"HCM CITY — A sixth-grade student from HCM City claimed top prize at an international competition for young computer programmers in the Asia Pacific region.

Nguyen Khanh Anh Hoang, an 11-year-old student at the Ngo Tat To School in Phu Nhuan District, won a Golden Cup for his software programme entitled I Love Studying Math. The awards were handed out at the Third Asia-Pacific ICT Awards held in Bangkok, Thailand, last weekend.

Hoang’s work provides math study programmes to first-grade students. One of the contest’s youngest contestants, Hoang successfully demonstrated his English skills and his computer talents, making a strong impression on the judges and the audience. Two other Vietnamese programmers, who work for local information technology companies, also won Golden Cups. Two others received Silver Cups.

The awards, organised by the non-profit organisa-tion Asia Pacific ICT Awards Network, attracted more than 1,000 contestants from 14 countries in the region. The contest introduced the best software products and gave young creators a chance to exchange their ideas on information and communications technology.

"APICTA 2003 also provides a networking opportunity for ICT players to meet and form strategic alliances to advance the industry by showcasing the region’s creativity and innovation in ICT," said Paul Phillips, chairman of the APICTA.

Hoang said his first trip overseas helped him gain new experiences and learn new things. "My foreign colleagues are very talented and they also have better conditions for studying IT compared with Vietnamese youngsters," he said.

He said he created I Love Studying Math to help younger students frightened by math to enjoy the subject.

Hoang studies information technology at the Viet Nam Informatics Centre in HCM City, where he refined his software programme by using colourful and amusing images. He showed the software to first-grade students and teachers at his school and received a warm response.

He also received the top prize for software at the Ninth National Contest for Software Creation held in Da Nang three months ago. The contest, organised by the Ministry of Education and Training, attracted 158 students from many cities and provinces across the country.

HCM City Department of Education and Training is taking steps to provide better information technology training at schools, colleges and universities around the city. It works closely with other offices and organisa-tions to help some secondary and high schools improve information technology education by offering free training courses. — VNS "

ehh... In early 1990's Vietnam hardly had any computers ... Good for you kid, VN future. By the way he a southern Vietnamese Kid

wow props to that kid, i tried programming before and failed miserabbly lol

Wow. Congratulations Hoang! Make Vietnamese proud!

I love Studying Math... How typical asian things

Yeah go you South Vietnamese. LOL

I'm so proud of him.

Indeed, 11 years old ?

Hehe this is another stuff for you South Vietnamese to be proud :-) Oh, I am proud too , of course

IMAGINECUP WORLD CHAMP

FIRST PLACE was claimed by United States-Nebraska. As a one-man team, Tu Nguyen wowed the judges with a virtual presentation of his Point of Delivery System (iPODS), a multi-language wireless application that allows a waiter using a PDA to take orders in one language and transmit them immediately to a server for translation into the chef's native language.

http://www.imaginecup.com/2003/champs.htm

that kid is a genius

I have to agree with you ..

Same here. I'm not good with computers at all.

Same. I can't even design my own signature with photoshop. What a fu-king shame.

This kid also has some respect for his opponents. Hat off to you Hoang

I don't even have a photo-edit'n program. I accidently uninstalled it.

I know only a little about computer
Feel so stupid when I compare that kid to myself

i guess u both need lessons from that kid eh? jk

i wanna grap that I Love Studying Math program of his so i can enjoy math too!!

gj Hoang!!