Dang Huy Hau, a 10th-grade student majoring in Informatics at Thang Long Specialized High School in Da Lat (Lam Dong Province), has won a silver medal at the 2025 Asian Informatics Olympiad with a highly original solution that earned a perfect score on Problem 3.

The Asian Informatics Olympiad is known for its difficulty, and students typically need dozens of lines of code to solve problems. However, the youngest member of the Vietnamese team solved the problem using only four lines of core C++ code.

His solution, which was deemed highly innovative by the Ministry of Education and Training and his teachers, earned him the maximum 100 points for Problem 3 and secured his silver medal while still only in 10th grade.

“For regional and international contests, many students write hundreds of lines of code and still score nothing. The key lies in their thinking and problem-solving approach. Hau told me he didn’t even know how he came up with that method during the exam,” shared Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Hau’s Informatics teacher at Thang Long Specialized High School.

Earlier, this 10th-grade student had already won first prize and was named national valedictorian in this year’s national Informatics competition, scoring 25.25 out of 40 points, despite competing in a contest meant for 12th graders.

Hau was the only student from Lam Dong Province to win first prize this year and became the first national valedictorian in the province’s history of academic competitions.

According to Mr. Tuan, this was one of those “rare cases” but not surprising for those who know Hau and recognize his intelligence and exceptional talent.

Hau is already a well-known name in Lam Dong’s informatics competitions. Since Grade 4, he has consistently won top prizes in programming contests.

Notable achievements include first prize in the National Youth Informatics Contest in Grade 5, first prize again in the same contest for the secondary school division in 2023 (Grade 8), and first prize at the Central Highlands Informatics Olympiad in the 2021-2022 school year.

Hau comes from a poor working-class family. His parents, originally from Vinh Phuc, moved to Tan Hoi commune, Duc Trong District, in 2008. The family rents a small, old house in Tan Hiep village, and their income mainly comes from collecting recyclable waste.

Despite these difficulties, Hau has always been a dedicated and high-achieving student.

In Grade 3, Hau was first introduced to Informatics and was immediately fascinated by programming languages. In addition to solving math problems online, he began teaching himself about computers and technology.

His primary school computer teacher, Nguyen Thi Nghia, recognized his enthusiasm and recommended him for the district-level Youth Informatics team. From there, Hau steadily advanced through district, provincial, and national competitions, consistently earning top honors.

In Grade 5, when Ms. Nghia attended a provincial training course for Informatics teachers, she met Mr. Tuan and asked for resources to help coach Hau further.

By Grade 6, the principal of Tan Hoi Secondary School sent a heartfelt letter to Thang Long Specialized High School, requesting extra support for Hau. “At that point, I decided to tutor him online for free from Grade 6 through Grade 9,” Mr. Tuan shared.

At the end of Grade 9, Hau not only passed the entrance exam but also achieved the top score for admission into the Informatics program at Thang Long Specialized High School.

According to Mr. Tuan, Hau is a serious, focused, and persistent learner. “He’s passionate about studying and seeks out smart peers to learn from,” said Tuan.

With his silver medal at the 2025 Asian Informatics Olympiad, Hau has now earned a spot on the Vietnamese team for the upcoming International Informatics Olympiad. This marks the first time a student from Lam Dong will represent Vietnam at the international level.

Hau has also been granted an exemption from next year’s national competition and will proceed directly to the selection round for the international team.

Thanh Hung