/3. The four members of the Vietnamese team won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, placing 8th out of 90 participating countries and territories.
Tran Hoa
