To participate in the world's largest Robotics tournament, four Tay students in Cao Bang had to knock on doors everywhere to get enough assembly components and money to fly to America.
On the night of May 6, Team 11 of Cao Bang returned to Vietnam, ending nearly two weeks in the US to participate in the World Robotics Championship (VEX World 2023). Many teachers and students of Cao Bang High School for the Gifted went to the airport to welcome teacher Do Thi Huong Tra and three boys Nguyen Tuan Khang, Hoang Hai Son, and Bach Nguyen Thai Hoang.
"This is the first time the four of us have flown. We are jetlagged, but we are all proud to have reached the world arena," Ms. Tra, a Biology teacher at Cao Bang High School for the Gifted, shared a few hours after landing.
Meanwhile, three 10th grade math majors are still overwhelmed when remembering the tournament with more than 3,000 teams selected from 70 countries and the atmosphere at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas.
"It was a very large hall, my legs were tired from walking," Khang recalled.
The journey of Cao Bang teachers and students was emotional because a few months before the tournament, they had never been exposed to the world's most modern VEX robot for students, and almost couldn't raise enough money to fly to the US.
Ms. Tra and three members of Team 11 Cao Bang at Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi, the night of May 6. Photo: Cao Bang High School for the Gifted
To become one of 19 Vietnamese teams to qualify for the US, Team 11 Cao Bang beat 93 teams in the high school division of the national championship in February, winning three awards, including outstanding robot design.
After the joy, the biggest worry at that time was the cost. The members had to pay for the trip themselves, estimated at about 85 million VND per person. The school and parents met to find a solution, but everyone found it difficult.
"I kept thinking about how to get money. Finally, the Department of Education proposed sending an open letter to agencies, businesses, donors and former students in the province," said Ms. Tra.
After finishing her teaching at school, Ms. Tra went to knock on doors to share her situation and ask for support. In more than 30 places she visited, she had to return empty-handed many times, but many people used their personal money to support her when they learned that Cao Bang students had the opportunity to go to the US. The female teacher was moved when she met a business owner who used to be a teacher, understood her situation and immediately donated 10 million VND.
However, due to the huge budget, out of the 7 team members, 4 had to stay home. The students' parents also did not have enough money at once, so they had to collect and transfer it to the school in installments.
"It's not true to say we didn't think twice, but we also wanted to give our child the opportunity to go and learn," said Lo Thi Kim Cuc, Khang's mother.
Both she and her husband are civil servants, and their family's life is only average. Before sending money for Khang to go to America, they planned to use their savings to repair their dilapidated house, built in 2007.
Son (right cover) introduces Cao Bang, Vietnam, to international friends in the team's booth at the competition. Photo: Do Thi Huong Tra
Ms. Tra first became familiar with robots when she was assigned by the school to be in charge of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) club in 2021. Ms. Tra said that she had no prior knowledge of robots because she was a Biology teacher. To gain knowledge to accompany her students, she self-studied online, asked experts, and attended training courses. She also learned from her students.
After STEAM for Vietnam (a non-profit organization on STEAM education) invited them to participate in the national VEX IQ tournament, the Cao Bang team 11 was newly established. In addition to Hoang in charge of design, Son in programming, Khang in controlling the robot, the team also has a number of support members.
To participate, the team was given the Vex IQ zen 1 robot and KC bot by a sponsor. The zen 1 kit can assemble a complete robot, but to compete effectively, it needs some other components. Ms. Tra then asked for the add-on kit for the Vex robot from the US Embassy. When assembling, if she found any additional parts needed, she would ask for or borrow them. The team also had to buy motors, borrow wheels, and a separate training ground for the robot from Hanoi.
"We had to borrow from everywhere to have a complete robot to bring to the US to compete," said Ms. Tra.
Hoang and Khang (in the middle in uniform) in a teamwork match. Photo: Do Thi Huong Tra
While practicing and struggling, two months after the national tournament, the team had enough money to leave on April 26. But a few hours before arriving at the competition venue, when opening the package to check, the teacher and students discovered that the VEX IQ robot had been disassembled piece by piece due to transportation.
"I was scared because I had to reassemble and test the robot to see how it worked. Hoang and Khang were very brave," Ms. Tra recalled.
Because they arrived late, the team had to compete in 13 of the 16 matches the next day. Ms. Tra said the competition had two parts: alliance (teamwork) and skills (robot control and programming). In both parts, teams competed on a 180cm x 240cm field, using robots to push plates out of stations, into the scoring area, and reaching the robot arm to the contact area at the end of the match to earn bonus points. However, in the teamwork part, Team 11 Cao Bang will pair up with 10 other teams from the US and UK to compete.
"I was nervous because I had never competed in a big competition like this before. The hall was very crowded, and there were live commentators for each match. The teams had a large crowd of supporters, but we only had Ms. Tra," Khang said.
Due to unfamiliarity with the field and the shooting disc, Hoang and Khang only scored 136 points, lower than when practicing at home. Son's programming also had problems because he had to reset the robot, scoring 63/270 points.
As a result, in the league section, the team scored 191.75 points, stopping at the group stage with position 30/77. In the skills section, the team ranked 183/787 high school teams. This is the section where the team has made great progress, because in the pre-tournament practice matches, the team's ranking was 1187.
In addition to competing, Ms. Tra and her students also brought many pictures of Cao Bang Global Geopark to introduce and give to other teams. In an interview with the media team of the organizing unit, the three boys confidently answered in English, telling about their journey to the US and introducing their hometown Cao Bang. Their stories will be shared with STEAM teachers and students around the world.
Mr. Do Hoang Son, a member of the Vietnam STEAM Alliance, who has borrowed components many times and sent them from Hanoi to Cao Bang for Ms. Tra and her students, was very touched. According to Mr. Son, the team's efforts at the world's largest VEX robot tournament have inspired the STEAM movement of Vietnamese students, while promoting the country's image.
"Through STEAM education, students can practice skills, ethics and social responsibility," Mr. Son commented.
During her 12 days in the US, Ms. Tra and her students visited Google headquarters, Stanford University campus, and met many successful Vietnamese people in the US. Hoang is still amazed by the journey he has been through, while Khang feels more confident in his English communication skills.
Meanwhile, Son said he has trained himself in discipline, self-awareness and technical thinking. He has identified his passion and plans to study abroad. For now, all three are focusing on the second semester exams and upcoming excellent student exams.
But Ms. Tra still didn't think she could go that far.
"Seeing the students' passion, I tried hard, set short goals and finally completed them. I was surprised at myself," said Ms. Tra.
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