Pride of Nghe An, glory of Vietnam

(Baonghean) - On the morning of May 20, the red flag with yellow star and the Vietnamese national anthem were once again raised high and resounded in the yard of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Vinh City) during the welcoming ceremony for the school's students and teachers who successfully returned from the Asian Physics Olympiad. There have been many occasions when we have had this honor, yet standing under the national flag, we still feel extremely moved and proud...

Over the past ten years, teacher Tran Van Nga, Captain of the Physics Team of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, is probably the happiest person because almost every year he gets to witness the image of his school's students, Vietnamese students participating in competitions in the international arena. That feeling, does not stop at emotion, not simply pride but is higher than self-respect, national self-esteem. And the further he goes, the more he comes into contact with many countries, including major powers, the more he affirms one thing: In terms of education, Nghe An students, Vietnamese students are not inferior to any other country. There are also few students from any country who go to competitions but at home their parents still have to "sell their faces to the ground, sell their backs to the sky", saving every grain of rice and potato for their children to study.

International students probably do not expect that the golden boys and silver boys of Vietnam come from very ordinary families, their parents are farmers, some of them have never known a university lecture hall... However, in the 2014 Asian Physics Olympiad, the Vietnam Physics Olympiad Team was one of the teams with the best results with 1 gold medal, 4 silver medals, 1 bronze medal, 1 certificate of merit. Only Vietnam and 5 other teams have Gold Medals. As for Nghe An, we are even more proud because the only Gold Medal of the Vietnam team is named Cao Ngoc Thai, a 12th grade student at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Grade 11 student Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, in his first year competing in the international arena, also won a Bronze Medal... Cao Ngoc Thai's result was also assessed by the Ministry of Education and Training as the highest since 2002, with the 4th highest score out of 275 contestants from 27 participating countries.

Mr. Tran Van Mui - Principal of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted presented flowers to congratulate the two students who won international awards.

Returning to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted on the morning of May 20, joy and pride were easily seen on the faces of the provincial leaders, teachers and all the students in the morning waiting to welcome the delegation from Hanoi. Each bouquet of flowers replaced a greeting, each tight hug replaced a congratulation, the cheers and shouts made the school yard burst into happiness and emotion when seeing the teachers and 2 prize-winning students getting off the bus. Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, was also able to return to the feeling of the days when she was working at the school, returning to the joy of a teacher, the joy of a mother. Is there any greater joy than seeing students, children overcoming difficulties, stepping up to the podium of glory, bringing glory to the golden board of Nghe An education land...

Is it sunny today? The welcoming speech of Vice Chairwoman Dinh Thi Le Thanh began with such a familiar question. Then, forgetting the position of a leader, returning to the position of a teacher, she excitedly added: "Despite the sun, I feel very happy because the pride in you, the students, has been clearly shown on their faces. With this atmosphere, I cannot help but congratulate the achievements of the 2 excellent students of the Asian Physics Olympiad, congratulate the teachers who directly taught them, congratulate the students of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted and congratulate all the teachers and students of the school"... With the results achieved today, the Vice Chairman of the province said: "The province must thank you because you have brought pride to Nghe An and to the country" and this is also the way that Phan School students express their love for the country in the most concrete way". Moreover, "you should turn your potential into talent to serve the Fatherland because at this time the Fatherland really needs you...".

After a week of living through different emotions, the owner of the Asian Physics Gold Medal was still moved when witnessing a warm welcoming ceremony of teachers and classmates. That scene made Thai no longer as mischievous as before but more thoughtful, especially when this was the last school day at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, listening to the instructions of Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh, the former principal of the school. After three years of studying at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, old images gradually returned to him. He still could not forget the day he first entered the school, awkward, a typical "country" student, but thanks to studying in the class of teacher Tran Van Nga, thanks to the teacher's direct guidance and guidance, his passion for Physics was kindled from when. And he still clearly remembers the days when teachers and students struggled together when the exams were approaching, eating and staying with the teacher's family and countless nights when teachers stayed up all night with students.

How can I forget the time a few months ago, when the exam was in its final stages, the teacher's family had a sad event. However, the teacher still tried to call and advise each student... Then in the 2013 Asian Physics Olympiad, when Thai was on the team, the only regret was that the highest result was only a certificate of merit. Knowing that his students were weakest in practice due to lack of facilities, after the exam, the teacher secretly spent his own money to buy a practice machine so that "the students could study thoroughly"... Not letting down the teacher's efforts, not wanting his parents, friends, and school board to see his failure again, Thai was determined in this year's exam. Therefore, this prestigious Gold Medal, he said, first of all "dedicates to teacher Tran Van Nga, to the school, to my parents and to those who believed in me and gave me motivation".

As for Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, choosing a formal suit for this special event, he told himself that he still had to try harder. At least he would continue to have more “gold” to follow in the footsteps of his brother Cao Ngoc Thai and many other seniors.

Another story that was also told by teacher Tran Van Nga and teacher Nguyen Thi Tho An during this trip to Singapore was the affection of the Vietnamese people for the delegation. A feeling that, as teacher Tho An said, was “like coming home”. The competition process was certainly not smooth due to differences in language and expression. The most exciting and stressful moment was probably when the Vietnamese teachers’ council argued with the judges about the contestants’ scores. This could also be considered a competition for teachers because based on the papers and the judges’ scores, teachers from each country could compare and make objections if the scores were incorrect. Therefore, when the students finished the exam and could freely walk around and visit, the team of 9 Vietnamese teachers had to stay up all night to discuss. Cao Ngoc Thai's 2 extra points to consolidate his fourth place in the competition and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh's medal changed color after being added 2.5 points were the efforts of teacher Tran Van Nga, teacher Nguyen Thi Tho An and the members of the delegation. That happy feeling, surely everyone still hasn't forgotten it until now.

Speaking to us on the morning of May 20, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Kim Chi said: Because she had to hurry to harvest rice to avoid the approaching flood, the mother of Cao Ngoc Thai and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh could not attend today's ceremony... In another corner of the schoolyard, Cao Ngoc Hao and Nguyen Ngoc Danh - the fathers of the two golden boys were pensive and silent. Perhaps no amount of words today is enough to express the happiness of the family, no amount of thanks is enough to express the merit of the teachers, no amount of wealth can be measured by this precious spiritual gift...

What greater glory than to sing the song of victory in an international intellectual arena? What greater pride than once again to have the word Vietnam recognized by so many international friends and that song of victory resounds loudly today in the schoolyard named after the patriot Phan Boi Chau.

My Ha