The girl who was top of her class twice studied up to 16 hours a day.

Having become the top-scoring student both in the entrance exam and the graduation exam at Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Phuong Ngan attributes this achievement to her discipline, self-motivation, and perseverance. At one point, Ngan studied for 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 a GPA of 3.81/4. Five years ago, she was also the valedictorian of the entrance exam for the same university. To maintain that "performance," Ngan believes that maintaining discipline is the most important thing.

Nguyen Phuong Ngan, valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Phuong Ngan is a former student of Nguyen Du High School (Thanh Oai, Hanoi). During her high school years, Ngan won first and second prizes many times in the district and city-level physics competitions for gifted students.

In addition, the female student has a great love for Chemistry and is interested in health-related fields of study because she sees them as not only highly applicable but also providing practical value to herself, her family, and the community.

No one in her family had pursued a career in medicine or pharmacy, but when Ngân shared her desire to follow this field, her parents were very supportive. In 2020, Ngân took the A00 exam and scored 29.3 points, becoming the top-scoring student in the entrance exam for Hanoi University of Pharmacy.

"When I found out I was the top-scoring student in the entrance exam, I was surprised but also proud, but I never set a goal of becoming the top graduate," Ngan said.

In fact, when they first entered the school, female students were also "overwhelmed" because this major attracted many students with strong academic backgrounds and a strong interest in natural sciences . These students were also very diligent, actively seeking out and reading international materials and conducting scientific research from an early age.

“In the beginning, I felt like my starting point was much slower than my peers. Therefore, I constantly reminded myself that everyone has their own strengths. The important thing isn't to compare myself to others, but to compare how much I've improved today compared to yesterday,” Ngân said.

Thus, the female student set a goal to maintain discipline, self-awareness, perseverance, and effort every day.

Ngan on her graduation day. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Throughout her five years of university, Ngan consistently maintained that spirit. Not considering herself exceptionally intelligent, Ngan believed in the power of perseverance. “I always made it a habit to create study plans, schedule regular review sessions, read ahead for new material, and write personal notes… For me, there’s no more effective way to study than hard work and persistence.”

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

Ngan usually memorizes things using mind maps, but instead of writing them down on paper, she imagines them in her head, drawing connections between pieces of knowledge or linking them to things in real life.

For example, when studying anatomy and physiology, Ngan would think about the structure and function of organs in the body. Or when studying pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, which relate to how drugs are metabolized and act, the female student would think about the drug's circulation within her own body, and the effects she would experience on heart rate or blood pressure.

When faced with new and confusing knowledge, Ngan often takes photos and saves them to her phone so she can review and reflect on them anytime, such as when she wakes up, before going to bed, or even while waiting for the bus.

Ngan started her scientific research in her third year of university. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

In her third year, Ngan participated in scientific research at the university's Pharmaceutical Synthesis Laboratory. Initially, she encountered numerous setbacks, such as reactions failing to produce products, impurities difficult to purify, and experiments lasting many days without yielding results…

“There were times when I was so discouraged I wanted to give up. But when I calmly reviewed the process, I realized that every mistake had a cause. From there, I adjusted the solvents and catalysts and gradually corrected the errors,” Ngan recounted.

The female student is a co-author of the paper "Overview of HDAC6 and Selective HDAC6 Inhibitors Targeted for Anticancer Effects," published in the journal Scientific Research and Development . In addition, Ngan's research group also won second prize at the 22nd Youth Science and Technology Conference in the Healthcare Sector.

During her research, Ngan was fascinated by designing her own synthesis processes for new compounds, then discussing them with her supervisor to assess their feasibility. “When the idea was accepted, I got to personally realize it in the laboratory. That feeling was truly special,” Ngan shared.

Graduating with outstanding results, becoming the valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Ngan plans to pursue a master's degree at the same university and continue her scientific research at the Pharmaceutical Synthesis Laboratory.

"I hope to contribute to finding new compounds that can potentially aid in cancer treatment. The research path may be long and arduous, but I believe that with passion, you will always find joy," Ngan said.

The young man became a double valedictorian after dropping out of his two-year study abroad program. Having spent two years studying Law in China, Quang Minh decided to change direction, retake the university entrance exam in Vietnam, and subsequently became the top graduate.

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