A male student of the Tho ethnic group achieves a hat-trick at the provincial excellent student competition.

Impressive achievement

In the recent provincial-level excellent student competition, Dong Hieu High School (Thai Hoa town) achieved 8 second prizes, 3 third prizes, and 7 consolation prizes. This is a rather impressive achievement for a school that was only established 21 years ago and is located in a mountainous area facing many difficulties.

Among the outstanding winners this year, Le Minh (born in 2005), a male student of the Tho Hoang ethnic group, is the only student from the school to win three awards simultaneously: Second Prize in Mathematics, Third Prize in Physics, and a Consolation Prize in English. This achievement makes him the first student from the school to win three awards at the provincial excellent student competition in over 20 years.

Hoang Le Minh, a male student from Dong Hieu High School in Thai Hoa town, won three awards simultaneously at the recent provincial-level excellent student competition for 12th graders. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Witnessing Minh's growth over the past nearly three years of schooling, Mr. Truong Dinh Sam – Minh's homeroom teacher – said that Minh is of the Tho ethnic group, born in Nghia Long (Nghia Dan). From a young age, he lacked a mother's affection, and he and his father relied on each other. Perhaps because of this, he developed an independent lifestyle and a more mature personality than his peers.

Since entering first grade, Minh has been considered an intelligent and understanding boy. However, he was quite shy and timid. To encourage him, his father, also an educator, used all his love and experience to boost his self-confidence. With that encouragement, he boldly participated in the National Internet English Olympiad (IOE) while still in elementary school. The Bronze Medal he won brought him confidence and marked an important milestone in developing his passion for learning.

Hoang Le Minh and his homeroom teacher, Truong Dinh Sam. He was the one who accompanied and guided him throughout his high school years, helping him achieve many remarkable accomplishments. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Throughout her subsequent school years, she consistently excelled academically, achieving high scores in district and provincial-level competitions. What made Minh special in the eyes of her teachers was her impressive track record in almost all subjects. Besides her achievement in the recent provincial-level competition, Hoang Le Minh also won second prize in the Nghia Dan district's Young Informatics Competition in 2019, the title of outstanding student in the Chemistry Olympiad organized by the Nghe An Chemistry Association in 2022, third prize in the provincial-level science and technology competition in the 2020-2021 school year, and the "Three Good Students" title at the provincial level in the 2021-2022 school year...

Hoang Le Minh's impressive academic record. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Looking back on his achievements, Hoang Le Minh shared: "My father always said he believed in me. And that belief is the motivation for me to strive every day. After each class, he cooked meals for me, mended my clothes when the seams came undone, and stayed up all night whenever I was sick. Sometimes, even when I was delirious with fever, I saw him still holding my hand tightly, and then the next morning when I woke up, I saw his eyes were dark circles from lack of sleep, but he was still smiling at me. Therefore, I consider studying as a way of repaying him, the only gift I can give him after all the hardships and sacrifices he has made for me. It is also my gratitude to the teachers who have guided me throughout my studies."

The secret of the student with an exceptional memory.

Hoang Le Minh possesses an exceptional memory, and many interesting stories about this are still recalled by his teachers. For example, one anecdote about Minh's experience during the 9th-grade physics competition he participated in. At the time, the exam included a very difficult question, seemingly designed to differentiate between exceptionally gifted students. Many candidates were stumped by this question. However, Hoang Le Minh completed it quickly, becoming the first candidate to leave the exam room.

Seeing Minh confidently complete the exam in a short time, many parents showed great interest and asked him questions. It was then that Minh confided that his father was a high school physics teacher. While reviewing his 11th-grade lesson plans, he found some interesting problems and glanced at the solutions. Coincidentally, during a gifted student competition, the most difficult physics problem from the 9th-grade exam had many similarities to the physics problem in his father's 11th-grade lesson plan that he had seen. Therefore, Minh completed it easily. He received a near-perfect score.

Hoang Le Minh (far left, first row) and his friends achieved high scores in the recent provincial-level 12th-grade student excellence competition. Photo provided by the subject.

However, Minh is not someone who relies solely on memory; she knows how to utilize her memory effectively in her studies. She considers practicing exercises as the most effective way to memorize theory. Therefore, practicing with sample tests is a method she uses daily to transform textbook knowledge into her own.

Many people would be surprised to learn that she usually only studies until 11 PM, and in the afternoons she still participates in sports at school. Minh shared: “I think that students shouldn't immediately dive into studying right after school. Students need to study, but they also need to rest. Because I believe that health directly affects the process of absorbing knowledge. Many students still mistakenly believe that the more they study, the more knowledge they will absorb. However, studying will not yield any results when the body is tired and exhausted.”

To excel in English, Minh believes it's more important to treat it as a habit than a subject. Besides honing her language skills at her desk, she also improves other abilities by watching foreign films and listening to English music. This allows her to practice her listening and speaking skills and expand her vocabulary.

Sharing his dreams, Hoang Le Minh said that he hopes to become an information technology engineer. This is both his passion and the key to reaching out to the world and fulfilling his long-held aspirations.