Double valedictorian of block A01 and D01: Chose engineering but loves literature, poetry, and rap

Nguyen Viet Hung - a student at Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Hanoi - attracted attention when he was the double valedictorian of both groups A01 and D01 with scores of 29.75 and 29.

Nguyen Viet Hung - a student at Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Hanoi - is the double valedictorian of both groups A01 and D01 in this year's exam - Photo: NAM TRAN

Interestingly, this valedictorian also loves literature, writes poetry and raps from poetry...

Cycling more than 10km to school

"He is simple, sociable, loves learning and is serious about his studies," teacher Tran Thi Yen - English teacher of the 12th grade English major at Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Hanoi - shared her impression of Hung.

Ms. Yen said Hung's house was very far away, so he had to take the bus or cycle more than 10km to school every day. Rain or shine, Hung was always at school on time.

He is serious about all subjects and it seems that he studies every subject with passion, not just for the sake of grades or exams. That is what helps Hung achieve high academic results without stress, pressure, or having to take extra classes outside of school.

"I remember when he entered 10th grade, Hung was not a top student in English, but he tried to improve little by little, completing the lessons assigned in class. He read texts and books in English, improving day by day," Ms. Yen recalled.

Before taking the 2025 high school graduation exam, Hung had an IELTS certificate of 8.0 and an SAT score of 1,560.

Nguyen Viet Hung, double valedictorian of blocks A01 and D01, said he was surprised with the results he achieved - Video : NAM TRAN

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhiep - principal of Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Hung is a typical student with a scientific learning method, so he studies less but is more effective. And self-study plays an important role in his achievements today.

"She told me that thanks to studying for the IELTS and SAT exams, she has a good method of self-study and self-training. For each subject, she finds a suitable way for herself to grasp the necessary basic skills right during the learning process," said Ms. Nhiep.

"If the exam is not renewed, high scores are not certain"

Talking about the math and English questions of the recent exam, which many candidates and teachers considered too difficult, Hung said that the exam questions did not pose a problem for him, not because he studied a lot, but because he learned how to think instead of purely memorizing knowledge.

"This year's math test requires thinking, focusing more on the nature of mathematics than calculation. Therefore, if you practice good thinking, you will not find the test difficult. Many people also say the test is long, but I think that is just the way the test maker wants to put the problem in a life situation. The key is still how the problem is embedded in it," Hung said.

With the English test, Hung shared that because he was an English major, the difficult reading comprehension was not an obstacle. Hung regretted that he was subjective and still got one question wrong.

Wishing to become a computer science major at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, a technical major that requires students to have good thinking in the field of natural sciences, Hung also "revealed" that he likes studying literature. This is quite a special point of this double valedictorian. Hung's average score in literature in grade 12 was 9.25 and his score in literature in the recent exam was also 9.25.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Hung's literature teacher, said that Hung's love for literature came naturally from his feelings for books, music and the things around him.

"I still remember in 10th grade, when I taught a lesson about Nguyen Trai, he said that all the way from home to school he kept thinking about Nguyen Trai, about his life and the values he left through my lecture. Hung left an impression on me in that way.

In grade 12, he said he had to focus on science subjects for exams so he wouldn't spend much time on literature, which he loved, but he was always serious and completed all the requirements of the subject. Hung also wrote poetry and rap from those lyrics," Ms. Tam shared.

Hung said that throughout his 12th grade year, he studied literature and English in class, and only spent extra time studying math. What the valedictorian shared showed that learning the basic knowledge to have the skills required by the program was enough for him to achieve the high score he has today.

However, Hung also admitted: "Luckily, this year's essay topics were innovated to allow candidates to freely express their thoughts and understanding, so I got a good score. If the exam required candidates to memorize too much knowledge, I might not have achieved this score."

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VINH HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thu-khoa-kep-khoi-a01-va-d01-chon-nganh-ky-thuat-nhung-yeu-van-lam-tho-viet-rap-20250716154258103.htm