David Albon, Director of International Programs and Assessment at Pearson, UK, announced Hoang's results on the morning of 21/3. The announcement occurred at a Pearson Edexcel international general certificate award ceremony for integrated program students in TP HCM.
This is the fifth consecutive year a Vietnamese student has achieved the world's highest primary school math score in the Pearson Edexcel examination. The student's specific score remains undisclosed.
Viet Hoang, a 6th grade student at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary-High School, stated he completed all 30 math questions within 45 minutes during the exam in late 5/2025. He then meticulously reviewed his work five times in the remaining 15 minutes before submission.
"After finishing the test, I was certain I hadn't made any mistakes," Hoang said.
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Tran Viet Hoang, a 6th grade student at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary-High School. Photo: Le Nguyen |
Tran Viet Hoang, a 6th grade student at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary-High School. Photo: Le Nguyen
Hoang said he was "sensitive" to numbers from a young age. At three, his father taught him math puzzles and basic arithmetic.
In primary school, Hoang took English math lessons with native teachers through an integrated program, alongside regular classes. Hoang believes learning math in English broadens his thinking and expands his vocabulary. This also helped him pass the 6th grade entrance exam for Tran Dai Nghia Secondary-High School.
Hoang typically completes most assignments during class. For difficult problems, he seeks guidance from parents or teachers. After school, Hoang plays chess, reads stories, or watches Doraemon films to develop his reasoning skills. He plays at least three chess games daily and has collected 103 storybooks.
Tran Thi Thiep, Hoang's mother, described her son as curious, always asking "tens of thousands of 'why' questions". Hoang also often "corrects" his mother's English pronunciation during conversations.
"Our family rarely speaks English together. But when he hears me speak with foreigners, he points out my mistakes and guides me on pronunciation," Thiep recounted.
TP HCM launched the integrated English program in 2014. Students learn the Vietnamese curriculum alongside an additional 8-15 lessons weekly with foreign teachers in math, English, and science. The program awards Pearson Edexcel certificates: iPrimary for primary school, iLowerSecondary for lower secondary, and International GCSE for high school.
The TP HCM Department of Education and Training reported that 100% of students passed math in last year's certification exams across all three levels. Science scores were comparable to or exceeded the global average.
At the high school level, 30% of students achieved a perfect score (9 points) in math. 85% attained good scores (7-9 points), surpassing the global average of 55%. All students achieved good or excellent scores in English.
Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Department of Education and Training, noted that effective, confident English usage is a highlight for TP HCM students. This shows the integrated program effectively combines national and international education curricula.
The Director stated that the integrated program will soon be expanded to Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau to narrow the gap between regions, realizing the goal of making English a second language in schools.
Le Nguyen
