The two gold medals at the 2026 International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad went to Nguyen Viet Trung Nhan, an 11th grader at the High School for Gifted Students under the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Nguyen Huu Tuan, a 12th grader at the same school.

The silver medal was won by Nguyen Anh Hung, an 11th grader at the High School for Gifted Students under the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Four bronze medals went to Phan Dinh Triet, a 12th grader at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted in Da Nang; Le Minh Quan, a 12th grader at Quang Trung High School for the Gifted in Dong Nai Province; Ha Gia Minh, an 11th grader at the High School for Gifted Students under the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; and Nguyen Le Duy Khang, a 10th grader at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2026, the organizers awarded a total of 37 gold, 73 silver and 110 bronze medals. With its results, the Vietnamese team demonstrated its ability to compete among the world’s leading performers in artificial intelligence, while showcasing the students’ talent, thinking skills and ability to engage with emerging technologies.

The Ministry of Education and Training said the achievement demonstrates the quality of Vietnam’s general education at a time when the country is implementing the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation. The result also provides a foundation for the ministry to continue efforts to make artificial intelligence an official subject in Vietnam’s national excellent student competition in the future.

2026 marks the first year that the Ministry of Education and Training has organized a two-round selection process for a national team to compete in the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad. In the first round, 1,188 students from 34 provinces and cities competed online, with 246 advancing to the second round. There, students took an in-person computer-based AI programming test, from which the eight highest-performing students were selected to represent Vietnam at the international competition.

This year’s problems were considered highly challenging and creative, requiring contestants to complete the entire process of solving an artificial intelligence problem, from data analysis and method selection to programming, model training and optimization, testing and final product development. In addition to knowledge of machine learning and artificial intelligence, contestants needed a solid foundation in programming, data structures, algorithms, probability and statistics, optimization and computational resource management.

The 2026 International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad was held in Kazakhstan from August 2-8, bringing together 108 teams representing countries and territories, with 471 students competing in the individual AI programming category.

The number of participating countries and territories increased sharply this year, while the competition materials were prepared in 44 translations across different languages, reflecting the growing scale and competitiveness of the international artificial intelligence competition.

Thanh Hung