The 53rd International Maths Olympiads (IMO) got underway in Mar del Plata of Argentina on July 9, with over 500 competitors from 100 nations and territories, including six from Vietnam.

The contestants will battle it out over two days from July 10-11, with the results being announced on July 15.

The IMO is held annually for high school pupils under 20 years old, to encourage an enthusiasm for mathematics in young students and to give them the opportunity to meet other young mathematicians and share their experiences of learning and teaching mathematics across the world.

Many former winners of the IMO have gone on to become famous mathematicians, including Vietnamese Professor Ngo Bao Chau, who won the Fields prize.

Vietnam hosted the IMO for the first time in 2007, attracting 523 candidates from 95 nations and territories across the world.-VNA