Vietnamese students achieved success at the 2024 Project Chemistry Olympiad (PCO) in Russia, securing a gold and a bronze medal, as announced by the Ministry of Education and Training. The PCO, established in 2020 and hosted by the Faculty of Chemistry at Moscow State University, is a competition for high school students in grades 8 to 11. During the qualifying stage, participants underwent theoretical exams in various locations. In the final round, they engaged in a practical session where each contestant proposed an optimal solution to a specific problem. Following the presentation of their solutions to the Board of Examiners, candidates implemented their projects in a laboratory over two 4-hour sessions to bring their ideas to life.
Contestants are limited to using chemicals specified by the organizing committee. This marks the first year that Vietnamese students have taken part in the Project Chemistry Olympiad (PCO), with four students advancing to the final round. These students are Ha Thanh Nhan, Ngo Chau Hoang, Le Huynh Anh Quy from Le Quy Don High School for Gifted Students in Da Nang, and Le Minh Duc from the High School for Gifted Students at the Hanoi University of Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The PCO's qualifying round in 2024 saw the participation of nearly 1,500 students in Russia, with contestants from Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Brazil, and Vietnam. However, only the Vietnamese contestants progressed to the final round.
Established in 2018, the Olympiad was initiated by a group of proactive students from Moscow State University's Chemistry Department. The competition comprises two primary phases: the qualifying (theoretical) stage and the final (practical) stage. During the theoretical segment, each Olympiad participant is tasked with solving a set of theoretical problems spanning inorganic, physical, and organic chemistry. Those who excel in addressing these challenges are selected to advance to the final stage. In the initial phase of the final section, participants are asked to identify the most efficient approach for solving a specific practical problem.
