'Golden boy' of Nghe An Mathematics and the Harvard dream

(Baonghean.vn) - Nguyen Thanh Tuan is the only primary school student from Nghe An province to win a Gold Medal in the 2017 National Young Mathematics Talent Search Competition.

Meeting and chatting with Nguyen Thanh Tuan - a 5H student at Le Loi Primary School, Vinh City, it is easy to see that he is more mature and "older" than many of his peers. When sharing about his studies, especially Math, the boy seemed to cheer up in his sharing: "Math is my favorite subject, followed by English, History, and Geography which always attract me."

Because of his love for Mathematics, Nguyen Thanh Tuan's achievements in this subject are also very high, winning many prizes in competitions. Tuan participated and achieved the maximum score of 300/300 points in the "Violympic Online Math Competition" at the city level; Second Prize in the "Challenge with Numbers" competition at the city level.

In particular, most recently, Tuan won the Gold Medal in the "Search for Young Mathematical Talents 2017" contest organized by the Vietnam Mathematical Society.

Nguyen Thanh Tuan, a 5H student at Le Loi Primary School, Vinh City. Photo: Hoang Dung

Tuan talked about this special contest with unconcealed excitement: "The contest took place on April 9 in Hanoi, the contest lasted 120 minutes. I did the test quite comfortably and confidently, however, after finishing the contest and waiting for the results to be announced in the afternoon, I was a bit nervous and worried."

Accompanying Tuan in every competition is his beloved mother. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan - Tuan's mother shared: "At the moment of awarding the prize, the mother and son sat in the auditorium waiting for a long time, until the names of the Bronze and Silver Medals were announced but still did not see their son's name, both sad and sorry for him because he invested and expected a lot for this competition. Unexpectedly, just a few minutes later, the organizing committee called Nguyen Thanh Tuan's name to win the Gold Medal, the happiness seemed to explode for both mother and son".

Sharing his learning experience, Tuan said that he studied and did exercises in the textbook right in class to grasp the basic knowledge. At home, he did more advanced exercises in the book as well as online.

When he encounters difficult exercises, Tuan never gives up. He tries to find many ways to solve them. If he still cannot find the answer, he will stop to relax or help his mother with housework and then come back to continue doing the exercises. Tuan believes that doing so helps him to always be mentally comfortable and not put pressure on himself.

Tuan's mother - Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan always encourages and motivates Tuan in his studies. Photo: Tuan Duong

In addition, Tuan is also a boy who loves sports, especially soccer. Moreover, Tuan has a rather interesting habit of often watching the evening news program before starting to study. Tuan believes that watching the news helps him know more about the life around him, and what is happening domestically and internationally.

Teacher Do Thi Thu Ha - Homeroom teacher of class 5H, Le Loi Primary School is also very proud of her little student, she shared: "Tuan is a good student, intelligent and always proactive in learning. In class, he is very sociable and willing to help his friends. Tuan is also the one who enthusiastically builds lessons, inspiring his friends to compete in studying".

Boy Nguyen Thanh Tuan wrote his promise and stuck it in front of his study corner. Photo: Tuan Duong

Good academic performance, but few people know that behind the "sweet fruits" today are the days when Nguyen Thanh Tuan and his mother went through many hardships and difficulties.

Tuan was born and raised in Nghe An, but when he was just 3 months old, his parents divorced. Tuan, his mother and older sister moved to Hanoi. Tuan's mother used to be a bank employee in the capital, but when Tuan was in 3rd grade, his mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The illness caused her work to be suspended, and the three of them had to return to their hometown to live.

Currently, Tuan's family's main source of income is the rental income of the house in Hanoi. Burdened with worries, being both a mother and a father, witnessing his mother's hardships, Tuan confided that he wanted to grow up quickly, try to study hard to soon go to work to earn money to take care of his mother. When asked about his future dreams, Tuan quickly shared: "My dream is to study at Harvard University in the future."

Wishing "young master" Tuan always good health, good study, especially always keep the willpower and determination so that his dream soon becomes reality.

Tuan Duong