Observer of Mexico: Luis Felipe Rodriguez Jorge

As the host country for the 40th IPhO, we have been observing how Vietnam organizes IPhO 2008 and taking notes of everything going on to learn from your experiences. This is very important because it will help us to organize the event next year. We will have to get enough financial support and to come up with a good program. But our country is working really hard and we are confident that we will be able to organize a successful IPhO.
 

Team leader of Puerto Rico: Hector Jimenez

I feel deeply honored to be part of the first team to represent Puerto Rico in the 39th IPhO. As the first time participant, we lack the tradition of competition in physics and the pool of interested students is still fairly limited. We hope to increase the level of official support for this event in the years to come and consequently our performance. We have fairly modest goals for this first Olympiad. We just want to give our students their first experience in international competition with the hope of improving their performance in future competitions.

Team leader of Malaysia: Geri Gopir

We have been enjoying our stay in Vietnam so far. The food is pretty similar to ours. The theoretical exam was difficult so we just told our students to try their best for the experimental part. The problems were really interesting, very practical and relevant to Vietnam. We usually got bronze medals in previous IPhO but I'm hoping for something better this year.
 

Team leader of Slovakia: Lubomir Mucha

Vietnam is hot and humid, but very beautiful. I love all the historical sites. We also have a museum that is similar to your ethnic one where we exhibit our traditional costumes and historical events. The best Vietnamese food I've had is definitely fish. And the fruits are also fresh and tasty.

Team leader of Indonesia: Kamsul Abraha

Our team hasn't had any difficult getting used to the Vietnamese culture because our culture is very similar. I love Vietnamese people. They always smile and are very nice. I think that our students will do well in the experimental exam today because they have been well-trained. I am optimistic that our team will be able to get gold medals. 

Team leader of Moldova: Igor Evtodiev

I think the experimental exam is a very good one and I hope my students will do well, at least better than the theoretical one. All the activities have been so much fun. I will bring back every memorable experiences I had and hopefully a gold medal, too.

Team leader of Kuwait: Abdullah Tareq

I would like to thank the Vietnamese government for their unconditional support in the 39th IPhO and all the volunteers for always being nice and smiley. We only could try some local dishes but I really like the seafood and how it is prepared. Also, your newsletters are good and very informative. The exam level was a little higher than our high school program but it was carefully chosen and interesting.

Team leader of Lithuania: Edmundas Koukstis

This IPhO is well-organized. We all feel comfortable. I still hope that I have a chance to try more local food, especially the fruits. The theoretical exam required complicated calculation but it was very interesting. I would be happy if our team has 2 bronze medals. The IPhO is fine, organized pretty well, we feel comfortable and today, I see some very interesting things.
 

Team leader of Brunei: Mohammad Khairul Zarifi

I am impressed with your preparation for this IPhO. Everything is perfect. Our activities are all very exciting. I love the beautiful architecture in your country. Since this is our 2nd time participating in IPhO, we did not have too much expectation. We are here to gain more experience and to enjoy ourselves.