Dropping out of Math, The Anh studied Biology through the advice of an 8th grade teacher, before winning a bronze medal at the International Olympics.
Vu The Anh, 18 years old, is one of three Vietnamese students attending the 2023 International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Returning home after the competition, The Anh still remembers the overwhelming feeling when his name was announced as the bronze medalist at the award ceremony on July 10. The student said that he had made a mistake in the practical part of the exam, which resulted in his work not being complete, so he was quite worried beforehand.
"So I was so happy with this result that I immediately texted my family to tell them," The Anh shared.
Vu Quoc Anh at Noi Bai airport, Hanoi, July 12. Photo: Vinh Phuc Department of Education and Training
The male student started pursuing Biology in 8th grade. When establishing a provincial team for excellent students in Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), teachers at Ly Tu Trong Secondary School, Binh Xuyen District, advised The Anh to study. The Anh said this was a turning point, completely changing his future path, because initially his choice was to major in Mathematics.
"At that time, the whole family was surprised, not knowing whether this direction was suitable for him, but because of the advice from the teachers, I encouraged him to study," Ms. Vu Thi May, The Anh's mother, recalled. According to her, his advantage is that he is self-motivated, and his parents never remind him to study.
The Anh was quite sad because he was not passionate about this subject. Because he thought that the teacher had a reason for transferring him to the Biology team, and out of curiosity, he decided to try it out. After a period of being guided by the teachers, The Anh realized that Biology could answer many of his questions about life.
"I used to wonder why leaves are green. When I studied, I knew it was because of the chlorophyll in the leaves, which does not absorb green light, so it reflects green back into my eyes," The Anh shared, adding that he found it more and more interesting and found inspiration in studying. That year, the male student won first prize in Vinh Phuc province in Natural Science. In 9th grade, he continued to win first prize in Biology at the district level.
This is the foundation for The Anh to choose to take the entrance exam for grade 10 specializing in Biology at Vinh Phuc High School for the Gifted. In addition to class time, he studies more documents and does many exercises, aiming to win a national prize to go straight to university and be exempted from the high school graduation exam.
In grade 11, The Anh was selected to be part of the national excellent student competition team of Vinh Phuc province and won second prize in Biology. With this result, the male student has completed his first goal. Therefore, in grade 12, The Anh set a goal of achieving a higher prize and entering the training round to select the international competition team.
This time, Thế Anh once again came in second. However, the score of 25.5 was enough for him to be on the list of 32 students selected for the second round of the international competition. Although he did not win first prize as expected, he had completed his goal, the male student was quite comfortable studying and taking the qualifying tests. Finally, he was in the top 3 to go to the United Arab Emirates to attend IBO 2023.
The Anh said that the pressure became terrible at this time. During the exam preparation period, he lived in the dormitory of Hanoi National University of Education to study with experts every day. The Anh studied all the knowledge and researched online materials and documents, but he felt that he was still weak in the practical part. The male student acknowledged that the amount of knowledge was so huge that he had to stay up late, usually from 7pm to 2am. Occasionally, he went out to chat with friends to relieve stress.
Vu The Anh (second from right) with teachers and members of the 2023 International Biology Olympiad team, in Al Ain city, United Arab Emirates, on July 10. Photo: MOET
According to Thế Anh, this year’s IBO exam is longer and more difficult than previous years. The exam consists of two parts, theory and practice. The theory part consists of two tests, each over 100 pages with 50 multiple choice questions, lasting three hours. The practice part is about 40 pages divided into four parts, each part 90 minutes.
In the first practical part, the male student was nervous and accidentally made mistakes in the experimental steps in Biochemistry (diluting solutions) and Botany (separating DNA cells). Therefore, on the day of the theoretical exam, The Anh determined that he had to concentrate as much as possible to keep his hope of winning a medal alive. The male student read the questions carefully to grasp the requirements firmly before starting to work.
"I couldn't do the practical part as well as my friends from other countries, so I had to do my best in the theory part," The Anh recalled.
Ms. Tran Thi Dung, the homeroom teacher, also one of the two teachers of the national Biology team of Vinh Phuc province, said she was not too surprised by her student's achievements. From the beginning, Ms. Dung recognized that The Anh had the qualities of a researcher and the ability to withstand high pressure.
"The Anh has a very good mindset and self-study ability, always deepening the knowledge I have taught. No matter how much pressure there is on his homework, The Anh still completes it thoroughly," she said.
The Anh has been directly admitted to Hanoi Medical University and will start school next September. "I am determined to become a doctor. When I get to higher education, I think I will study abroad," the male student said.
Doan Hung
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