They just have to do one thing first . . . their Leaving Cert.

"I'm really looking forward to Vietnam, " said 17-year-old Jamie Judd from Wicklow, who is on the Irish team for the second time. "I'm hoping to do maths in college and I've applied to Cambridge, but right now I'm just concentrating on getting the exams done and over with."

Held on 12 May last, the Olympiad saw 500 students from around the country compete for a coveted place on the national team. This is no ordinary contest: each student, aged between 15 and 18, has been selected and carefully trained by lecturers in five universities throughout the school year.

"After my Junior Cert, I got a letter from NUI Maynooth asking me to this training session that would last for the year, " said Judd. "I had never heard of the Maths Olympiad before, but maths was always my best subject. The first year I did it, it was amazing. I had never imagined maths could be like this. It was totally different to anything we did in school."

Along with Judd, Stephen Dolan, Galin Ganchev, Derek O'Brien, Yuecong Wang and Kate McCutcheon will travel to Vietnam, with Joshua Tobin as a substitute.

"We're hoping to hold the international event here in Ireland in 2013, once we get sponsorship", said Dr Richard Watson of NUI Maynooth.