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Documents authored by Hoang, Hung P.

Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66
A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima

Authors: Robert Ganian, Hung P. Hoang, Christian Komusiewicz, and Nils Morawietz

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 362, 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)

Abstract
Local search is a fundamental optimization technique that is both widely used in practice and deeply studied in theory, yet its computational complexity remains poorly understood. The traditional frameworks, PLS and the standard algorithm problem, introduced by Johnson, Papadimitriou, and Yannakakis (1988) fail to capture the methodology of local search algorithms: PLS is concerned with finding a local optimum and not with using local search, while the standard algorithm problem restricts each improvement step to follow a fixed pivoting rule. In this work, we introduce a novel formulation of local search which provides a middle ground between these models. In particular, the task is to output not only a local optimum but also a chain of local improvements leading to it. With this framework, we aim to capture the challenge in designing a good pivoting rule. Especially, when combined with the parameterized complexity paradigm, it enables both strong lower bounds and meaningful tractability results. Unlike previous works that combined parameterized complexity with local search, our framework targets the whole task of finding a local optimum and not only a single improvement step. Focusing on two representative meta-problems - Subset Weight Optimization Problem with the c-swap neighborhood and Weighted Circuit with the flip neighborhood - we establish fixed-parameter tractability results related to the number of distinct weights, while ruling out an analogous result when parameterizing by the distance to the nearest optimum via a new type of reduction.
Cite as

Robert Ganian, Hung P. Hoang, Christian Komusiewicz, and Nils Morawietz. A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 66:1-66:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{ganian_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66,
  author =	{Ganian, Robert and Hoang, Hung P. and Komusiewicz, Christian and Morawietz, Nils},
  title =	{{A Parameterized-Complexity Framework for Finding Local Optima}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{66:1--66:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-410-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{362},
  editor =	{Saraf, Shubhangi},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253532},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.66},
  annote =	{Keywords: Local Search, Parameterized Complexity, PLS}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.12
Flipping Odd Matchings in Geometric and Combinatorial Settings

Authors: Oswin Aichholzer, Sofia Brenner, Joseph Dorfer, Hung P. Hoang, Daniel Perz, Christian Rieck, and Francesco Verciani

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 357, 33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025)

Abstract
We study the problem of reconfiguring odd matchings, that is, matchings that cover all but a single vertex. Our reconfiguration operation is a so-called flip where the unmatched vertex of the first matching gets matched, while consequently another vertex becomes unmatched. We consider two distinct settings: the geometric setting, in which the vertices are points embedded in the plane and all occurring odd matchings are crossing-free, and a combinatorial setting, in which we consider odd matchings in general graphs. For the latter setting, we provide a complete polynomial time checkable characterization of graphs in which any two odd matchings can be reconfigured into each another. This complements the previously known result that the flip graph is always connected in the geometric setting [Oswin Aichholzer et al., 2025]. In the combinatorial setting, we prove that the diameter of the flip graph, if connected, is linear in the number of vertices. Furthermore, we establish that deciding whether there exists a flip sequence of length k transforming one given matching into another is NP-complete in both the combinatorial and the geometric settings. To prove the latter, we introduce a framework that allows us to transform partial order types into general position with only polynomial overhead. Finally, we demonstrate that when parameterized by the flip distance k, the problem is fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) in the geometric setting when restricted to convex point sets.
Cite as

Oswin Aichholzer, Sofia Brenner, Joseph Dorfer, Hung P. Hoang, Daniel Perz, Christian Rieck, and Francesco Verciani. Flipping Odd Matchings in Geometric and Combinatorial Settings. In 33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 357, pp. 12:1-12:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{aichholzer_et_al:LIPIcs.GD.2025.12,
  author =	{Aichholzer, Oswin and Brenner, Sofia and Dorfer, Joseph and Hoang, Hung P. and Perz, Daniel and Rieck, Christian and Verciani, Francesco},
  title =	{{Flipping Odd Matchings in Geometric and Combinatorial Settings}},
  booktitle =	{33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-403-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{357},
  editor =	{Dujmovi\'{c}, Vida and Montecchiani, Fabrizio},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249983},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: Odd matchings, reconfiguration, flip graph, geometric, combinatorial, connectivity, NP-hardness, FPT}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.16
Signotopes with Few Plus Signs

Authors: Helena Bergold, Lukas Egeling, and Hung P. Hoang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 332, 41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025)

Abstract
Arrangements of pseudohyperplanes are widely studied in computational geometry. A rich subclass of pseudohyerplane arrangements, which has gained more attention in recent years, is the so-called signotopes. Introduced by Manin and Schechtman (1989), the higher Bruhat order is a natural order of r-signotopes on n elements, with the signotope corresponding to the cyclic arrangement as the minimal element. In this paper, we show that the lower (and by symmetry upper) levels of this higher Bruhat order contain the same number of elements for a fixed difference n-r. This result implies that given the difference d = n-r and p, the number of one-element extensions of the cyclic arrangement of n hyperplanes in ℝ^d with at most p points on one side of the extending pseudohyperplane does not depend on n, as long as n ≥ d + p.
Cite as

Helena Bergold, Lukas Egeling, and Hung P. Hoang. Signotopes with Few Plus Signs. In 41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 332, pp. 16:1-16:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{bergold_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.16,
  author =	{Bergold, Helena and Egeling, Lukas and Hoang, Hung P.},
  title =	{{Signotopes with Few Plus Signs}},
  booktitle =	{41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-370-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{332},
  editor =	{Aichholzer, Oswin and Wang, Haitao},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-231681},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: flip graph, higher Bruhat order, signotope, counting, Ferrers diagram, one-element extension}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2024.35
Generating All Invertible Matrices by Row Operations

Authors: Petr Gregor, Hung P. Hoang, Arturo Merino, and Ondřej Mička

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 322, 35th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2024)

Abstract
We show that all invertible n × n matrices over any finite field 𝔽_q can be generated in a Gray code fashion. More specifically, there exists a listing such that (1) each matrix appears exactly once, and (2) two consecutive matrices differ by adding or subtracting one row from a previous or subsequent row, or by multiplying or dividing a row by the generator of the multiplicative group of 𝔽_q. This even holds in the more general setting where the pairs of rows that can be added or subtracted are specified by an arbitrary transition tree that has to satisfy some mild constraints. Moreover, we can prescribe the first and the last matrix if n ≥ 3, or n = 2 and q > 2. In other words, the corresponding flip graph on all invertible n × n matrices over 𝔽_q is Hamilton connected if it is not a cycle. This solves yet another special case of Lovász conjecture on Hamiltonicity of vertex-transitive graphs.
Cite as

Petr Gregor, Hung P. Hoang, Arturo Merino, and Ondřej Mička. Generating All Invertible Matrices by Row Operations. In 35th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 322, pp. 35:1-35:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{gregor_et_al:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2024.35,
  author =	{Gregor, Petr and Hoang, Hung P. and Merino, Arturo and Mi\v{c}ka, Ond\v{r}ej},
  title =	{{Generating All Invertible Matrices by Row Operations}},
  booktitle =	{35th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2024)},
  pages =	{35:1--35:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-354-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{322},
  editor =	{Mestre, Juli\'{a}n and Wirth, Anthony},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2024.35},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-221621},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2024.35},
  annote =	{Keywords: Hamilton cycle, combinatorial Gray code, invertible matrices, finite field, general linear group, generation algorithms}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.84
The k-Opt Algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem Has Exponential Running Time for k ≥ 5

Authors: Sophia Heimann, Hung P. Hoang, and Stefan Hougardy

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 297, 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)

Abstract
The k-Opt algorithm is a local search algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem. Starting with an initial tour, it iteratively replaces at most k edges in the tour with the same number of edges to obtain a better tour. Krentel (FOCS 1989) showed that the Traveling Salesman Problem with the k-Opt neighborhood is complete for the class PLS (polynomial time local search) and that the k-Opt algorithm can have exponential running time for any pivot rule. However, his proof requires k ≫ 1000 and has a substantial gap. We show the two properties above for a much smaller value of k, addressing an open question by Monien, Dumrauf, and Tscheuschner (ICALP 2010). In particular, we prove the PLS-completeness for k ≥ 17 and the exponential running time for k ≥ 5.
Cite as

Sophia Heimann, Hung P. Hoang, and Stefan Hougardy. The k-Opt Algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem Has Exponential Running Time for k ≥ 5. In 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 297, pp. 84:1-84:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{heimann_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.84,
  author =	{Heimann, Sophia and Hoang, Hung P. and Hougardy, Stefan},
  title =	{{The k-Opt Algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem Has Exponential Running Time for k ≥ 5}},
  booktitle =	{51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)},
  pages =	{84:1--84:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-322-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{297},
  editor =	{Bringmann, Karl and Grohe, Martin and Puppis, Gabriele and Svensson, Ola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.84},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-202270},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.84},
  annote =	{Keywords: Traveling Salesman Problem, k-Opt algorithm, PLS-completeness}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2023.6
Drawings of Complete Multipartite Graphs up to Triangle Flips

Authors: Oswin Aichholzer, Man-Kwun Chiu, Hung P. Hoang, Michael Hoffmann, Jan Kynčl, Yannic Maus, Birgit Vogtenhuber, and Alexandra Weinberger

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 258, 39th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2023)

Abstract
For a drawing of a labeled graph, the rotation of a vertex or crossing is the cyclic order of its incident edges, represented by the labels of their other endpoints. The extended rotation system (ERS) of the drawing is the collection of the rotations of all vertices and crossings. A drawing is simple if each pair of edges has at most one common point. Gioan’s Theorem states that for any two simple drawings of the complete graph K_n with the same crossing edge pairs, one drawing can be transformed into the other by a sequence of triangle flips (a.k.a. Reidemeister moves of Type 3). This operation refers to the act of moving one edge of a triangular cell formed by three pairwise crossing edges over the opposite crossing of the cell, via a local transformation. We investigate to what extent Gioan-type theorems can be obtained for wider classes of graphs. A necessary (but in general not sufficient) condition for two drawings of a graph to be transformable into each other by a sequence of triangle flips is that they have the same ERS. As our main result, we show that for the large class of complete multipartite graphs, this necessary condition is in fact also sufficient. We present two different proofs of this result, one of which is shorter, while the other one yields a polynomial time algorithm for which the number of needed triangle flips for graphs on n vertices is bounded by O(n^{16}). The latter proof uses a Carathéodory-type theorem for simple drawings of complete multipartite graphs, which we believe to be of independent interest. Moreover, we show that our Gioan-type theorem for complete multipartite graphs is essentially tight in the following sense: For the complete bipartite graph K_{m,n} minus two edges and K_{m,n} plus one edge for any m,n ≥ 4, as well as K_n minus a 4-cycle for any n ≥ 5, there exist two simple drawings with the same ERS that cannot be transformed into each other using triangle flips. So having the same ERS does not remain sufficient when removing or adding very few edges.
Cite as

Oswin Aichholzer, Man-Kwun Chiu, Hung P. Hoang, Michael Hoffmann, Jan Kynčl, Yannic Maus, Birgit Vogtenhuber, and Alexandra Weinberger. Drawings of Complete Multipartite Graphs up to Triangle Flips. In 39th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 258, pp. 6:1-6:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{aichholzer_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2023.6,
  author =	{Aichholzer, Oswin and Chiu, Man-Kwun and Hoang, Hung P. and Hoffmann, Michael and Kyn\v{c}l, Jan and Maus, Yannic and Vogtenhuber, Birgit and Weinberger, Alexandra},
  title =	{{Drawings of Complete Multipartite Graphs up to Triangle Flips}},
  booktitle =	{39th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2023)},
  pages =	{6:1--6:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-273-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{258},
  editor =	{Chambers, Erin W. and Gudmundsson, Joachim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2023.6},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-178563},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2023.6},
  annote =	{Keywords: Simple drawings, simple topological graphs, complete graphs, multipartite graphs, k-partite graphs, bipartite graphs, Gioan’s Theorem, triangle flips, Reidemeister moves}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.69
A Subexponential Algorithm for ARRIVAL

Authors: Bernd Gärtner, Sebastian Haslebacher, and Hung P. Hoang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 198, 48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021)

Abstract
The ARRIVAL problem is to decide the fate of a train moving along the edges of a directed graph, according to a simple (deterministic) pseudorandom walk. The problem is in NP∩coNP but not known to be in 𝖯. The currently best algorithms have runtime 2^Θ(n) where n is the number of vertices. This is not much better than just performing the pseudorandom walk. We develop a subexponential algorithm with runtime 2^O(√nlog n). We also give a polynomial-time algorithm if the graph is almost acyclic. Both results are derived from a new general approach to solve ARRIVAL instances.
Cite as

Bernd Gärtner, Sebastian Haslebacher, and Hung P. Hoang. A Subexponential Algorithm for ARRIVAL. In 48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 198, pp. 69:1-69:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{gartner_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.69,
  author =	{G\"{a}rtner, Bernd and Haslebacher, Sebastian and Hoang, Hung P.},
  title =	{{A Subexponential Algorithm for ARRIVAL}},
  booktitle =	{48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021)},
  pages =	{69:1--69:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-195-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{198},
  editor =	{Bansal, Nikhil and Merelli, Emanuela and Worrell, James},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.69},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-141387},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.69},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pseudorandom walks, reachability, graph games, switching systems}
}
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