While Vietnamese students performed very well when it came to math and science in the recent OECD education rankings, some of the local curriculum is next-level difficult, stumping even those with PHDs in economics and mathematics.

Related Articles:

- Vietnam Ranks Ahead Of US, Much Of EU In International Education Rankings

- HCMC University to Start Teaching All Courses in English

This deceivingly difficult math puzzle that was given to third graders in the highland’s town of Bao Loc has gone viral over the past few days, setting website comments sections ablaze with those struggling to determine the answer.

To solve the puzzle, one must fill in the blanks with numbers between 1 and 9, following the order of operations - multiply first, then division, addition and subtraction last (":" represents the division sign).

“This problem is difficult even for adults good at math, so it will be difficult for students in grades 3, and even more challenging for students in the highlands,” teacher Tran Phuong told VN Express, adding “I sent the problem for some people, including a doctorate in economics with mathematics, but they have not given the answer.”