Vietnam wins 1 gold, 2 bronzes at International Project Chemistry Olympiad in Russia

This marks the third time Vietnamese students have reached the IPCO finals, which were held recently at the chemistry faculty of Moscow State University.

Vietnam sent a four-member team, with each student presenting an independent chemical project.

Le Nguyen Kiet, a 10th-grade chemistry student at Hanoi National University of Education High School for Gifted Students, secured the gold medal for his project on synthesizing dibenzylideneacetone and subsequently preparing and characterizing a complex.

Two bronze medals went to Nguyen Khang Duy, another 10th-grade chemistry student at Thai Nguyen Specialized High School in Thai Nguyen Province, and Thai Hong Quynh Chi, a student in grade 11 at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

Duy's project focused on synthesizing 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione and using it to prepare and identify a complex, while Chi worked on the synthesis and purification of 2-thiophene boronic acid from 2-bromothiophene and butyllithium.

The team's remaining member, Do Dinh Nguyen, worked on the synthesis of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylmethanediamine and subsequently synthesized and characterized a complex.

The Vietnam Chemical Society said the competition provides Vietnamese students with a valuable opportunity to engage in advanced experimental chemistry in an international academic environment.

The IPCO has been held annually since 2019 at Moscow State University for high school students from grades 8 to 11, the highest level under Russia's general education system.

The competition places a strong emphasis on hands-on laboratory skills, scientific creativity, and an in-depth understanding of chemistry.

To qualify for the IPCO finals, participants must first pass a national selection round in their home countries.

In Vietnam, candidates are assessed based on their academic performance and invited to take part in an English-language interview covering chemistry topics ranging from basic concepts to advanced inorganic and organic chemistry, including applied problem-solving questions.

In the final round in Moscow, contestants are given project topics around 10 days in advance and are required to propose research ideas to a panel of judges.

They then carry out their projects during two four-hour laboratory sessions, using only chemicals permitted under the competition's regulations.

Vietnamese students have recorded consistent success at the IPCO in recent years.

The national team won one gold and one bronze medal at the 2024 competition, followed by another gold medal in 2025.