Ngan previously won second prize in Physics at the city-level excellent student contest in 2026. However, earning the top entrance score came as an unexpected surprise. "

“If I look back to the beginning, I always believed I could achieve that score. But becoming the top valedictorian at HCMUT was something I never envisioned," Ngan said.

She said this outcome stemmed first from her dedication combined with good fortune in studying in a supportive environment alongside helpful teachers and peers. At Nguyen Khuyen High School, students frequently took mock exams, sometimes organized weekly. These practice sessions allowed Ngan to build resilience under pressure and manage her emotions in the exam room.

Whenever her results fell short of expectations, the student did not let herself become stressed or lose direction. She simply told herself that she was not strong in a particular area of knowledge, then reviewed her work, identified the reason and studied the material more thoroughly.

“I chose to build a solid grasp of knowledge. To me, studying is not simply about remembering what teachers teach. More importantly, it is about understanding the underlying principles and knowing how to apply them when faced with different types of problems,” she said.

Ngan chose electrical and electronic engineering at HCMCUT because she enjoys logical thinking and programming. In 11th grade, she taught herself to write simple pieces of code to create products for her Physics assignments. 

When the products ran successfully, Ngan was delighted and realized that this could be a field she wanted to pursue in the future. Knowing that electrical and electronic engineering has more male than female students did not change her decision.

“I have never thought that gender is a barrier to my passion. To me, being male or female has nothing to do with whether someone is suited to STEM. What matters is doing what I enjoy and proving myself through the results I achieve,” Ngan said.

After a week getting used to university life, she said she was surprised that her schedule was much lighter than it had been in high school. While studying is more relaxed, it also requires greater self-discipline because lecturers cannot keep as close an eye on students as high school teachers do.

Ngan reminds herself not to become complacent or neglect her studies. Her immediate goals are to improve her English and achieve good academic results during her university years.

“I want to build a strong academic record so that I will have more choices when it comes to the field I want to study,” Ngan said.

Nearly half of freshmen hold IELTS scores of 6.0 or higher

In 2026, HCMC University of Technology welcomed more than 6,000 freshmen. According to the university, the number of applicants rose 49 percent, while the total number of applications increased by nearly 68 percent compared with 2025. 

The rise in applicants, together with stronger academic performance among incoming students, pushed admission scores higher than the previous year for 57 majors and programs, reflecting increasingly intense competition and a stronger applicant pool. Notably, nearly 60 percent of freshmen scored at least 900 points on the Competency Assessment Test.

This year, the university raised the conversion threshold for international English certificates. An IELTS Academic score of 6.0 or an equivalent qualification is converted into 8-10 points for English in the high school graduation exam. 

Despite the higher conversion threshold, nearly half of the freshmen still hold IELTS scores of 6.0 or higher. Female students account for nearly 22 percent of the total number of freshmen, further showing that more female students are becoming confident in choosing engineering and technology fields.

With 95.04 out of 100 points for academic performance under the comprehensive admission method and 1,124 points on the Competency Assessment Test, Vo Gia Thinh, a former student of Nguyen Du High School for the Gifted in Dak Lak, became HCMC University of Technology's double valedictorian in 2026. Thinh was also the second-highest A01 scorer in Dak Lak Province, with 10 points in Mathematics, 9.75 in Physics and 8.5 in English.

Under the admission method based on high school graduation exam scores, three students - Vo Ngoc Thanh Ngan, Le Cong Nguyen and Nguyen Hong Viet - all scored 29.5 points in the A00 exam group.

Le Huyen