The girl became valedictorian twice, studying up to 16 hours/day

Becoming the valedictorian of both the entrance and exit exams of Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Phuong Ngan said that this result was thanks to discipline, self-awareness and perseverance. There was a time when Ngan studied up to 16 hours a day.

Nguyen Phuong Ngan, 23 years old, has just become the valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy in 2025 with an average score of 3.81/4. Five years ago, the female student was also the valedictorian of this school. To maintain that "form", Ngan believes that maintaining discipline is the most important thing.

Nguyen Phuong Ngan, valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Photo: NVCC

Phuong Ngan is a former student of Nguyen Du High School (Thanh Oai, Hanoi). During high school, Ngan won first and second prizes many times in cluster and city level competitions for excellent students in Physics.

In addition, the female student loves Chemistry and is interested in health-related majors because she sees that it is not only highly applicable but also brings practical value to herself, her family and the community.

No one in the family is in the medical field, but when Ngan shared her desire to pursue this field, her parents supported her. In 2020, Ngan took the A00 exam and scored 29.3 points, becoming the valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy.

“When I heard that I was the valedictorian, I was surprised and proud, but I never set a goal of becoming the valedictorian,” Ngan said.

In fact, when entering the school, the female students were also “overwhelmed” because this major attracted many students with good academic backgrounds and strong interests in the field of natural sciences . They were also very diligent, seeking to read more international documents and doing scientific research early.

“In the beginning, I felt like my starting point was much slower than my friends. Therefore, I had to constantly remind myself that everyone has their own strengths. The important thing is not to compare yourself with others, but to compare how much you have improved today compared to yesterday,” Ngan said.

Just like that, the female student aims to maintain discipline, self-awareness, perseverance and effort every day.

Ngan on the day she received her diploma. Photo: NVCC

Throughout her five years at university, Ngan has always maintained that spirit. Although she does not consider herself smart, Ngan believes in the power of perseverance. “I always maintain the habit of making a study plan, a regular review schedule, reading new lessons in advance, writing personal notes… For me, there is no more effective way to study than diligence and perseverance.”

There was a period when female students studied up to 16 hours a day, especially before exams or when preparing to write scientific papers.

Ngan often memorizes by mind map, but does not write it down on paper but imagines it in her head, drawing connections between knowledge or associating it with things in reality.

For example, when studying Anatomy and Physiology, Ngan thinks about the structure and function of organs in the body. Or when studying Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics, which are related to how drugs are metabolized and work, the female student thinks about the drug's circulation in her own body, and the effects it will have on heart rate or blood pressure.

With new and difficult knowledge, Ngan often takes pictures and saves them to her phone so she can review and ponder at any time, such as when she first wakes up, before going to bed, or even while waiting for the bus.

Ngan started scientific research in her third year. Photo: NVCC

In her third year, Ngan participated in scientific research at the school's Pharmaceutical Chemistry Synthesis Laboratory. In the early stages, the female student encountered countless failures such as reactions not creating products, impurities that were difficult to purify, experiments that lasted for many days without results...

“There were times when I was so discouraged that I wanted to give up. But when I calmly reviewed the process, I realized that every error had a cause. From there, I adjusted the solvent and catalyst and gradually fixed the error,” Ngan said.

The female student is the co-author of the article “Overview of HDAC6 and HDAC6 selective inhibitors for anti-cancer effects”, published in the Journal of Scientific Research and Development . In addition, Ngan's research group also won the Second Prize at the 22nd Youth Science and Technology Conference in the Health Sector.

During her research, Ngan was fascinated by designing her own synthesis process for new compounds, then discussing with her supervisor to consider the feasibility. “When the idea was accepted, I was able to realize it myself in the lab. That feeling was really special,” Ngan shared.

Graduating with excellent results, becoming the valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Ngan plans to study for a master's degree at this very school and continue her scientific research path at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Synthesis Laboratory.

“I hope to contribute to the discovery of new compounds that can support cancer treatment. The research path can be long and arduous, but I think as long as you have passion, you will always find joy,” Ngan said.

The young man became a 'double' valedictorian after dropping out of 2 years of studying abroad. After studying Law in China for 2 years, Quang Minh decided to "change direction", retaking the university entrance exam in Vietnam once again, and then became the valedictorian.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/co-gai-hai-lan-thanh-thu-khoa-hoc-toi-16-gio-ngay-2454341.html