Professor Dao Hai Long inspires students to follow mathematics

Professor Dao Hai Long posing for a photo with students

This was a rare opportunity for students of Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted to directly talk with one of the most prominent figures of Vietnamese Mathematics in the international arena.

During the meeting, Professor Dao Hai Long gave a talk to the students on the topic “The miraculous development of mathematics, a historical and cultural perspective”. Through mathematical stories framed in historical and cultural contexts, he inspired students to view mathematics in a new and interesting way. He also helped them see the connection between this subject, cultural values, and national spirit.

Professor Dao Hai Long is one of the few Vietnamese people to have won two consecutive IMO gold medals. In 1994, he first achieved this honor at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong. He repeated this accomplishment in 1995 in Canada, putting his name on the list of the most outstanding students in the IMO history of Vietnam, alongside names like Ngo Bao Chau, Ngo Dac Tuan, and Le Hung Viet Bao, etc.

The talk was not only an opportunity to inspire learning, but also a chance to give the teachers and students of Quoc Hoc Hue High School for the Gifted more motivation to continue nurturing their passion for mathematics, connecting knowledge with cultural values and the desire for global integration.

Professor Dao Hai Long is currently teaching at the University of Kansas, the United States of America. This marks his second visit to Hue to meet and share with students. His first visit to Hue was in 1993.