The opening match of the third quarter in the 25th season of Road to Olympia Mount featured four contestants: Nguyen Hoang Hai (Hoang Van Thu Specialized High School, Hoa Binh), Nguyen Hoang (Le Quy Don High School, Dong Nai), Do Xuan Thai (Phan Dinh Phung High School, Hanoi), and Vuong Phuc (Hoa An High School, Cao Bang).
Already in the Warm-up round, the atmosphere turned energetic with strong performances. Nguyen Hoang made a solid start with 50 points – a small but important lead. Xuan Thai followed closely with 40 points. Hoang Hai earned 30 points, while Vuong Phuc had a slower start with 20 points.
After the Warm-up, the race heated up. Nguyen Hoang kept his good form and took the lead with 65 points. Xuan Thai stayed steady with 45 points. Hoang Hai had 30, and Vuong Phuc dropped to 15.
The Overcome Obstacle round with a 3-letter keyword added more excitement. Hoang Hai was the first to break the puzzle by solving the first horizontal clue. But Xuan Thai stole the spotlight by quickly ringing the bell and answering correctly with “Ran” (Snake). That bold move put him in the lead with 105 points.
Not to be outdone, Hoang Hai made a remarkable comeback in the Speed-up round. Answering all the questions correctly, he earned the full 160 points, demonstrating sharp thinking and courage to bring his total to 190. The scoreboard tightened: Xuan Thai had 145 points, Nguyen Hoang 135, and Vuong Phuc 75.
In the Finish round, the most strategic part, Hoang Hai went first, but missed some chances and finished with 170 points. Then Xuan Thai confidently used the Star of Hope option and delivered a calm performance, gaining extra points to finish on 225. Nguyen Hoang followed with a 20-20-20 question set but could not improve his score and tied with Hoang Hai at 145. Vuong Phuc, despite his efforts, closed the round with 75 points.
At the end of week 1, the third quarter of Road to Olympia Mount season 25, Do Xuan Thai won the laurel wreath with 225 points. Nguyen Hoang and Hoang Hai shared second place with 145 points, and Vuong Phuc finished fourth with 75 points.
