The Vietnamese team participating in the 21st International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) has 6 members. Vu Nhat Long and Vuong Ha Chi are students of Newton Secondary and High School - a private school that is very strong in natural science training. Le Gia Hong Minh, Nguyen Ngoc Que Chi, and Le Tung Lam are students of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. Nguyen Thanh Nhan is a student of Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted. All of them were born in 2009 and are in 10th grade.
The six students were the first prize winners at the team selection exam organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.
Surpassing over 200 excellent students to win a place in the IJSO team was a dream for Nguyen Thanh Nhan. But the happiness and joy did not last long, right from the first team class, Nhan felt lost among his extremely talented friends. "Will I be able to stay here?", Nhan asked himself that question many times.
But the little turtle - the image that Nhan gave himself - gradually overcame his initial feeling of loneliness, step by step reaching the destination with tireless perseverance. Witnessing his journey to conquer the IJSO medal, Nhan's parents shed tears of love many times.
"I'm like a turtle in a village pond that was swept out to the big river by the waves."
Winning an IJSO medal is a challenge for all students, but getting into the Vietnamese team to participate in IJSO is equally difficult. How did your initial journey go?
- After completing the admission procedures at Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, in early September, my homeroom teacher informed me about the selection exam for the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) team of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. The conditions for participating in the exam are that you win first or second prize in the city's excellent student competition in the subjects of math, physics, chemistry, biology, science, or get 6 points or more in the specialized subject in the entrance exam for 10th grade.
After comparing the conditions, I found myself qualified and registered to participate. The teachers of Nguyen Hue School organized a review class for secondary school knowledge with more than 80 qualified students. When taking the exam, I still thought it was just a test, I did it with the most comfortable mindset. Because among hundreds of excellent students, my chance was quite slim.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan - 10th grade Chemistry 1 student, Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, Bronze medal IJSO 2024 (Photo: Hoang Hong).
Luckily, I won first prize in the team selection competition and was selected as one of the six representatives of Vietnam to compete in the IJSO in Romania. That was my most surprising and happiest moment.
As happy and excited as I was, I was also confused, stressed and worried when I started my review class at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. I remember clearly the feeling of being lost that day. Around me, everyone knew each other and had more or less experience with this competition.
As for me, everything seemed strange and new. The things the teacher taught, my friends seemed to know, but I knew nothing. There were times when I thought: Can I survive here?
Feeling lost is a stressful feeling. It is not easy to overcome it if you do not believe in your own inner worth. How did you overcome it?
- As I just said, the first few weeks were filled with mixed feelings for me. I was happy, proud, lost, and worried about whether I could do it or not. Then I thought I was lucky to enjoy the best benefits - as we often joked with each other, "getting to eat at the government's restaurant", so I had to be responsible. The feeling of responsibility was quite heavy.
The sense of responsibility helped me gradually integrate into the learning rhythm of my 5 friends, but I also felt like a turtle from a village pond going out to the big river. My friends were more talented and knew more than me. Although I tried my best to study by myself, I still found the knowledge extremely broad, with many formulas difficult to remember. There were many days when I stayed up until 4am to struggle with my lessons.
Even though I stay up late, every day I still make time to summarize my teacher's lectures or write down the formulas I need to remember in my notebook.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan (far right) and two other members of the IJSO Vietnam team (Photo: NVCC).
While I was confused because of the amount of knowledge, fortunately, Ms. Kim Phuong Ha, my homeroom teacher, called for support from the biology and physics teachers of Nguyen Hue School to help me. Many days, after studying 3 shifts at the team, I ran to the teacher's house at night to get his guidance and then went home to do my homework at night. For 2 months, I rarely slept before 2am.
Many times, because I was so tired, I fell asleep while sitting on the back of my mother's motorbike. Seeing me stay up late for many days, my grandmother and parents wished the exam would pass quickly so I could rest.
Thinking back on the past, I don't know where I got the motivation to do so. Perhaps, because I thought that by competing abroad, I would not only have my own achievements on my shoulders but also many people watching and hoping.
Do you feel sorry that you have a score close to the silver medal?
- I did my best. When I received the award with the national flag on my shoulder, with 52 countries watching me, I thought I had not disappointed my teachers, friends, and family. That was enough to make me happy. If I were to say regrettable, Tung Lam would be more regrettable than me, because he was only 0.2 points away from the gold medal. Instead of regretting, take the time to work hard for the next opportunities.
Ms. Kim Phuong Ha - Homeroom teacher of Grade 10 Chemistry 1, Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted:
"Before entering school, Nhan and his family did not know anything about the IJSO exam. When the school announced and implemented the review according to the Department's plan, Nhan knew and registered to participate. His strengths are being very hard-working and diligent.
Because the exam covers all subjects of physics, chemistry, and biology, much of which is in grade 12, 7 hours of class time a day is not enough to review for the national team. Nhan was overwhelmed. I asked the physics and biology teachers to help supplement Nhan's knowledge. A former Nguyen Hue student who won the IJSO prize and is studying in Switzerland also joined Nhan's online review. The study time is in the evenings, sometimes online, sometimes you go directly to the teacher's house.
The results Nhan achieved were well worth his efforts."
"There is no discovery without repeated experimentation"
What did the experience from the IJSO playground bring you?
- This is really a great playground. We not only get to do scientific research like scientists, not only get to compete for the national flag but also get to exchange cultures with many friends from 52 countries and territories around the world.
During the exam days, we were not allowed to use our phones, only the volunteer teachers were there to support us. We could only share our joys, sorrows, and worries with each other without our parents being there.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan in Romania attends the IJSO exam (Photo: NVCC).
That's why we're more independent. I've also improved my shyness and become more confident in front of a crowd. Honestly, looking back at the photos of the day I debuted with the team and the day I returned, I see a big difference.
The team leaders still joke: "You are successful not because of the medal but because you have changed and matured."
Another important thing is that I realize that in my journey to conquer knowledge, I am not alone, I am always accompanied and helped by my teachers.
Through this, I would like to thank Ms. Luong Quynh Lan - Principal of Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, Ms. Kim Phuong Ha and teachers such as Mr. Phu, Mr. Hoai Anh, Ms. Hien who have always accompanied me. I would like to thank the teachers of Le Quy Don Secondary School - Ha Dong, who gave me the basic knowledge to enter this contest.
Since returning from IJSO, have you changed any of your study goals? What is your current dream?
- Not only the exam, during the review process, I was exposed to the method of learning theory combined with practice. Thus, I clearly understood the work of a scientific researcher. This further motivated my dream of becoming a scientist.
I know this job is hard and requires a lot of study to be able to do it, but when I approach it through the exam, I understand more about the value of science in life.
In a talk with Stanford University students, Mr. Jensen Huang - CEO of Nvidia - said: "If you want to succeed, you have to go through suffering", and he wished the students: "I wish you suffering". What do you think about his views on success, especially in education and scientific research?
- I really like this saying. From my own experience, I see that there is no scientific knowledge that cannot be learned without learning. There is no discovery without experimenting many times.
Edison tried 10,000 times to create the incandescent light bulb. That invention not only lights up our homes but also our lives, but the price to pay in the labor process is not small. There is no real success without sweat, tears and even blood.
I think athletes do the same. They have to practice physical training every day, practice one movement every day to get good results.
Martial arts legend Bruce Lee once said: "I fear not the man who has practiced 1,000 kicks but only practiced each kick once. I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 1,000 times."
Or we can mention the 10,000 hour rule. If we want to become an expert in a certain field, we need to have at least 10,000 hours of practice.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Ms. Luong Quynh Lan - Principal of Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted (Photo: NVCC).
For example, in the practical exam, we have to do it many times to master it and not make mistakes during the exam. The students who won the practical exam in this competition are also completely deserving because they have practiced a lot to be able to do that.
Speaking of "suffering" and hardship, my hard study period for this exam was only 2 months, which is nothing. My teammates have studied a more difficult program since middle school. They completely deserve their efforts.
If you have the opportunity to participate in another competition, would you dare to "suffer"?
- I'm ready. I know that choosing the path of scientific research is not easy at all. I want to conquer those challenges. But this time I will prepare more carefully.
Thanks for this chat!
Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong - father of student Nguyen Thanh Nhan:
"Nhan was not a good student from the beginning. He only studied regularly. But the more he studied, the more he improved. In middle school, he intended to take the Biology exam, but I saw that his handwriting was bad, so I oriented him to chemistry first. I asked a friend to teach him chemistry, and as a result, he was very interested in this subject.
As parents, everyone wants their children to study hard. But his efforts sometimes make my husband and I feel sorry for and respect him.
When taking the high school entrance exam, it was normal for my child to study until 3am. When my child was 1-2 years old, give him a piece of paper and he could play all day. When he was 5-6 years old, give him a bunch of tangled telephone wires, he could untangle them one by one and roll them up. He could untangle them all day without getting bored.
When my child was studying for the IJSO exam, my husband and I were under a lot of pressure. What we were most worried about was that if he couldn't handle the pressure and had a distorted way of thinking, we might lose him.
Every day we have to urge our child to go to bed. When he wakes up, we also stay up to encourage him. Many nights he stays up until 4am, sleeps for more than an hour and then has to wake up at 5:45am to go to school with his mother to practice for the national team.
The house is more than 10 km from Ams school, many times the child slept on his mother's shoulder all the way. The mother had to wake him up while walking. Hearing the mother and child recount that scene, I was moved to tears. I had to put aside all other work to take my child to and from school instead of my wife. There were days when I arrived at school too early, I waited for the child to sleep in the car for a few dozen minutes before waking him up.
I have a very high sense of responsibility. I said that the selection for the national team may be a game, but once you get into the team, it is a competition for the flag and the shirt. I am supported by the budget, taught by the best teachers, I have to make an effort to be worthy of that investment and teaching effort.
Although my results are not as good as my friends', this is really a worthy reward for my efforts.
Now, I have "packaged" my IJSO achievements and started a new journey.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/huy-chuong-dong-ijso-2024-nguyen-thanh-nhan-chu-rua-nho-da-ve-dich-20250124164925614.htm
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