The 'golden' boy of Chemistry and the double 'Outstanding Young Face'

Only 19 years old this year, but Dinh Cao Son (in the photo), a first-year student at Hanoi National University of Education, has many achievements that make many people admire. He has been awarded the Second Class Labor Medal, the Gold Medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, etc. This young man has just been honored with the title of "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face" and the title of "Outstanding Young Face of the Capital" in 2023.

Son loves natural sciences because they help him answer questions about everything around him. In 8th grade, when he had to choose a major subject to take the gifted student exam, Son chose Chemistry because it was the subject he liked the most and was the best at. "Witnessing the interesting interactions and transformations between chemical substances made me want to learn more and be more interested in this subject," Son said. Also from 8th grade, Son started participating in the school-level Chemistry gifted student exam. A year later, he won first place in the provincial Chemistry gifted student exam and was the valedictorian of the specialized Chemistry class at Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted. This was also the milestone that started a series of outstanding achievements for Son in the future. After winning the first prize in the national Chemistry gifted student exam for the 2022-2023 school year, Son is one of four outstanding faces representing Vietnam to compete in the 2023 International Chemistry Olympiad held in Switzerland. This was the most impressive exam for Son, because the young man not only won the precious Gold Medal, but also had wonderful experiences with the members of the Vietnam Chemistry team. Son also had the opportunity to interact and compete with many young people around the world. During the time the team gathered for the International Chemistry Olympiad, Son and the members went through more than a hundred theoretical and practical lessons, with the dedicated guidance of teachers who are leading experts in the field. "The 2023 International Chemistry Olympiad is the first year to have a practical exam. This is a big challenge for Vietnamese candidates. However, the teachers have equipped us with knowledge and confidence to help us compete firmly," Son shared. Son added that the 2023 International Chemistry Olympiad exam was difficult, with questions covering many modern scientific issues such as environmental protection, renewable energy, etc. The issues raised in the exam were novel, requiring candidates to have skills and operate experimental equipment, and practice fluently. With great effort and concentration, Son not only won the Gold Medal, but also achieved the highest score of the Vietnamese delegation and ranked 7th out of 348 candidates from 89 countries and territories. Although he is good at Chemistry, Son said that his learning method is nothing special. When encountering difficult questions, the young man is not afraid to ask his seniors, teachers, and classmates to solve the remaining problems. Despite achieving many outstanding achievements, Son does not always achieve the goals he has set. "At times like these, I know that I need to try harder," Son said. After winning the Gold Medal at the 2023 International Chemistry Olympiad, Son surprised many people when he did not choose the University of Medicine or the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) to study at university as is the tradition of members of the Chemistry Olympiad team. The young man chose to study at Hanoi Pedagogical University simply because it was his interest and suited his wishes. As soon as he became a new student at Hanoi Pedagogical University, Son set a goal of trying to study hard to get a good GPA. However, the young man was also determined to balance his studies with extracurricular activities. Therefore, Son participated in activities of the Youth Union and Student Association at school. The young man wanted to learn and practice soft skills from activities and opportunities to work with seniors, who are very dynamic, young and talented, to prepare for the future. With his outstanding achievements, Son was awarded the title "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face" by the Central Youth Union. Recently, the young man was also on the list of 10 “Outstanding Young Faces of the Capital” announced by the Hanoi Youth Union. Talking about his future goals, Son said he will try to study hard, participate in scientific research to gain in-depth knowledge and train well at Hanoi Pedagogical University. This is also the way the young man makes a positive contribution to the Capital and the country.

Nhandan.vn