Investigation Underway Into Plagiarism Allegations in National Science Competition

On March 30, 2026, the Chemistry Institute officially denied any connection to the first prize-winning project in the 2025-2026 national science and technology competition for secondary school students, amid allegations of plagiarism. The winning project, developed by two students from Luong Van Tuy Specialized High School, involved creating multifunctional fire-resistant, thermal-insulating, and antimicrobial polyurethane composite materials for construction and daily life applications. Despite similarities noted between the students' project and prior research by Dr. Hoang Mai Ha, deputy director of the Chemistry Institute, Dr. Ha asserted he had no collaboration or mentorship relationship with the students and only learned about their project via social media. The Chemistry Institute thoroughly reviewed their records and found no links to the student team, underscoring concern over the spread of unverified information that could damage reputations.

The Ministry of Education has initiated a formal investigation into the allegations to uphold transparency and ensure strict adherence to competition regulations. Officials plan to work closely with competition organizers and judges to objectively review the case and will impose strict actions if violations of scientific integrity are confirmed.

Adding to the discourse, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former head of the vocational education department at the Ministry of Education, emphasized the importance of scientific integrity in student research. He highlighted that young participants require strong foundational knowledge, adequate time, and genuine research skills to produce authentic work. Dr. Vinh called for the Ministry to publicly disclose the qualifications of evaluation committee members to reinforce accountability and urged investigations to extend beyond plagiarism detection software to include detailed comparisons of research content. He stressed that responsibility for any misconduct lies with the adults overseeing the competition rather than the students themselves and advocated for serious consequences for any failure by the judging panel to uphold integrity.

This controversy has sparked a broader conversation on the integrity of research competitions and the obligations of educational authorities to provide oversight and transparency. As the investigation proceeds, all parties await a thorough, fair clarification of the facts to protect both scientific standards and the reputations of young talents involved.