Female math student wins national prize in Reading Culture Ambassador Contest

Mai Hoa at the 2025 National Reading Culture Ambassador Award Ceremony.

Build a monthly reading plan

“I started reading books when I was 7 years old. At first, I read out of curiosity and for entertainment, but gradually, I realized that reading books brings many benefits, not only in terms of knowledge but also changes my thinking and perspective on life.” That is what Mai Hoa shared when talking about her reading habit.

When choosing books, Mai Hoa always prioritizes books that suit her interests and learning goals. Hoa said that reading books that she is truly interested in will help create excitement and avoid boredom. To maintain and develop her reading habit, she also makes a list of books she wants to read each month to have a clear plan.

Mai Hoa often chooses to read when she is in a relaxed mood to both understand and fully feel the content of the work. When she comes across a good book, she prepares herself a quiet space, turns on some instrumental music and completely immerses herself in the story. Every time she reads, she always writes down the main ideas, quotes or valuable lessons to remember longer and apply them in real life. To avoid creating pressure, Mai Hoa divides her reading time into small portions, from 30 to 45 minutes each day; on weekends, she sometimes spends the whole afternoon "traveling" in the world of books.

As a student majoring in Mathematics, Mai Hoa finds that books are windows that open up vast worlds of history, culture, science , etc. Reading books helps her balance logic and emotion, while stimulating her imagination and curiosity, urging her to explore and learn. Mathematical thinking helps Mai Hoa analyze and organize ideas logically and coherently. Thanks to that, she can easily recognize the relationship between events. When writing, she knows how to present her ideas clearly, accurately, and convincingly.

Mai Hoa confided: One of the most obvious changes is that I feel more mature and think more deeply. Reading helps me approach many different perspectives and ways of thinking, thereby helping me analyze problems better and make wiser decisions. For example, after reading The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, I learned how to manage my emotions and build confidence. Thanks to that, I am less stressed when facing pressure in study and life. Reading has helped me improve myself every day, from the way I think, the way I communicate to the ability to manage myself. I believe that this is an extremely valuable habit and I will maintain it for a long time.

The people who guided and accompanied Mai Hoa from the first days of coming to books were her family. Her parents always encouraged and created conditions for her, from buying books, arranging a quiet space to talking about the content of each book. Thanks to that, reading became a natural habit, both beneficial and enjoyable for her. Along with maintaining good habits, Mai Hoa also participated in reading clubs and book introduction activities at school.

Impressive entries

Mai Hoa is passionate about reading books in a quiet space.

Passionate about reading, Mai Hoa has spread her favorite works into creative products bearing her personal mark. In the 2025 Reading Culture Ambassador contest, she chose the book A Brief History of Vietnam in Pictures, a famous work that helps history become more intuitive and closer to students.

Instead of submitting her work in video format like many other contestants, Mai Hoa chose to write on paper. She designed the relief panels for each section of content herself, cutting and pasting multiple layers to create depth of space, making the characters and setting come alive and attractive.

Mai Hoa recalls: It took me more than a month to complete my entry. The hardest thing was to balance the need for conciseness with the desire to convey all the emotions. I wrote many drafts, meticulously edited each paragraph, and clearly planned the relief part, hoping that readers would not only see but also feel the historical story. I did not choose big things, but small details, such as stories about silent heroes or moments when the country rose up after hardships. I wanted when readers turned each line, whether they were children or adults, to feel their hearts beating with pride for Vietnam.

Not stopping at introducing books, Mai Hoa included in the contest a plan to spread reading culture that is practical and targeted to the right audience. Her most outstanding idea was to encourage each person to record a story or a book to send to those who cannot read. She recorded it herself, saved it on a USB and sent it along with her contest entry as a proof product.

In addition, Mai Hoa wants to organize activities to donate books to students in schools for the disabled, where access to books is limited. For her, spreading the reading culture is not only about encouraging more reading, but also about helping knowledge reach disadvantaged people.

According to Mai Hoa, books in modern times have more diverse forms, but students still need to be inspired by reading culture from school. She proposed building lively reading corners, combining books with pictures, games or group discussions; at the same time, organizing sessions to share reading experiences.

The moment she learned that she had won the national second prize, Mai Hoa was very surprised and happy. Regarding her future goals, Hoa said she wanted to continue to consolidate her knowledge to prepare for important exams in the Math class. At the same time, she wanted to read more new genres, maintain sharing the joy of reading and actively participate in activities to spread the reading culture.

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