9 first prizes at the National Youth Informatics Contest

The 32nd National Youth Informatics Competition Closing and Awarding Ceremony took place on August 28 in Lam Dong. Among them, Hanoi students Le Ky Nam, Do Gia Bao, Nguyen Quang Vinh and Cao Minh Khoi won first prizes in groups A, B, C2 and M1. Ho Chi Minh City has Le Quang Bach, Phan Hoan Kim Phuc, Tran Chi Kien, Huynh Doan Gia Huy and Le Thanh Dat winning first prize in groups A, C1 and D1. The remaining two first prizes went to Nguyen Thanh Long and Nguyen Ha An (Da Nang, group D2), Nguyen Tien Anh (Gia Lai, group M2).

Competitions are organized in the form of individuals or teams. In particular, table C1 and creative product tables allow each team to have a maximum of two members. Because the prizes in these tables are awarded to the entire team, this year’s 9 First Prizes went to a total of 12 students.

In addition to the 9 First Prizes, the Organizing Committee awarded 28 Second Prizes, 56 Third Prizes and 91 Consolation Prizes. In the collective tournament, the Ho Chi Minh City delegation won first prize, Hanoi ranked second and Gia Lai ranked third.

The National Youth Informatics Contest has been held annually since 1995, jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Informatics Association.

After 32 years, the contest is oriented as a playground to discover young information technology talents, while helping students practice logical thinking, creativity and the ability to solve problems using technology.

This year, the Organizing Committee increased the application of technology in exam organization and scoring, expanded participants, updated content in a practical way and diversified forms. The content of Mental Mathematics and Algorithmic Thinking is included in the official exam tables, while creative products are encouraged to apply AI and digital technology to solve problems in education, health, agriculture and life.

“The contest not only tests knowledge or programming skills, but is gradually guiding students towards a more important competency: knowing how to identify problems, think with technology and use technology to create solutions that are useful for people and society,” said Mr. Nguyen Kim Quy, Secretary of the Central Youth Union.

According to him, the value of the youth information technology contest lies not only in the number of contestants or the awards awarded, but also in discovering talents, creating an environment for experimentation and nurturing a passion for technology for many generations of Vietnamese students.

He also emphasized that with the rapid development of AI and digital technologies, the contest needs to help young people develop the ability to identify problems, think with technology and use technology to create solutions that are useful for people and society.

“Technology, especially artificial intelligence, can help us learn faster, do more and go farther; but technology cannot replace independent thinking, ethics and human responsibility,” he said. “Master technology, don’t let technology master you.”

With the winning contestants, he called on each of them to “become a small ambassador of the passion for information technology, science, technology and innovation”, thereby bringing that spirit of discovery and creativity to their schools and localities, sharing it with friends and inspiring many other young people to participate.

For candidates who did not achieve expected results, he mentioned the spirit of scientists and creative people that “one unsuccessful attempt does not determine the future”, but more importantly, after each attempt, one will learn something new.

He also recommended that the Youth Union organization continue to connect contestants with schools, universities, research institutes, scientists and technology businesses, creating more opportunities for them to learn, experience, research and develop ideas into useful products.

According to the Organizing Committee, this year’s contest attracted nearly 54,000 contestants. In the provincial round alone, there were 10,296 people, while 24 provinces and cities organized the exam at the commune and ward levels with 35,323 candidates participating. The qualifying round for free contestants attracted more than 4,000 students, an increase of 70% compared to 2025.

The final round has 248 contestants from 24 provinces and cities, selected through rounds lasting 6 months, from commune, ward, and provincial levels, qualifying rounds for free candidates to regional rounds in the North, Central, and South.