Five sevens and a one
The olympiad runs two papers of three problems, each worth seven points, with four and a half hours for each paper. A perfect score is 42, and the third problem on each day is set to be beyond most of the field. Nguyen took full marks on problems one to five, including the third, and scored a single point on the sixth.
That single point is not nothing. The coordination process awards partial credit against a published scheme, so a one records a fragment of a correct argument rather than an attempt. On a paper where the last problem defeats the large majority of contestants, the row shows a script that had begun to move on the hardest question when the time ran out.
Joint fourteenth of 666
The 2026 olympiad in Shanghai drew 666 contestants. Seven wrote perfect papers: Leyan Deng, Che Liu and Bolun Zhang of China, Hyeonjun Lee of the Republic of Korea, Alex Chui of the United Kingdom, and Liam Reddy and Alexander Wang of the United States. Nguyen's 36 placed him joint fourteenth, inside the top three per cent.
He shared the position with Shinjiro Hamakawa of Japan, who reached the same 36 by the opposite route: full marks on five problems and one point on the third rather than the sixth. Two identical totals, two different papers. The ranking treats them as equal because the olympiad ranks on the sum, not on which question was answered.
Where the result comes from
The only source used for this page is the official results table published by the organisers of the competition. It lists the name, the country, the six problem scores, the total, the rank and the medal. Those figures pass through coordination, in which team leaders and jury agree each mark before it is entered, which makes the table a primary document rather than a report of one.
It is also a narrow document. The research record compiled for this page gives Nguyen's name in a second form, Nguyen Dinh Tung, as it would appear in Vietnamese order, and nothing further. No profile, interview or national report is among the sources gathered.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: the total of 36, the breakdown of 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 1, the joint fourteenth place, the gold medal, Vietnam as the country, and Shanghai in 2026 as the competition.
Open: no birth year, no age, no school, no city and no photograph appear in these sources. Nothing states whether Nguyen competed at earlier olympiads, whether he was part of a Vietnamese team that medalled elsewhere, or what he has done since the competition closed. Those gaps are recorded as gaps.
Why the last problem decides the order
Olympiad tables are shaped by the two hardest questions. Dozens of contestants arrive at the final ranking with a run of sevens and a low number in one column, which is why totals cluster at 35 and 36 and why so many places are shared. The medal boundaries are then drawn by proportion: gold to roughly the top twelfth of the field.
A result stated as a rank and a breakdown survives that compression. Nguyen's gold medal in 2026 is one of a large group; his 36 points, joint fourteenth of 666, and the particular row that produced them, are specific to him and come straight from the organisers.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinh Tung Nguyen | Vietnam | He solved the first five problems without losing a mark, then met the last | — |
| Junghun Ju | South Korea | A perfect score at the International Mathematical Olympiad | — |
| Amber Li | Australia | Three consecutive EGMO gold medals | — |
| Aida Mitroi | Romania | Three consecutive EGMO gold medals | — |
| Alisa Volkova | Russia | She solved five of the six problems outright and finished twelfth in the w | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- 36 points of 42 at IMO 2026 in Shanghai, joint fourteenth, gold medal (official IMO results)
- Per-problem scores of 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 1
- Competed for Vietnam in a field of 666 contestants
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No age, birth year, school or city appears in these sources
- No interview or national coverage is included among the sources used
- No record of earlier or later olympiad appearances
Questions people ask about Dinh Tung Nguyen
What did Dinh Tung Nguyen achieve?
A gold medal for Vietnam at the 2026 International Mathematical Olympiad in Shanghai, with 36 points out of 42 and joint fourteenth place among 666 contestants.
What was his score on each problem?
Seven out of seven on problems one to five, and one out of seven on problem six.
How old is Dinh Tung Nguyen?
No source in this record gives his age or birth year. The official results table publishes names, countries, scores, ranks and medals only.
Is Nguyen Dinh Tung the same person?
Yes. The research record lists Nguyen Dinh Tung, the Vietnamese order of the name, as an alternative form.
Who else finished on 36 points?
Shinjiro Hamakawa of Japan shared joint fourteenth place with the same total, reached with full marks on five problems and one point on problem three.
Who won the 2026 olympiad?
Seven contestants scored a perfect 42: Leyan Deng, Che Liu and Bolun Zhang of China, Hyeonjun Lee of the Republic of Korea, Alex Chui of the United Kingdom, and Liam Reddy and Alexander Wang of the United States.
Is Dinh Tung Nguyen on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article was found for him. The source used here is the official IMO results table.
Where is Dinh Tung Nguyen now?
No source in this record says. The documented trail is a single row in the 2026 results.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Nguyen’s story?
How many points did Dinh Tung Nguyen score at IMO 2026?
On which problem did he drop marks?
Which country did he represent?
Sources
- IMO 2026 individual results — International Mathematical Olympiad, 2026
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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