St. Paul excels at the HAC Math Olympiad 2025, earning top rankings with creative problem-solving in the “Rising Waters” disaster-themed competition.
St. Paul excels at the HAC Math Olympiad 2025, earning top rankings with creative problem-solving in the “Rising Waters” disaster-themed competition.
Nearly 200 students from nine international schools participated in the HAC Math Olympiad 2025, with the timely theme, Rising Waters. As Vietnam has experienced many large storms this year and faced significant flooding, the math problems at the event were very relevant.
Hosted at Olympia, the academic competition invited young mathematicians to step into the shoes of real-world problem solvers: engineers, planners, and rescuers tasked with protecting communities in times of disaster. We are proud to report that St. Paul American School Hanoi delivered an outstanding performance across all divisions.
With 10 schools, 19 high school teams, and 20 middle school teams in attendance, the competition was strong. St. Paul students came with an open mindset, creative thinking, and strong teamwork:
High School Teams – Placed 2nd and 3rd out of 19 teams
Middle School Teams – Finished 10th and 11th among 20 teams
Overall School Ranking – St. Paul proudly secured 3rd place
These results reflect academic strength and the ability to think under pressure, showing that our students are real problem solvers.
The HAC Math Olympiad is known for bringing mathematics to life, and this year’s theme made the mission especially urgent. Inspired by real flooding scenarios in Vietnam, the competition challenged students to use math as a tool for understanding nature, protecting communities, and making decisions that matter.
Across three immersive rounds, teams were tasked with:
Round 1: Activate the Floodgate System
Students had to calculate and coordinate the optimal sequence to protect a village from rapidly rising water levels.
Round 2: Model Flood Patterns & Build Levee Defenses
Participants analyzed water flow, modeled its path, and designed the most resilient barrier system possible.
Round 3: Navigate Rescue Missions
Teams used mathematics to plot the fastest, safest routes to deliver emergency supplies to affected areas.
Throughout the day, students discovered that math is regularly used in the real world, helping us anticipate risks and reduce harm. The problems were simulations of the situations communities in Vietnam encounter each year.
Beyond the main Olympiad rounds, students also competed in specialized challenge tasks, each demanding a different kind of thinking:
Innovation: Build a device capable of sorting spheres of multiple sizes with speed and accuracy.
Codebreaking: Use ciphers and logical reasoning to crack coded messages.
Elimination: A high-stakes, six-round quiz where a single incorrect answer meant immediate elimination.
These events pushed students to collaborate, think fast, and embrace both ingenuity and discipline.
On the school campus, students not only solved mathematical problems but also developed a deeper understanding of community, resilience, and the power of knowledge.
The “Rising Waters” theme reminded everyone that intelligence is not only for performing well in exams, it can be used to protect others and contribute to a better future.
Our high school and middle school students are engaged in mathematics, critical thinking, and exploration of ideas in the classroom and clubs. We are so proud of their dedication, and willingness to come out and compete with other hard-working students from other schools. Thank you to our faculty for your support, and helping to show students that math can be used to help our community.
