Vietnamese students participating the international math contest in Thailand and their teachers. Photo credit: Thanh Nien

Two Vietnamese contestants have won gold medals from an international mathematics contest for high school students that ended in Thailand Wednesday.

The gold medalists are Vu Xuan Trung and Nguyen The Hoan from the northern province of Thai Binh.

It is the second gold medal from the contest for Hoan, who studies in Hanoi. He had made a resolution after winning the first medal last year that he would win another one as a gift for his parents, who work as low-paid masons at construction sites.

All six Vietnamese attendants at the 56th International Mathematics Olympiad came home with medals, including three silvers and one bronze. They all come from high schools for gifted students. The number of medals put Vietnam at the fifth position out of 104 participating countries, after the US, China, South Korea and North Korea. The number of medals put Vietnam at the fifth position out of 104 participating countries, after the US, China, South Korea and North Korea.

Education officials said it was the best result from Vietnamese students in recent years, compared to the seventh position in 2013 and tenth last year.