"Calling the Olympia champions 'talents' is a bit of an exaggeration."

Journalist Nguyen Nhu Mai, who has served as a general knowledge consultant for the "Road to Olympia" program for 20 years, shared that she has heard many unofficial variations of the program's name, such as "Road to the Summit of Australia," "A place to select talents for Australia," and "Searching for talents to study in Australia." However, calling the champion who reaches the "Olympia summit" a "national talent" is a bit exaggerated and could even lead to misunderstandings.

Journalist Nguyen Nhu Mai (in red shirt) - advisor for 20 years of the "Road to Olympia" program. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

According to Mr. Mai, while it's not yet at the point of being called a "brain drain," it does show the beginnings of this phenomenon. If the country doesn't value and utilize talented people, preventing them from leaving to work and contribute elsewhere, then it will be a real brain drain.

After each Olympia season, the story of champions receiving scholarships to study in Australia and then not returning to Vietnam becomes a topic of much discussion. And we are once again worried about what is called "brain drain" as the number of Olympia champions who do not return to the country after completing their studies continues to increase.

Calling the Olympia champions "talents" is a bit of an exaggeration.

“I have been involved with this program for 20 years as an HBC (General Knowledge) Advisor and have heard many variations of the name. There's a reason for this association. The champions are all awarded scholarships and accepted into Australian universities. Many people think we're preparing the groundwork for them to snatch the opportunity. Whether these are truly 'national talents' that need 'preservation' is something we'll discuss further,” journalist Nhu Mai Mai said.

Mr. Mai believes that Olympia champions are outstanding students, deservedly selected through the competition. However, many other students who don't win the laurel wreath sometimes just have less luck. This can be considered a widely known "talent search" program, but it's not the only one; there are many other famous schools that train many excellent students, or contestants who win prizes in international Olympiad competitions, and in my opinion, they are not inferior but even more talented.

"Therefore, calling the champion who climbed to the 'Olympia peak' a 'national talent' is a bit of an exaggeration, and could even be misleading. These students only have the foundation of knowledge to learn and develop, and some of them may later become national talents (though this is just a possibility). They still have to overcome many more challenging peaks than the Olympia peak of this competition," Mr. Mai stated.

After every final match, it's not uncommon to hear "congratulatory" messages like these.

This can't yet be called a "brain drain."

So, is this a warning sign of the brain drain that everyone fears?

The program's advisor believes that while it's not yet a case of "brain drain," it does show early signs of such a phenomenon.

According to the advisor, if the country doesn't value and utilize talented individuals, preventing them from working and contributing abroad, it will lead to a real brain drain. Currently, there are many talented Vietnamese people abroad in various fields, including world-renowned figures. But we haven't been able to attract them back, let alone...

Mr. Mai believes that there are many reasons why the champions of this program, when they first venture out into the world, mostly stay in Australia.

Mr. Mai affirmed that, first of all, as our ancestors said, "a good land attracts good birds." Students who go abroad to study benefit from an advanced education. After graduation, they find jobs and enjoy a comfortable life. They have a creative work environment that fosters talent development.

Meanwhile, if they return home, they have to scramble to find jobs. They often end up working in fields unrelated to their studies, or even serving incompetent bosses. Without opportunities to showcase their talents, their lives become bleak and monotonous…

"I honestly asked, if it were you, would you stay? I also conducted a 'sociological survey' by asking parents if they wanted their children to stay. Almost all of them answered, 'What's the point of coming back? We'd be thrilled to have them stay,'" the consultant shared.

The advisor argued that the issue of "brain drain" shouldn't be a cause for concern: "I replied that with over a dozen students winning a knowledge competition and then going to study abroad, it's not really a brain drain."

"But broadly speaking, brain drain is a bad thing, not a good thing. Our ancestors inscribed on the stone tablets of doctoral graduates: 'Talented people are the lifeblood of the nation. When the lifeblood is strong, the nation is powerful and rises high; when the lifeblood is weak, the nation is weak and falls low,'" Mr. Mai stated.