The only Vietnamese female student won a medal at the 2017 International Olympics

With the silver medal in Biology, Thao is the only female student and the youngest of the Vietnamese delegation in all international Olympic competitions this year.

Returning to Vietnam from the UK, Nguyen Phuong Thao still remembers the trembling feeling when she heard the Organizing Committee read out the names of the medalists. “My hands were cold, I held my breath waiting for the moment my name was called,” Thao recalled. At the International Biology Olympiad, Thao was one of two Vietnamese contestants who won a silver medal,contributed to the best achievement of the Sinh team in the history of participating in this arena.

Nguyen Phuong Thao won a silver medal at the International Biology Olympiad in grade 11. Photo: Duong Tam

The love of Biology came to the girl born in 2000 by chance. In 9th grade, her family bought her a new TV so she could watch many channels. “Watching Discovery and animal world programs, I saw many mysteries in nature. From then on, I decided to pursue Biology to solve those mysteries,” Thao shared.

After a year of focusing on students, Thao won first prize in the Hanoi City Excellent Student Competition at the end of grade 9 and unexpectedly became the valedictorian of the Biology class at the High School for the Gifted in Natural Sciences, Hanoi National University. Under the guidance of teachers, she had the opportunity to study more deeply, soon won second prize in the national competition and competed internationally since grade 11.

Thao believes that Biology has an interdisciplinary integration with its own characteristics that are difficult to conquer if you are not passionate enough. On the surface, Biology looks dry with separate pieces of knowledge, but in reality, it is closely connected. Thao often studies by diagramming and visualizing everything to see the relationship between parts of knowledge, thereby drawing out the most concise details.

With a father who is a driver, a mother who is a nurse, and the eldest sister in the family, Thao always reminds herself to study well on her own. In the recent international competition, Thao was the only contestant in the Vietnamese Biology team who was in 11th grade. “Biology is a cumulative subject. I am only in 11th grade and I came to Biology late, so my knowledge is not as complete as my seniors in the team. If I don’t study on my own, I won’t be able to get good results,” Thao affirmed.

The Hanoi student also appreciates the importance of group study. As the youngest member of the team, Thao often asks her seniors questions about things she doesn’t understand. “The seniors are very enthusiastic in answering questions and I feel very loved,” Thao shared, adding that the three months of focused study before leaving for England were a memorable time in her life.

Nguyen Phuong Thao is the only female contestant in the natural science team to win an award. Photo:

In the recent international exam, Thao did better on the theory test than the practical test. If every year there are 4 laboratories, candidates will take the 90-minute practical test in each laboratory.Duong TamThis year there are only 3 rooms, each room is 120 minutes. The long time makes me feel more pressured. However, the theory part is very interesting with many vivid images.

Thao believes that winning the silver medal was due to luck, but she is also very proud to be the only female student in all the Olympic teams in Math, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to win this year. “With natural subjects, the advantage always belongs to men, but through this award, I want to affirm that women are also very brave and have the ability to conquer all knowledge,” Thao said.

Nguyen Khanh Huyen, Thao's classmate at the High School for the Gifted in Natural Sciences, commented that Thao was cheerful and very humorous. "She was always at the top of the class and did well in all subjects," Huyen informed.

The end of the competition is also the time when Thao prepares to enter the new school year. She has not thought about long-term plans yet, but will definitely improve her knowledge to change the color of her medal in the International Biology Olympiad next year.

According to VNE