Valedictorian of Foreign Language School once praised by President of South Korea

(Dan Tri) - Nguyen Tien Huy, valedictorian of the Korean language major, University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Huy had a chance to talk directly with and receive praise from the President of South Korea.

During his state visit to Vietnam in June 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee visited Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

At that time, Nguyen Tien Huy was chosen as one of five young people to welcome and talk directly with President Yoon and his wife Kim in an exchange program with students and Korean language learners.

Nguyen Tien Huy (far right, sitting next to First Lady Kim Keon Hee) attended the meeting and exchange with the President of South Korea (Photo: Minh Quang).

Describing this memorable moment, Huy said that meeting and talking directly with the President of South Korea was like a dream that made the male student's "heart pounding and legs shaking" right from the program's trial run.

"While waiting for the President and his wife to enter, I felt very nervous. But when both of them smiled warmly, all the nervousness disappeared. Especially after the President said "Hello" in Vietnamese," Huy recalled.

With this special opportunity, Huy expressed his desire to perform well to prove to international friends that Vietnamese students are good and talented. Therefore, for the male student, being recognized by a big figure like the President and First Lady of Korea is also something worth "flexing" (showing off).

"I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet the head of state of Korea. So when the head of the department texted me, asking for my resume to send to Korea for review, I was so elated that I couldn't believe it. As much joy and happiness as there was pressure.

However, luckily I overcame that pressure, did well in my assigned duties, and after my speech, I even received a thumbs up from the President and his wife to express their praise," the male student excitedly shared.

Tien Huy took a selfie with President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee (Photo: NVCC).

Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Huy said that since he was young, he liked listening to K-Pop music, watching series, reality TV shows, enjoying Korean cuisine, and even learning Korean fashion style.

Having been passionate about Korean for a long time, when he started university, Tien Huy considered it a personal goal to strive to become really good at it.

"Love what you do and do what you love," the male student shared when asked about his study secret.

Valedictorian Nguyen Tien Huy (left photo) at the graduation ceremony in July 2023 (Photo: NVCC).

During his 4 years of university, Huy's studies, extracurricular activities and work were all related to the language, culture and country of Korea.

In addition to receiving scholarships throughout his four years of study, the male student also received scholarships from Korean companies such as NongHyup Bank and Pony Chung Foundation. Huy also won more than 10 awards in art, voice acting, presentation, quizzes, and essay writing organized by the school, the Korean Embassy, ​​and other Korean agencies and units.

In 2021, after many rounds of selection, Huy became a member of the program "Let's Speak Korean" on the Education - Children channel of Vietnam Television VTV7.

For Huy, this was an extremely new and interesting experience but also quite difficult. The job required him to pronounce Korean correctly and act naturally.

Tien Huy (far right) participates in the program "Let's Speak Korean" on VTV7 channel (Photo: VTV7 Fanpage).

Having to manage time and handle many tasks at the same time also makes the male valedictorian sometimes feel tired: "There are times when I'm stressed, I feel like a programmed robot," Huy shared.

However, the male valedictorian believes that "smarter" and "harder" are two necessary factors to create success.

"In some ways, "harder" is sometimes more important than "smarter". Like the saying "hard work makes up for intelligence", hard work can definitely help us become smart, but if we are smart but not hard-working, that intelligence can easily regress or not be used," Huy expressed his thoughts.

With that mindset, Huy shared that he always tries his best with a high sense of responsibility in both work and study, but still ensures that study and work time do not "invade" all of his rest time.

In the near future, Huy hopes to find a job that fits his "work-life balance" orientation so he can travel to Korea, prepare for competitions, and apply for scholarships for his future.

Regarding his long-term plans, the male valedictorian hopes to receive a scholarship to continue his studies with a master's program in Korea. Huy expressed his desire to live and study in Korea for a certain period of time to learn more about the culture of this country.

Dantri.com.vn