Winning one gold and four silver medals at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), held from July 17 to 25 in France, Vietnam is among the top ten at IPhO France 2025.
Nguyen The Quan from Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted in Nghe An Province won a gold medal; meanwhile, Ly Ba Khoi and Truong Duc Dung (HUS High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi), Nguyen Cong Vinh (Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted) and Tran Le Thien Nhan (Quoc Hoc-Hue High School for the Gifted) won four silver medals. All are 12th graders.
The 55th IPhO took place in France from July 17 to 25, attracting the participation of over 400 students from 94 countries and territories around the world. The conclusion ceremony for the IPhO France 2025 took place on July 25 at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France.
Competing at the IPhO since 1981, Vietnamese students have won 45 gold medals, 58 silver medals, 49 bronze medals and 18 certificates of merit, vnexpress.net reported.
An Irish man cycles 12,000km to Vietnam
Gavin Quinn, 28, from Dublin, Ireland, cherished the wish to travel around the world to satisfy his three big passions – traveling, discovery and cycling. In 2022, he cycled 5,000km across Europe in the form of bikepacking.
One day, Quinn happened to see a picture of Vietnam’s Halong Bay, one of the seven new world wonders. He then decided to make a cycling trip from Europe to Asia, or from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
After half a year of training and preparing personal papers for the trip, Quinn departed on July 1, 2024. He cycled from Ireland to Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and Georgia. He stayed in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, during winter.
In March 2025, Quinn continued his trip across the desert between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, then crossed the mountain range between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. He then took a flight to Bangkok, Thailand, where he continued cycling to Laos and finally to Vietnam on July 8 this year, ending his intercontinental cycling trip in 374 days.
Quinn cycled alone most of his long-distance trip. He stayed overnight in a tent or any possible accommodation. Making such a trip, he expected to raise funds for the Purple House Cancer Support Center, a community-based cancer support center in Ireland, according to vnexpress.net.
Donating hair to cancer patients
Learning that the Hair Library of the Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV) receives donated hair to present it to female cancer patients in need, Nguyen Thi Hong Sen, vice chairwoman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Son Commune cum secretary of the commune’s Youth Union, began to grow her hair as long as possible, with a view to presenting it to cancer patients as a gift of kindness.
In 2023, when Sen’s hair was long, she cut it and sent it to the Hair Library by mail. She told thanhnien.vn that she would continue to grow her hair to give it to cancer patients in need via the Hair Library.
Like Sen, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhang, who works at the Party Committee of Binh Son Commune, also cut her beautiful long hair for the same purpose in response to the appeal from the BCNV. At the same time, Ngo Thi Xuan My, a local resident in Binh Son, and her daughter, Phan Ngo Kha Di, an elementary student, decided to present their hair to the cancer patient who is Di’s teacher. As the teacher was cured and her hair had already grown, the mother and her daughter donated their hair to the Hair Library for those in need.
Free piano class brings joy to elderly in HCMC
A free piano class in Hiep Binh Ward, HCMC, is providing elderly residents with more than just music lessons. It fosters purpose, sharpens minds, and nurtures emotional bonds within a close-knit and supportive community.
Held every Tuesday and Friday morning on Linh Dong Street, the class was founded by Tran Thi Tho, 41, and originally intended for children. Over time, however, it has become a welcoming space where older adults revive long-lost musical dreams.
Among the regular students is 71-year-old Bui Tuan Kiet, who has been attending for nearly six years. “I dabbled in guitar when I was young, but the piano always felt like an unattainable dream. Now, in my old age, I finally have the chance to sit at a piano,” Kiet told the Tuoi Tre news site.
With support from volunteers, Tho has sustained it for over a decade, demonstrating that it is never too late to learn or find harmony later in life.
