Village school student becomes valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University

(Baonghean) -These days, the news of student Nguyen Thanh Thong (12A1, Co Do High School, Nghia Dan) being the valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University with a score of 29.5 (Math 10; Chemistry 9.75; Biology: 9.75) has stirred up the mountain town. For the first time, a village school has a student who is the valedictorian of a prestigious university…

Valedictorian Nguyen Thanh Thong.

Mr. Tran Van Nghe - Principal of Co Do High School, Nghia Dan excitedly said: “We are very proud that for the first time the school has a student who is the valedictorian of a top university in the country. For Thong, that result is very worthy, because he is an excellent student of the school. In grade 12, he was excellent student of the province in 3 consecutive subjects... Continuously receiving phone calls, continuous receiving congratulations. Very happy, very proud”.

Born into a family with a carpenter father and a small business mother in Nghia Hong (Nghia Dan), Nguyen Thanh Thong was famous in the village school for his diligence and good study since childhood. From grade 1 to grade 12, Thong was an excellent student of the school, winning the Encouragement Prize in Chemistry at the provincial level in grade 9. In grade 12, Thong showed his talent in natural subjects: Math, Physics, Chemistry and he chose to enter class A1 of the school. The total score of 3 specialized subjects was always above 9.0 and especially, in grade 12, Thong achieved excellent student of the province in all 3 subjects: Second prize in Math and Third prize in Chemistry and Physics. In this year's university entrance exam, block A, Thong took the entrance exam to Hanoi University of Science and Technology with a score of 25.5.

“Actually, my major was block A. It wasn’t until grade 12, when I received guidance from my Biology teacher, that I switched to block B. This was truly an unexpected “turn”… It must be said that Mr. Vo Van Quy, my Biology teacher, had a huge impact on me. It was his teaching method that inspired me to love Biology; his advice and encouragement were the motivation for me to take the entrance exam to Medical University. Luckily, at that time, my knowledge of Math and Chemistry was quite solid, so I had more time for Biology.”

Although he changed direction quite late, with a scientific learning method, Thong achieved a high score in Biology with 9.75 points. He shared: "You have to master the theory because in each exam (like Biology), half of the questions are theoretical. Moreover, when you have a solid theory, you will be able to apply it to solve exercises better and more confidently." The valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University also said that he rarely studies too late at night or tries to cram too much knowledge when he feels stressed. In particular, until now, Thong has never been familiar with social networking sites because he does not want to be distracted from studying.

At school, Thong was an exemplary, enthusiastic class monitor who always helped his classmates. “When I heard that I was the valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University, I was a bit surprised. Regarding my Chemistry and Biology scores, after finishing the test and comparing the multiple choice results, I gave myself an accurate score. As for Math, I didn’t expect to get a perfect score… During the first two years of university, I will take advantage of working part-time to gain more experience. And when pursuing a career in medicine, in addition to talent and skill, I need to practice medical ethics and love people…” – Thong confided.

Article and photos: Thanh Phuc