Competing for the first time at ICPC World Finals 2025, an international programming contest for university students, the National Economics University (NEU) team achieved impressive results.

Members of team NEU.GUGUGAGA and coach Nguyen Thanh Hoang (Faculty of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence)

ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest) is the world’s leading algorithmic programming competition for university students. Each team consists of three members who work together to solve complex problems requiring logical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills within a limited time. The most prestigious competition in information technology, ICPC brings together the world’s most prestigious universities, such as MIT, the University of Tokyo, and Peking University, and has long been a dream destination for talented individuals in information technology.

The 49th ICPC World Finals, held in 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan, brought together 139 leading teams from around the world. After advancing through the national and Asia-Pacific regional rounds, NEU participated with team NEU.GUGUGAGA, comprising three students: Nguyen Duc Thang, Nguyen Tung Lam, and Lai Minh Quang (Class EP16B). The team was also one of three representatives from Vietnam at this year’s international intellectual competition, alongside the University of Science and Technology, the University of Danang, and the University of Science, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Final standings and the number of problems solved by each team

This year, ICPC once again brought together some of the world’s most prestigious universities after they advanced through national and regional qualifying rounds. Among them were leading names such as Harvard, MIT, the University of Tokyo, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the University of Cambridge, University of British Columbia, National University of Singapore, Ecole Polytechnique, and St. Petersburg State University.

In the final standings, the NEU.GUGUGAGA team from National Economics University (NEU) achieved an impressive ranking of 68th out of 139 teams, solving six of the 12 problems and placing in the same ranking group as many renowned universities worldwide, including University of Chicago, University of Hong Kong, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, University of Melbourne, and École Polytechnique. Most of these institutions are among the world’s top 10 and top 100 universities.

This was a particularly impressive achievement for the NEU team’s first appearance at the world’s premier programming competition. The result was not only a fitting reward for the efforts and resilience of NEU students and the support of the coaching team, but also a testament to the attention and close guidance of the University’s leadership.

This achievement also affirms Vietnamese students’ resilience, intellect, and ability to engage internationally in intellectual competition, particularly in information technology. It marks a proud step forward for NEU in technology and data science, affirming the University’s strategic vision and sound investment.

Team NEU.GUGUGAGA interacts with Vietnamese students currently studying at and competing for universities around the world

The Vietnamese ICPC delegation and Vietnamese students participating in ICPC World Finals 2025

Article and photos: Department of Political Affairs and Student Management and Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.