CAN THO CITY HANDHELD CALCULATOR MATHEMATICS COMPETITION FOR THE 2025 - 2026 ACADEMIC YEAR: NEARLY 2,000 CANDIDATES COMPETE

On November 29, 2025, the Can Tho Department of Education and Training officially opened the city-level Handheld Calculator Mathematics Competition for the 2025 – 2026 academic year, co-organized and sponsored by Binh Tay Import-Export Joint Stock Company (BITEX) – the official distributor of CASIO calculators in Vietnam.

Having been held continuously for nearly 20 years, the competition has become a prestigious annual academic activity and a traditional intellectual playground, nurturing a passion for Mathematics and natural sciences for generations of students in Can Tho City.

Representative of BITEX Company - CEO Tran Thanh Thao receiving flowers and a letter of appreciation from Mr. Nguyen Phuc Tang – Deputy Director of Can Tho City Department of Education & Training

This year, following the administrative unit merger, the competition was expanded in scale and held simultaneously at 3 school locations, including:

• Hoang Dieu High School – Soc Trang Ward, Can Tho City

• Vi Thanh High School – Vi Thanh Ward, Can Tho City

• Tran Dai Nghia High School – Hung Phu Ward, Can Tho City

The simultaneous organization at multiple school locations helped increase the total number of participating candidates this year to nearly 2,000 students, demonstrating the strong reach and sustainable prestige of a long-standing academic competition. Mr. Nguyen Phuc Tang – Deputy Director of Can Tho City Department of Education & Training stated that this year's competition was organized on a large scale and served as a useful academic playground for candidates, especially in applying calculators to solve multiple-choice exam questions.

CEO Tran Thanh Thao speaking at the competition

According to the rules, candidates have 90 minutes to complete the exam in an essay-based format, writing their answers directly on the exam paper. High school level: exams in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Middle school level: exam in Mathematics.

The award structure is strictly and transparently organized:

• The total number of winning students shall not exceed 50% of the participating candidates.

• First Prizes shall not exceed 5% of the winning students.

• The total number of First, Second, and Third Prizes shall not exceed 60% of the winning students.

During the exam, students who do not violate the regulations and score 25.0/50.0 points or higher will be considered for the title of City-level Excellent Student in Handheld Calculator Mathematics for the 2025 – 2026 academic year.

Students receiving certificates of participation in the city-level excellent student competition for handheld calculator mathematics for the 2025-2026 academic year

Over the years, the competition has been constantly innovated in terms of organization and experiential formats, helping students both compete and participate in fun, creative activities in the spirit of “learning through play – playing through learning” in a lively experiential space, with highlights such as:

• Coloring calculator covers: turning their CASIO into a unique version of their own.

• Rolling dice to receive gifts from CASIO.

• Memory challenge: drawing a map to the finish line with just 1 stroke.

• Decorating Omimagy lucky bags: sending wishes for the exam.

• CASIO LAB: testing calculator durability.

Not only an academic playground, the Handheld Calculator Mathematics Competition in Can Tho is also evaluated by the student-teacher community as a symbol of studiousness, resilience, and transparency, where they inherit the learning legacy of generations of excellent students before them.

Many candidates shared that being part of the competition is a source of great pride, as they are following in the footsteps of the tradition of seniors who grew up from this very playground to become engineers, doctors, lecturers, and experts in various fields.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Ms. Tran Thanh Thao – General Director of BITEX – emotionally shared: “Your presence here today is a source of pride – pride because you are following in the footsteps of generations of outstanding students who have grown up from this very competition. More important than any award, the spirit of daring to challenge oneself and striving to rise is the most valuable asset you will carry throughout your life.”

Exam location at Hoang Dieu High School – Soc Trang Ward, Can Tho City

Exam location at Vi Thanh High School – Vi Thanh Ward, Can Tho City

Representing BITEX – Ms. Tran Thanh Thao, General Director of the Company, also expressed deep gratitude to the Can Tho Department of Education and Training for always guiding, supporting, and creating favorable conditions for the competition to be held continuously, seriously, and with growing quality and scale.

“As the official distributor of CASIO calculators in Vietnam, throughout our journey, BITEX has not only viewed the competition as an annual professional activity, but we have always considered co-organizing the competition as an educational mission. We are proud to have accompanied Departments of Education and Training nationwide for over 30 years, contributing to building a serious, fair, and inspiring intellectual playground for millions of students,” Ms. Thao emphasized.

With nearly 20 years of resilient organization in Can Tho, the competition has not only contributed to improving the quality of teaching and learning natural sciences, but has also become a launchpad for many generations of talented students, continuing to affirm the important role of handheld calculator applications in modern education.

BITEX commits to continuing to accompany the local education sector in academic activities and creative experiences, contributing to nurturing knowledge – giving wings to passion – and training high-quality human resources for the future.