Nghe An Cao Duy Thong, a male student from a village school in Nghia Dan, achieved IELTS 8.0 and won the top prize in the province's graduation exam, even though his family had to work hard to make ends meet.
Thong had previously been admitted to the International Relations major at the Diplomatic Academy. Therefore, he did not focus on his achievements but only wanted to challenge his own abilities in the high school graduation exam. As a result, the male student from Co Do High School became the valedictorian of Nghe An province with 56.65/60 points. Of which, Thong scored 8.4 points in Math, 9.5 in Literature, 9.5 in History, 9.25 in Geography, 10 in Civic Education and Foreign Language.
"When my sister heard that I was the top student in the province, she burst into tears. My parents were so moved when they heard the news, they looked at each other, wiped their tears, and hugged me," Duy Thong said. He and his family are of the Tho ethnic group, living in Cao village, Nghia Mai commune, Nghia Dan district.
Cao Duy Thong, valedictorian of Nghe An province in 2023. Photo: Hung Le
After the joy comes worry because the family's economy is difficult, and the health of the parents is getting worse. Nearly ten years ago, Thong's two older sisters passed the entrance exam to Hue University of Medicine, but due to lack of money for school, both had to put aside their dream of becoming doctors and stay home to work for hire.
Thong is the youngest child of Mr. Cao Van Viet, 51 years old, and Mrs. Le Thi Thanh, 50 years old. The house is in a mountainous area, far from the center, the family's economy depends on 6 sao of rice fields and a few hundred square meters of garden land growing acacia trees, so even with the best efforts, it is still just enough to eat. In the 100 square meter house built in 2015, the most valuable assets are the certificates of merit of the three Thong sisters hanging on the wall.
Thong studied all subjects, especially English. He was passionate about this subject since 6th grade, and in 8th grade he won first prize in the district-level excellent student competition. From then on, he determined that this was the key subject to orient his future. After 9th grade, Thong took the entrance exam to the English specialized class at Phan Boi Chau High School in Vinh City but fell short by one point. Looking back, Thong said that studying at Co Do High School was very lucky because he received attention and comprehensive investment from teachers.
Thong was an excellent student for all three years of his studies here. In grade 12, he won second prize in the provincial English competition. In March 2022, when he was in grade 11, he studied for the IELTS exam and scored 7.5. A year later, he raised his score to 8.0.
As a student at a village school in the most disadvantaged area of Nghia Dan district, Thong did not have the opportunity to attend English language centers or communicate with foreigners. Therefore, the male student created his own environment. Every day, he went online to study in groups, read international newspapers, and novels in English to accumulate knowledge.
In the most recent IELTS test, answering the examiner's question: "Do you feel that chocolate is an essential part of life?", Thong argued that this depends on each person's feelings. For couples in love, it is a romantic gift. However, for those who are unlucky and have limited finances, it is a luxury gift to buy. Therefore, he believes that the feeling about chocolate should be based on each person's circumstances. The male student's Speaking score was 7.0.
Thong with his parents and sister. Photo: Hung Le
For other subjects, Thong studies with a relaxed mindset, always going to bed before 11pm at night. When tired, he listens to music and plays badminton to relax. In the graduation exams, the male student is most confident in English and Literature, and is most "afraid" of Math. Therefore, he built a whole roadmap to review Math for himself, from learning basic knowledge, topics to doing difficult problems over and over again and finding the solution. Getting 8.4 points in Math is a result beyond his expectations.
English is his "favorite" subject, so it was not difficult for Thong to get a perfect score. In Literature, the male student got 9.5. Out of more than one million Literature exams nationwide, only more than 4,600 students achieved this score (0.45%).
Thong said he really liked this year's Literature exam because it had a high level of differentiation. He was impressed with the essay question about "the need to balance emotions in life". In the exam, Thong wrote: "If I had the supreme power of the Creator, I would create a heart to sow the seeds of love in the soul of every person, helping everyone's life to encounter good things and luck".
The male student related to the Miss International Transgender 2023 contest, when Vietnam's representative Nguyen Ha Dieu Thao stopped at the top 11 on the evening of June 24. "Although disappointed that her name was not called to continue, after a second, Dieu Thao smiled and greeted her international friends, impressing everyone on stage and the TV audience. This is an example of emotional balance," Thong said.
Study corner of the valedictorian of Nghe An province. Photo: Hung Le
Mr. Chu Thong Nhat, Principal of Co Do High School, said Thong is an example of overcoming difficulties, inspiring many students of the school. He is diligent, humble, and has a very high ability to self-study.
"Despite his difficult family situation, Thong always strives to improve himself. His house is nearly 20 km from school, so at noon he often stays at school, eats a sandwich or sticky rice, then goes to class," said Mr. Nhat.
Thong likes to learn about international relations and aims to succeed in the field of diplomacy. This has been his dream since 7th grade when he learned about MC Khanh Vy, a fellow Nghe An native. He often goes online to watch English videos of this female MC to learn and gain more inspiration. The male student also plans to work part-time to earn money to live and support his parents.
"Life is not just about existing. We have to live to bring better values. No matter what, people need to always move forward and never give up," Thong said.
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