More glory to the golden board of Nghe An land of learning

(Baonghean) - In the Asian Physics Olympiad recently held in Singapore, the Vietnamese delegation won 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. The only gold medal belonged to Cao Ngoc Thai, a 12th grade Physics major student at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, an 11th grade Physics major student, also won a bronze medal. These are truly outstanding achievements, beautiful flowers of the teachers and students of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted as well as the education sector of the province celebrating Uncle Ho's birthday.

On the afternoon of May 19, the delegation of students participating in the Asian Physics Olympiad of Vietnam from Singapore arrived at Noi Bai Airport in a warm welcome from leaders of the education sector, parents, friends, fans and reporters with firm handshakes, fresh bouquets of flowers and congratulations. With a smiling, radiant face behind his glasses, Cao Ngoc Thai - a 12th grade student majoring in Physics, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted is the name that attracts the most attention among the delegation of students and teachers of Vietnam returning from the intellectual competition. Talking softly, with the honest, simple voice of Dien Chau countryside, Thai said that when he left for the competition, he felt quite confident and did not think much about the results but only thought that he had to do well on the test to achieve the highest score.

This exam has two parts, theory and practice. Each part lasts 5 hours. “I took the theory exam on Tuesday (May 13) and the practice exam 2 days later. The candidates were arranged in a large hall, divided into closed boxes like a large matchbox. They were prepared with candy, water, milk, fruit and calmly did the test. After finishing the theory exam, I thought I had done my best and was confident that I would get a high result. The practice exam was a real challenge when the international students had more hands-on experience than us with advanced, modern machines and equipment. But when I took the exam, I just thought of doing my best. After the exam, the whole group was arranged to go out and travel. I didn't pay much attention to the exam but waited for the results quite calmly because I did well in both parts,” Thai recalled the emotions of the days taking the exam in Singapore.

Cao Ngoc Thai and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh with their teachers.

When receiving information from the Head of the Vietnamese delegation about the Gold Medal, Thai was very happy, immediately informed teacher Tran Van Nga and borrowed a phone to call home to inform his parents in his hometown. “After teacher Tran Van Nga, I want to thank my parents. If my parents always believe in me and are the spiritual support for me to continue, teacher Tran Van Nga is truly the person I admire the most. During the past 3 years, I ate and studied with my homeroom teacher. During the review time, I was able to stay at his house, and was taken care of and taught by my teachers and teachers like my parents,” the student who just won the Gold Medal was moved when talking about his teacher. With this achievement, Thai will be admitted directly to university. The place he chose is a basic science major at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, then he will continue to find scholarships, study abroad and continue to fulfill his dream: “to become a physicist known to the world”.

For many generations of students, teacher Tran Van Nga, homeroom teacher of the Physics class at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, is a special teacher. He is associated with medals in Asian and international competitions. Before Cao Ngoc Thai's Gold Medal, this young teacher had 11 students bring glory to the Fatherland at the Asian and international Physics Olympiads. This is the 5th Gold Medal, before that, there were other students who won many other Asian and international medals such as Nguyen Tat Nghia, Nguyen Trung Hung and Nguyen Huy Hoang and brought glory to the land of education in Nghe An. Talking about Thai, teacher Tran Van Nga said that this is a good, hard-working student, has a quick mind, and tries very hard to study and do homework. “This result is not beyond our expectations because Thai is an experienced person, having received a certificate of merit in this arena when he was in 11th grade. After this exam, Thai will have to continue to strive to achieve higher results in the international exam, which is much more fierce and difficult,” said teacher Tran Van Nga.

Present at Noi Bai Airport to welcome their son back home, Mr. Cao Ngoc Ha and his wife Le Thi Anh, in Hamlet 2A, Dien Cat Commune, Dien Chau District, were very happy and moved. “Yesterday, when we heard that our son won the Gold Medal, my husband and I were very happy. Relatives and neighbors also came to share the joy. This is the result of the tireless efforts of Thai and teacher Tran Van Nga. Not knowing what else to say, my family would like to thank the teacher and Phan Boi Chau School,” Ms. Ha confided.

As for male student Nguyen Ngoc Khanh - who won the Bronze Medal in the exam, he happily said that although he did not achieve the highest result, Khanh felt very excited: "Compared to the other members of the team, I am still inexperienced, I have not had much time to study and practice for the exam, but this is the initial result, the greatest achievement of mine so far, so I have a special feeling". Khanh said that this was the first time he entered a major exam with a special exam room layout, very different from previous exams. Although the exam time was up to 5 hours in a small space, he did not feel too much pressure. After finishing the exam, there were 2 things that Khanh felt most regretful about: misreading a question in the theory exam and his English communication ability was limited compared to his friends. “In the future, I will continue to study English and try to review so that next year I can compete and change the color of the medal, bringing glory to the country, the province, the school, and making my teachers, parents, and friends happy,” Khanh confidently affirmed.

When hearing the news that their son won the Bronze Medal, the family of Nguyen Ngoc Danh and Tran Thi Mo in Hamlet 18, Nghi Trung Commune, Nghi Loc District were also very happy and emotional. The whole family did not sleep all night on May 18. The next morning, the family decided to rent a car to take the grandfather Nguyen Ngoc My, 85 years old, to Hanoi to pick up Khanh. “My husband and I work in agriculture, so we don’t have time to teach him. When he entered Phan School, he had to rent a room and be independent. Fortunately, with the guidance and help of the school, especially the head teacher Le Thi Tho An and other teachers, he has become who he is today,” said Nguyen Ngoc Danh.

When talking about her student who just won the Bronze Medal, teacher Tho An said that Khanh is an intelligent student, has a sharp mind and has a good thinking about Physics. For an 11th grade student, the Asian Bronze Medal is really a good start for him to continue to strive and achieve high results in the following years. This is also the first time I have a student competing and winning a prize in a continental-level competition, so I feel very happy. When my student achieves results and has initial steps of maturity, I feel like my child is winning a prize", teacher Tho An confided.

Receiving the joy of teachers and students of Phan School, teacher Dau Van Mui, Principal of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, could not hide his pride: “You have truly brought glory to the land of learning in Nghe An and the cradle of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Thai has won the only Gold Medal for the Vietnamese delegation. Khanh is an 11th grader this year but has competed confidently and courageously with his seniors to win the Bronze Medal. Once again, the intelligence and courage of the Nghe scholar shines, reaching international level. There is nothing more joyful, this is truly a gift that the students and subject teachers have given to the school, continuing the glorious tradition of the heroic specialized school in the homeland of Nghe An”.

As the person who directly saw off the delegation of students and teachers from Nghe An to attend the Asian Physics Olympiad, teacher Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, said that this was truly a great joy for the education sector of the province. In previous competitions, although Vietnamese students also won many Asian Gold Medals in Physics, in terms of rankings, they were often behind many other powerful countries such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, and Thailand. This time, Thai rose to 4th place in Asia, an achievement that Vietnamese students have never achieved before. This is an affirmation of the position of Vietnamese Physics and Nghe An Physics in the international arena. After the competition, it demonstrated the inheritance, including students and teachers of Phan School in conquering the pinnacle of knowledge. It is worth mentioning that Cao Ngoc Thai and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh are both students born and raised in poor farming families.

It can be affirmed that the achievements of Cao Ngoc Thai and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh in the Asian Physics Olympiad are extremely impressive, opening the harvest season for teachers and students of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted as well as for the Education sector of Nghe An province in the following competitions. It is an affirmation to international friends as well as the whole country about the quality of teaching and learning, the ability to reach intellectual heights of generations of students in the land of learning Nghe.

Article and photos:Nguyen Khoa