Thread by @leah_cb

While the #Philippines has been recognised as the epicentre of adoption in @playtoearn_ gaming, #Vietnam has emerged as a world-leader and dev hotspot for innovation in building blockchain games.

So, why Vietnam?

A thread.

1/ I explored the phenomenon last December when I was invited by @CoinDesk to write this profile of @trungfinity, founder & CEO of @AxieInfinity, for the #MostInfluential2021.

What I learned about #Vietnam was truly fascinating.

coindesk.com/business/2021/…

2/ Every 3yrs (not counting pandemic-related disruptions to the usual schedule), 15 yr olds from 80+ countries sit an exam called the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Coordinated by the @OECD the PISA measures skills/knowledge in reading, maths & science.

3/ Typically, the PISA does a great job of highlighting inequality between richer and poorer nations, with academic outcomes correlating closely with the comparative economic strength of students’ home countries.

4/ In the last PISA in 2015, Thailand & Indonesia, with GDP per capita of US$5,954 and $3,368 respectively, ranked 55th & 63rd of 72 countries.

Their peers in the US & Canada with GDP per capita of $56,787 & $43,621 respectively, ranked 25th & 7th.
oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015…

5/ There is an exception, however.

#Vietnam, at $2,085 GDP per capita, was ranked 8th overall in the @OECD PISA 2015.

6/ Having participated in the @OECD PISA since 2012, #Vietnam has consistently outperformed countries of similar income levels. It is also the only low-income country that performs at the same level as rich countries on international academic tests.

7/ With high primary school completion rates, strong gender parity, low student-to-teacher ratio, low out-of-school rate, #Education is a national priority in Vietnam. It has produced an entire generation of high performers & is recognised as a case study for effective policy.

8/ For especially talented students, #Vietnam has a system to cherry pick those few for entrance into "High Schools for the Gifted" which offer accelerated curriculum and additional courses to develop exceptional aptitude in the fundamental sciences.

9/ Govt spending per student in these schools is 4x higher than normal schools & students have better access to everything from educational materials to high-profile teachers.

10/ The competition to get in is fierce with thousands of students sitting gruelling entrance exams in the hope of receiving a test score high enough to win a seat.

11/ Students study for hours each day, sacrificing sleep to meet the demands of their study regime, and parents shell out for expensive tutoring.

For some, the pressure to succeed is so overwhelming, they contemplate suicide.

12/ Of these coveted schools, @trungfinity attended the best. Established by renowned mathematicians in 1965, at the time, North Vietnam was under attack from the U.S. with American troops occupying the north in an attempt to prevent a communist takeover of the whole country.

13/ Due to the war, most educational institutions had been shut down for years, but the Vietnamese Mathematical Society continued to support research with regularly organised seminars. They dug trenches alongside their makeshift classrooms for protection, in case of attack.

14/ Recognising the important role of sciences for the future of the country, eventually they suggested that the govt open up selective programs to nurture talented students & encourage them to follow science in their later years at universities and professions.

15/ The Special class of Mathematics was founded with 38 students at the temporary war-time evacuation location of University of Hanoi @UNIS_Hanoi & was the precursor for the High School for Gifted Students, under the Hanoi University of Science.

16/ Today, the school has a 5% acceptance rate and its graduates go on to attend the most prestigious universities in Vietnam and abroad.
linkedin.com/school/hsgs-hu…

17/ It counts many famous alumni including Professor Ngô Bảo Châu at the University of Chicago, who was Vietnam’s youngest-ever professor, aged 33 in 2005, & went on to become the first Vietnamese recipient of the Fields Medal, generally known as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics.

18/ and of course @trungfinity, who went on to establish @SkyMavisHQ & create the world's first breakthrough #NFT game @AxieInfinity with @Masamune_Axie @Psycheout86 @Jihoz_Axie and Andy Ho.

19/ @AxieInfinity's success has buoyed Vietnamese industry, too, fueling local job creation and spurring a wave of startup innovation. A slew of new indie game studios are now opening up for business.

20/ @CyBallOfficial, @SIPHERxyz & @ThetanArena are three examples of #blockchaingaming titles to come out of #Vietnam in recent times.

It’s rumored that some VCs are even setting up funds dedicated to this new breed of Vietnamese-born blockchain games.

21/ @CyBallOfficial, a football-themed game operating across both @solana & @BNBCHAIN, is also developed out of Vietnam. Players of CyBall collect NFT characters - CyBlocs - that compete to see who scores the most goals, to earn the game’s CBT token.
coindesk.com/layer2/2022/02…

22/ @SIPHERxyz is also born out of #Vietnam. It is a casual-fighting & exploration game set in a sci-fi virtual world, Sipheria, where players socialize via their #NFT characters, compete in games & collect tradable crypto-based rewards for their achievements.

23/ These are the fruits of Vietnam’s long commitment to #science + #technology and investment in education. A genius like @trungfinity nurtured by a system that was designed to breed excellence.

24/ Learn more about Southeast Asia’s influence on crypto, Web3 gaming and the #Metaverse at Crypto State SEA by @CoinDesk (which I co-hosted with @magicross7) ❤️🎮

Check it out - #CryptoState2022: bit.ly/3rYEnV5

For more details on how to watch it back:

https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/1496840688389873672?s=20&t=FqKs8VCCnEssXsdpSItVRA

@UChicago

For more on @SIPHERxyz:
coindesk.com/layer2/2022/02…