Competing against 139 leading universities from across the world, HCMUS-AtCoder delivered a strong performance. Within the opening four hours of the five-hour contest, the team completed seven out of twelve problems. During the final phase, the members advanced further, solving eight problems in total. This result placed the Vietnamese team among the High Honours group, alongside Carnegie Mellon University, ETH Zurich, KAIST, Kyoto University, University of California Berkeley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National University of Singapore, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The path to the World Finals was supported by a series of regional successes: a bronze medal at the ICPC Asia Pacific Championship 2025, a gold medal at ICPC Asia Hanoi 2024 where the team achieved the highest ranking among Vietnamese participants, and a gold medal at ICPC Asia Jakarta 2024. These accomplishments provided the foundation for the team’s confidence in Baku.

HCMUS-AtCoder consisted of three outstanding students — Vũ Quốc Lâm, Võ Khắc Triệu and Lê Nguyễn Hữu An — all enrolled in the Advanced Programme in Computer Science and alumni of VNUHCM-High School for the Gifted. The team was guided by Assoc. Prof. Nguyễn Thanh Hùng and MSc. Lương Vĩ Minh, both experienced ICPC coaches.

Both coaches were also honoured with the prestigious Coaching Award, presented only to mentors who have guided teams to at least five ICPC World Finals. In 2025, just eight coaches worldwide received this distinction.

The achievement in Baku stands as a reward for the perseverance of the students and the commitment of the coaching staff. The result also represents a source of pride for the Faculty of Information Technology and VNUHCM–�鶹��ý, while reaffirming the capacity of Vietnamese students to compete with peers from leading international universities in the field of information technology.

The post HCMUS-ATCODER EARNS HIGH HONOURS AT ICPC WORLD FINALS 2025 first appeared on �鶹��ý.

On 10 July 2025, the HCMUS.Soju team – representing the Computer Security Club of VNUHCM-�鶹��ý (HCMUS) – excellently secured the Excellence Prize (Second Place) in the Beginner category at the final round of HackTheon Sejong 2025, held in Sejong City, Republic of Korea.

A Prestigious International Arena for Cybersecurity

HackTheon Sejong serves as a cybersecurity competition for university students, aiming to enhance critical thinking, technical reflexes, and practical problem-solving capacity within the field of information security. The competition was initiated by the Sejong municipal government to develop a highly skilled workforce and stimulate a dynamic cybersecurity industrial ecosystem.

First organised in 2022 as a national event, HackTheon Sejong expanded in 2023 into an international competition, attracting hundreds of student teams, particularly from Asia and Europe. The competition is professionally managed with online preliminary rounds, automated scoring systems, and rigorous supervision by experts from both academia and major cybersecurity enterprises.

Challenge formats follow the Jeopardy style, covering key areas such as vulnerability exploitation, malware analysis, cryptography, digital forensics, and system security – providing students with real-world exposure and opportunities to sharpen technical thinking and strategic response skills.

An Outstanding Achievement from the First Participation

In 2025, the online qualifying round attracted 466 teams from more than 180 universities across 32 countries. Following this stage, 40 top-performing teams were invited to the final round in Korea, split into two categories: Beginner and Advanced.

As one of the international representatives in the Beginner category, the HCMUS.Soju team showcased composure, strategic thinking, and robust expertise by continuously rising to the top ranks. Through focused engagement and seamless coordination, the team attained Second Place in the Beginner category.

The commendable result achieved by the HCMUS.Soju team at HackTheon Sejong 2025, especially as first-time participants, stemmed from serious academic commitment and sustained effort. This accomplishment serves as powerful evidence of international readiness, technical competence, and an unwavering pursuit of advanced knowledge among students of HCMUS.

As students from HCMUS continue reaching global academic arenas, each milestone reinforces the spread of scientific spirit, the value of genuine academic training, and the strategic direction toward sustainable development embraced by the university. These qualities are forming a solid foundation for the next generation to elevate Viet Nam’s presence on the global map of technology and cybersecurity.

The post HCMUS STUDENTS DEMONSTRATING RESILIENCE AT THE INTERNATIONAL CYBERSECURITY ARENA HACKTHEON SEJONG 2025 first appeared on �鶹��ý.