The "two-faced" teacher

The research work of two Vietnamese students participating in the International Science and Technology Competition surpassed many strong opponents.

In May 2024, many artificial intelligence (AI) experts and scientists were amazed by the research work of two Vietnamese students participating in the International Science and Technology Competition. Surpassing many extremely strong teams from engineering and technology powerhouses, the two students won second prize in the competition with a project on AI application system software.

The 2024 International Science and Engineering Competition is also the highest award that Vietnamese students have won in 12 years. This time, the competition had 1,699 high school students from 64 countries and territories participating with nearly 1,700 projects. In addition to the second prize, the projects of Nguyen Le Quoc Bao and Le Tuan Hy - 12th grade students of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City - also received the Special Awards presented by the American Association for Information Technology.

The winning project - "Integrated deep learning software for segmentation and reconstruction of monolithic heart structures in simulated 3D space for medical practice applications" - by Quoc Bao and Tuan Hy was guided by Mr. Do Quoc Anh Triet, an IT teacher at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted. This is not the first international award for a student, but he is the one behind it as a guide and supporter.

Quoc Bao and Tuan Hy recall: "Before starting the project, we really wanted to have Mr. Anh Triet's guidance. He had many ways to test us to see if we had enough strength to go the long way, how good our English and AI skills were...".

Mr. Anh Triet said that Quoc Bao and Tuan Hy started the above research project in September 2023. "By carrying out this project, the two of them will not only satisfy their passion but also make a truly valuable contribution to the Vietnamese medical industry, if the project reaches its proper level" - he commented.

When his students won major international awards, Mr. Anh Triet rarely mentioned his role but emphasized their talents and efforts. He recalled: "As the person who guided Quoc Bao and Tuan Hy on AI and delved into the technology field, I searched for similar research projects in the world for reference but could not find any. With AI technology increasingly developing, if the two students had time to continue to complete their projects, it would be very helpful for doctors in diagnosing and identifying diseases."

As an excellent teacher at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Mr. Anh Triet not only teaches IT, trains the MOS office IT team, but also guides students in scientific research, English speaking competitions... He has trained a team of excellent IT students to win city and national awards; guided students in scientific research to win city, national (ViSEF), and international (Intel ISEF) awards for many consecutive years.

Teacher Do Quoc Anh Triet guides students in scientific research. Photo: Phuong Quynh

Coming to Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, witnessing groups of students huddled around Mr. Anh Triet, we could feel some of the affection they had for him. "Many students call me a "two-faced teacher". Sometimes I am very strict and difficult; sometimes I am like a friend to the children. I don't understand why I am so loved by the students. The children even play tricks... taking turns to "make love", this class "makes love" on even days, the other class "makes love" on odd days" - he smiled gently.

Silently standing behind many famous research projects of his students, Mr. Anh Triet admitted that when faced with questions and concerns from his students, he often found that his knowledge still had many gaps. Teaching students at specialized schools is very stressful because they are very good, and the learning ability of young people is also increasingly fierce, so teachers have to improve their knowledge every day.

He expressed his admiration for his students: "Guiding students in many research projects, I was overwhelmed many times. For example, writing code for a project is like laying bricks by hand to build a giant skyscraper. No matter how you write code, there will always be mistakes, and mistakes must be corrected, and each correction takes a lot of time. Writing code for a large project takes a lot of effort, and when mistakes are made, it is not easy to correct them, but the students all overcome them."

For many students at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, teacher Anh Triet has a way of teaching that is like... not teaching. "When researching and studying a certain issue, he often "bets" with us, that if he can do this, we must do that. With those "challenges", he almost never loses" - an excited student.

Pointing to a student playing in the school yard, Mr. Anh Triet said that this student majored in English but was very good at IT. "He often brought IT problems to "challenge" me to solve. I "competed" with him for months, then he was "convinced", realizing that I could fill in the gaps in his knowledge" - he happily said.

According to Mr. Anh Triet, he always tries to bring joy to his students. "When setting goals for my students, I also always motivate them to overcome them. With scientific research, the more thorny and difficult the path is, the more valuable and meaningful the results will be," he said.

Mr. Anh Triet is also mentioned by many generations of students of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted as a teacher of connection. Many former students of this school can come to the school and meet him at any time. Thanks to that connection, many people after graduating and becoming famous have returned to support and help the younger generations.

"Sometimes I am very strict and difficult; sometimes I am like a friend to the children. I don't understand why I am so loved by my students. They even play a trick... dividing even and odd days to "love" me" - teacher Do Quoc Anh Triet said.

To date, Mr. Do Quoc Anh Triet has guided nearly 40 scientific research projects of students from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted to participate in national competitions and won many awards. In international competitions, in addition to the projects of Quoc Bao and Tuan Hy, the research project "Braille display board for the visually impaired" by student Tran Thi Dieu Lien won fourth prize in 2014. Dieu Lien was once famous for her achievement of being admitted to Harvard University - USA with a rare scholarship of 302,920 USD for 4 years of study.

With many achievements in training and nurturing students to win prizes in national and international competitions, in the 2018-2019 school year, Mr. Anh Triet was awarded a certificate of merit by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nguoi-thay-hai-mat-19625012210355186.htm