9X female student wins Miss Vietnam's Science Gold Prize

Phung Bao Ngoc Van, born in 1997, is a girl with excellent academic achievements in the top 36 beauties in the final round of Miss Vietnam this year.

Ngoc Van was born and raised in Hanoi, in a family where both parents work in the pharmaceutical industry. She has an older brother who is 8 years older and also passionate about science. Ngoc Van shared that her brother just graduated with a Master's degree in Pharmacy with honors. He has always been a shining example for her to follow.

Direct admission to Foreign Trade University

The 9X female student said she loved natural sciences and science since she was a child. In secondary school, she was admitted to the Math class of Nguyen Truong To Secondary School with the second highest score in the whole school. In 9th grade, she won second prize in the district-level math competition.

"After that, I took the entrance exam to Amsterdam Hanoi High School for Mathematics and Information Technology and Natural Sciences. I was lucky to pass both schools. At the Natural Sciences High School, my exam score was 7 points higher than the entrance requirement. Since then, my love for science subjects has grown and given me more confidence in this passion" - Ngoc Van recalls her time studying.

The gentle beauty of Ngoc Van.

Ngoc Van won the Gold Medal in the field of science when she decided to try her hand at the International Engineering Invention & Innovation Exhibition in Malaysia in April 2015. At that time, she was in grade 12. Ngoc Van excellently won the Gold Medal with software to improve the efficiency of solar panels under obscured conditions. Returning to Vietnam, she was awarded a certificate of merit by the Minister of Education and Training and was directly admitted to the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi.

Also in that competition, Van received 3 additional awards from the invention councils of countries in the region, including 1 special award from Korea, presented by Professor Ju Huyng Lee (Chairman of the Korean University Invention Association).

In early July this year, the Korean Inventors Association organized a scientific conference in Korea and Professor Lee personally invited Ngoc Van to be a speaker. However, due to the time conflict with the Miss Vietnam 2016 contest, she had to decline.

The Foreign Trade University student shared: "I want to focus all my time and health on the Miss Vietnam contest so I postponed my trip to Korea. Professor Lee was very sad to know that I could not attend the conference. But the professor hopes that we will have another opportunity to work together."

Confidence in a sharp mind and a loving heart

This is her first time participating in a large-scale beauty contest like Miss Vietnam, Ngoc Van confided that she was quite bewildered, especially the catwalk steps on stage. However, she always tried to practice to have the best performance in the final night.

Asked Van "What makes you confident when standing next to so many other beautiful girls?", she replied: "I am confident when I am myself, when I have a sharp mind and a loving heart".

Besides, the girl from Hanoi also hopes that her artistic qualities based on logical thinking will be her strength in this contest that requires both beauty and intelligence.

Because of her "science" label, few people think that Ngoc Van also has a love for art, learning to play musical instruments and dance since she was young. Her parents wanted their daughter to be feminine and gentle, so they encouraged her. However, in terms of career orientation, she wanted to have more connection between science and the import-export industry, so she chose the Foreign Trade University's Faculty of Foreign Economics.

Ngoc Van is 1.72 m tall with measurements of 83-63-93.

Ngoc Van confided that she always puts studying first. If she is lucky enough to win the title at the Miss Vietnam 2016 contest, she will still prioritize completing her course, rather than rushing into showbiz.

She believes that beauty queens represent the beauty, intelligence and soul of the Vietnamese people. Vietnamese beauties not only participate in beauty contests, but can also confidently step into the international intellectual arena.

Among the 36 finalists, Ngoc Van belongs to the group with average height (1.72 m) and a fairly well-proportioned body. Sharing her secret to staying in shape, the beauty confided: "Van is a person who loves sports, especially the gym. Every day I spend about 2 hours exercising to keep my body toned and healthy. Regarding my diet, I often use foods rich in vitamins and fiber, good for health (green vegetables, milk, ...), while limiting greasy foods containing harmful fats."

According to Zing.vn