The thing shared by Nguyen Chi Dung, who came first on the entrance exam, Ha Khuong Duy, the first ethnic minority student to win a gold medal at the Mathematics International Olympiad is – eagerness to learn.

Nguyen Chi Dung

However, the high scores on the university entrance exams have not surprised Dung, who described the scores as ‘below expectations’.

Dung was a 12^th-grade mathematics major at the Hanoi University of Education, therefore, he had big advantages for the A group exam (mathematics, physics and chemistry), and took the exam enter the Hanoi National Economics University. However, as Dung believes in his learning capability, he sat for the exams to get into Hanoi Medical University as well.

“30 marks was not a surprise at all, as I foresaw the result right when I went out of the exam room,” Dung said.

Explaining the ‘below-expectation result’, Dung said that though he came in first on the exam for Hanoi Medical University, his score of 28.5 for the Hanoi National Economics University was lower than his friends’.

The biggest difficulty now for Dung is to choose one of the universities. “I want to go to the economics university as the study branch can bring many opportunities. However, I also want to study at the medical school because I can do the research work I love there,” he said.

Nguyen Thi Hien, Dung’s mother, related that he is always thirsty for knowledge and he is always a diligent boy. “He can do everything, from preparing meals, washing clothes to feeding his sister and helping his mother. He is always self-conscious about his learning,” she said. Meanwhile, Dung’s grandmother related that Dung promised her when he was in 5^th grade that he would get a certificate of merit for excellent students every year.

Ha Khuong Duy, the golden boy that won the gold medal

Ha Khuong Duy

Nong Thi Tinh, a Nung ethnic minority woman, related that when Duy was a 5^th grade student, he won the first prize in the competition for excellent mathematics students in Bac Giang province.

When he was in 8^th grade, Duy told his mother that he had done all the mathematics questions provided in the magazine “Mathematics for children” and asked her to buy ‘Mathematics for the youth’ for him.

Duy has never given up any mathematics question and sometimes he has spent several years on questions. Duy’s mother related that one year, she called her son to give him money for New Year’s Day but Duy did not respond because he was engrossed in a problem.

The student who lives on charity money

Dung and her parents

Dung lives in a small house in Dong Ha town in Quang Tri province. No one could imagine that there exists such a poor house. Dung and her parents cannot sleep well when it rains because of the dilapidated roof.

When Dung was small, her father brought her with himself when he wandered around begging. Dung related that she felt sad when she had to beg for help from people. However, with the sorrow, Dung promised to herself that she would study hard to escape poverty.

Dung has been recognised as an excellent student for the last five years and she has been sent to attend the competition of excellent students of Dong Ha town. A lot of certificates of merit are hung on the wall of Dung’s ramshackle house.

Dung and her father do not go begging anymore because begging is prohibited now. Dung’s parents now both are selling lottery tickets and spending 3,000-5,000 dong per day only for meals.

Dung related that she dreams of becoming a teacher.

VietNamNet/TP