Khuong Vu Ha was born in 2002 in Ha Nam (China). In 2017, she took the high school entrance exam but failed, so Vu Ha decided to drop out of school and go to Guangdong to work as a factory worker, despite her parents' objections. In the first months of working, Vu Ha's life was stable. Although the work was hard, the female student had a good income.

However, not long after, Vu Ha felt exhausted because of the heavy workload at the factory. Every day, the female student had to stand for more than 10 hours, and often worked night shifts. For a teenager in her twenties, this was extremely heavy work.

At this time, Vu Ha was looking for another, easier job, but after applying to several companies, the female student realized that with only a high school diploma, she would have to do heavy manual labor. After realizing the reality, Vu Ha decided to quit her job and go back to school.

"I could only do some ordinary jobs because of my lack of knowledge and skills. The boring life at that time made me doubt the meaning of my life. I knew this was not the life I wanted. I was afraid that if I continued this job, it might destroy my ambitions and dreams. I wanted to continue studying to accumulate basic skills," Vu Ha shared with China Daily .

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Khuong Vu Ha - young lecturer at Henan Chemical Engineering Vocational College (China). Photo: Baidu

Vu Ha's decision to quit her factory job and return to school was approved by her parents. In March 2018, she was accepted into Henan Chemical Engineering Vocational College (China). When she returned to school, Vu Ha diligently went to class every day and listened attentively. She even spent more than 10 hours a day in the lab to improve her knowledge.

Here, Vu Ha was inspired by Ha Giang Dao - the Bronze Medal winner in the Technology Control category at the 45th WorldSkills Competition. "I wish I was as good as him and consider him a role model," the female student shared.

After having a clear goal, Vu Ha strived to conquer competitions from provincial to national level. To be included in the national team participating in the 46th WorldSkills Competition, Vu Ha had to undergo more than 14,000 hours of training in 3.5 years.

In November 2022, Vu Ha went to Salzburg (Austria) to participate in the 46th WorldSkills Competition and won the Gold Medal in the Chemistry Laboratory Technology category. To achieve this result, in addition to professional efforts, Vu Ha also had to improve his English skills.

"The contest requires contestants to write a report in English. This is a difficult task not only for many students with bachelor's or master's degrees, not to mention me - a person who only finished middle school. But luckily, I received enthusiastic help from my teachers. Every day, I carry a dictionary with me so that during meals or before going to bed, I can accumulate new words," Vu Ha shared.

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Khuong Vu Ha won the Gold Medal in the Chemistry Laboratory Technology category at the WorldSkills Competition 2022. Photo: Baidu

After winning the Gold Medal at the WorldSkills 2022 Competition, Vu Ha became the center of attention. At that time, the female student was awarded scholarships by many leading universities in the world to continue her studies. However, Vu Ha decided to decline all invitations to return to school to complete her secondary education.

After completing his secondary education, Vu Ha was retained by the school as a lecturer. In December 2023, after taking the professional title exam, Vu Ha officially became a senior lecturer at the Henan Chemical Engineering Vocational College (China), at the age of 21.

From a female student who failed high school and dropped out of school to work, after 5 years of effort, Vu Ha has now achieved certain successes. In an interview with Chinese media, when asked about the secret to her success, Vu Ha said: "My success comes from my efforts. I hope that through my story, young people will be more confident in pursuing their dreams."

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