1. In the dormitory room of the Academy of Journalism and Communication, after hours of studying in the lecture hall and taking advantage of part-time jobs to earn extra income to cover his student life away from home, Tran Viet Hoc seemed to "relax" himself, rewarding himself with a monochord melody. Every time the sweet, deep sound of the zither rang out, the student's soul seemed to be "cooled" by the subtle, high-pitched sounds of the one-stringed instrument that had entered his consciousness since his childhood.

Tran Viet Hoc works at the 2024 Admissions and Career Counseling Day of the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

Born into a farming family in Lam Trung Thuy commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province (now Duc Thinh commune, Ha Tinh province), from a young age, Viet Hoc grew up listening to the Vi and Giam folk songs imbued with the spirit, temperament, aspirations and many feelings of the people of Nghe An. The first turning point in his life was in 2015, when Viet Hoc was selected to join the school's performing arts team to participate in the Vi and Giam folk song festival in Duc Tho district. This was the first time the 10-year-old boy stepped out of the bamboo fence of the village, exposed to a larger, more crowded mass art environment. Thanks to his smooth, expressive voice, the boy from the countryside made a milestone in his life when he officially stepped onto the professional stage called "The Voice Kids 2018" (The Voice Kids).

The Voice Kids is a music playground for people aged 6 to 15 who have a passion for singing, led directly by famous coaching couples such as Ho Hoai Anh-Luu Huong Giang, Bao Anh-Khac Hung, Soobin Hoang Son-Vu Cat Tuong. When the country boy sang with his emotional voice the song " Hanoi 12 seasons of flowers" (composer Giang Son) on the stage of The Voice Kids, musician Ho Hoai Anh quickly selected this performance of Viet Hoc. Thanks to that, Viet Hoc passed the "blind round" to become an official member of the coaching couple Ho Hoai Anh-Luu Huong Giang.

In 2019, Viet Hoc continued to participate in the "Kid Duet" Contest organized by Vinh Long Radio and Television Station. Although he stopped at the top 9, the contest created a big stepping stone for Viet Hoc to go to Hanoi to study at the Faculty of Traditional Music, Vietnam National Academy of Music. Far from his family at an age when he should still be protected by his parents, Viet Hoc sometimes could not help but be surprised and overwhelmed by the pace of life in the capital, which was too new and strange for a country boy. Viet Hoc's journey to conquer his passion for the monochord was closely linked to the silent sacrifice of his family. Viet Hoc recounted the words of his sister who had just passed the entrance exam to Hanoi National University of Education, filled with tears and boundless love: "Mom and Dad, why don't I drop out of school and go to Japan to work to support my dream?" That saying became a strong motivation for Viet Hoc to prove his will to strive to his parents and sister at the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

After 6 years of studying both music and culture, Viet Hoc graduated with honors from the intermediate level majoring in Dan Bau in June 2025. He is one of the rare young faces pursuing Dan Bau - a musical instrument with Vietnamese soul. Under the dedicated guidance of People's Artist Thanh Tam (Dan Bau), the male student has achieved excellent academic results for many consecutive years and was awarded a certificate of merit for excellent students from the Academy. Not only that, Viet Hoc was also honored to receive a scholarship organized by Toyota Vietnam in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and was honored as a Young Music Talent of Vietnam in 2022.

2. The more mature Viet Hoc becomes, the more he realizes that just playing the monochord is not enough. What the small boy desires is to touch the awareness, heart and understanding of culture. “I want people not only to listen to music but also to read to deeply understand the layers of meaning of culture,” Viet Hoc expressed.

From a boy who only liked to put his thoughts into each note of music, at the age of 18, Viet Hoc carried with him the ambition and determination to try hard to pass the entrance exam to the Academy of Journalism and Communication, choosing the Cultural Development major to study as a way to light up the path he had chosen. Viet Hoc confided that he did not have to give up music, but wanted to contribute to enriching the journey of cultural preservation with a new tool. For him, the monochord can spread emotions, and the pen helps him preserve and spread positive messages about cultural and artistic life.

With a passion and desire to become a professional journalist in the future, Viet Hoc has not only studied hard, completed well the credits of the subjects majoring in Cultural Development; but also proactively learned, approached, learned, and familiarized himself with the job of writing articles. After two years of participating in activities at the Song Tre News Club of the Institute of Journalism and Communication (Academy of Journalism and Communication), Viet Hoc had the opportunity to join other journalism students to participate in many activities and events inside and outside the Academy, thereby practicing and gradually mastering journalism skills in a standardized and professional direction. Up to now, Viet Hoc not only has nearly 100 news, articles, photos, and clips posted on the Song Tre Electronic Information Page of the Academy of Journalism and Communication (the news page has been licensed to operate by the state management agency since 2012), but he has also been trusted by his teachers to be in charge of the Culture section of this news page.

Recently, Viet Hoc, as the team leader (with Ha Linh and Tung Chi), surveyed, collected documents, materials, and interviewed experts to produce a 3-part series titled "What are the job doors for the visually impaired?". The work was in the top 10 of the Electronic Newspaper category of the 10th Wave Youth Journalism Award of the Academy of Journalism and Communication in 2025.

Confiding in me, Viet Hoc said that he persistently nurtured and pursued his passion for journalism because he felt excited when he could sit on a motorbike and roam around the streets and villages; carry a camera on his shoulder to capture beautiful moments of his homeland, country and cultural regions; hold a phone in his hand to record conversations, conversations, and interviews with characters; and sit in his room in the evening, tapping his ten fingers on the keyboard to create journalistic works that reflect the rich cultural life of the community, society and the countryside. “The frontiers, the high mountains, the remote villages... always have an attraction and appeal to young people with aspirations to be journalists like me and that is also the goal that I aim for on practical trips when conditions are favorable,” Viet Hoc shared.

In the future - as Viet Hoc once confided - he aims to be an active journalist in the field of culture and art, contributing to spreading positive information and using his pen to contribute to creating new values. He affirmed that the role of young people in preserving culture is to be creative on the basis of exploiting existing values ​​and bringing them into modern life through a youthful perspective.

If you want to build a bright future for yourself, you must always focus on studying now. With that simple thought, the small student has created for himself an encouraging achievement. In the past two years, he has always maintained a good and excellent GPA (cumulative grade point average), and received a scholarship from the Academy. In addition, the second prize in the "Student Startup Ideas 2025" Contest of the Academy of Journalism and Communication; the encouragement prize in the "Green Message" Contest 2025 organized by the Academy of Journalism and Communication in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Institute of Germany in Vietnam served as a catalyst for Tran Viet Hoc to continue to write down new prospects for his future career.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-17/chang-sinh-vien-voi-khat-vong-cao-ca-ve-nghe-bao-1013934