Ho Chi Minh City 10th-grader wins bronze at International AI Olympiad

Journey to international stage

Khang said this year's IOAI was highly challenging, with 471 students competing in the individual artificial intelligence (AI) programming event.

The main competition took place over two intense days, with contestants given six hours each day to solve three major problems.

The tasks required students to complete the full AI problem-solving process, from data analysis and selecting an approach to programming, training and optimizing models, testing and finalizing their solutions.

The 10th-grader said he had spent only about a year studying AI in depth to prepare for the competition.

His long-standing programming background, however, helped him quickly adapt to the demands of the event.

Khang also faced challenges during his preparation. He expressed deep gratitude to his teachers, who supported him throughout the process, sought out topics and guided him through difficult problems.

At his first global competition, Khang said the most valuable part was not just winning a medal but having the opportunity to meet and learn from older members of Vietnam's team and international peers who share his passion for AI.

Khang hopes to become an artificial intelligence engineer. 

Revealing what motivates his efforts, he said: "I want my family to always be happy and not have to worry too much about my studies. I want to study hard and do well so my parents can be proud of me." 

Building AI skills from early age

For students who show exceptional talent and passion, such as Khang, computer science teachers supplement the standard curriculum, which follows the Ministry of Education and Training's framework, with their own materials for more advanced training.

The training is conducted systematically throughout the selection process, from city- and national-level team selection competitions.

After Khang was selected as one of the eight top students to represent Vietnam at IOAI 2026, the Ministry of Education and Training also arranged for him to travel to Hanoi for an intensive training program.

7/8 Vietnamese students medal at IOAI 

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, seven of the eight Vietnamese students competing at the 2026 International Science Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) won medals, including two golds, one silver and four bronzes.

The third edition of IOAI was held from August 2 to 8 in Astana, Kazakhstan, drawing 108 national and territorial teams and 471 students in the individual AI programming event.

This year's problems were considered highly challenging and creative, requiring contestants to complete the full AI problem-solving process, from data analysis, method selection and programming to model training, optimization, testing and finalizing their solutions.

In addition to knowledge of machine learning and AI, contestants needed strong foundations in programming, data structures, algorithms, probability and statistics, optimization and computational resource management.