The only female student of the Vietnamese team participating in the 2025 International Math Olympiad: Passion passed down from mother

Since his elementary school years, Truong Thanh Xuan has shown a special passion for Mathematics. His passion was nurtured and nurtured by his mother, who was also a student majoring in Mathematics.

While many friends find Math boring and difficult, for Xuan, Math is where she finds joy in solving difficult problems, where each solution is a journey of intellectual discovery .

Xuan won a Silver Medal in the National Math Club for Children competition when he was in grade 5, second prize in the provincial math competition for excellent students in grade 8 and third prize in grade 9.

Truong Thanh Xuan joined the national team to compete in IMO when he was only an 11th grader.

Becoming a student specializing in Mathematics at Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted, at first, Thanh Xuan had no intention of participating in the Math competition or joining any teams. Besides studying, she was excited and spent time on clubs at school. Xuan used to be the deputy head of the school's Debate Club, participated in the Environmental Club, and focused on studying English...

Realizing that Xuan had special qualities in Math, the teachers encouraged him to participate in the school's Math competitions, prepare for the school and provincial teams to have more time to train, practice and study more deeply.

To achieve a position in the national team, Xuan went through a challenging journey. Because initially, Xuan joined the team to compete with the thought of "going to compete to gain experience, learn knowledge, not aiming to win a prize". There was no pressure from the exam, but when joining the school and provincial Math team, Thanh Xuan initially encountered many difficulties because he started later and his knowledge system was not as solid as that of his seniors in grade 12 - who had an extra year of in-depth training, exposed to more difficult types of Math problems.

That is why, Xuan said, when he first joined the national team, he was really overwhelmed by the amount of new and vast knowledge. There were even lessons that he did not fully understand when listening to the professors. Realizing the gap with his "seniors" in grade 12, Xuan made a very serious study plan. He had to study by himself to make up for the lack of knowledge, and find materials on Math to research. Thanks to the guidance of his teachers, Xuan was not afraid to ask questions and find more optimal solutions for each Math problem.

Truong Thanh Xuan and his team members attended a meeting organized by Bac Ninh province before the exam.

In the final stage before the IMO selection round, Xuan focused all his time on Math. The days of studying late into the night, the times of not giving up after solving the wrong problems…, all helped Xuan gradually narrow the gap with the team members in grade 12.

The real turning point came when Xuan entered the team selection exam. Although she was only an 11th grader, Xuan showed excellent performance. She officially won a place in the IMO team - becoming the only female student and also a rare 11th grader to be on this prestigious team.

Having excelled in the IMO team, Xuan’s challenge is not over yet. In the immediate future, he will have to continue training and doing his best to prepare for the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) scheduled to be held in Australia next July.

Xuan's achievement is not only a source of pride for her and Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted, but also has a greater meaning: Breaking the stereotype that Mathematics is a field where men have a superior advantage over women. Xuan's story will inspire many other female students to pursue their passion for Mathematics without being limited by any prejudice.

Vietnam won 5 medals and 1 certificate of merit at the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/nu-sinh-duy-nhat-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-du-olympic-toan-quoc-te-2025-duoc-me-truyen-dam-me-20250404113050018.htm