Dang Huyen Anh has emerged as the top literature candidate in Hanoi after leading admissions to three of the city's most prestigious specialized high schools.
Dang Huyen Anh, a ninth-grade student at Cau Giay Secondary School in Hanoi, has achieved a remarkable triple success in this year's admissions season, becoming the top literature candidate in Hanoi while also leading the entrance examinations at the High School for Gifted Students under Hanoi National University of Education.
Dang Huyen Anh became Hanoi's top Literature candidate in the 2026 specialized high school entrance examinations. Photo: Courtesy of the family.
In the 2026 entrance examination for Hanoi's specialized high schools, Huyen Anh scored a total of 43.75 points, including 9 in Mathematics, 9 in Literature, 9.75 in English and 8 in Specialized Literature. The result made her the top candidate for the Literature stream at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and the highest-scoring Literature applicant across Hanoi.
She also topped the entrance examination for the High School for Gifted Students under Hanoi National University of Education with a total admission score of 26.75, including 6.5 in Mathematics, 9 in English, 9.25 in Literature and 8.75 in Specialized Literature.
Earlier, she had also been admitted to the High School for Gifted Students in Social Sciences and Humanities.
"When I saw the results, I was truly happy and surprised. After the exams, I knew I had performed well, but I never imagined I would become the top scorer. I'm proud of myself and delighted to bring this achievement to Cau Giay Secondary School," Huyen Anh said.
From a book-loving child to Hanoi's top Literature student
Covers content
Not interested
Inappropriate
Seen too often
ADBRO is the full service ad network for high impact contextual advertising with direct access to the exclusive in-image inventories across major local publishers.
We provide free creative adaptation into rich media, interactive and playable ads formats. Campaigns in our channel are delivered under guaranteed prices for actions with programmatic & managed delivery. We provide contextually segmented in-target audiences for over 60 industries with a full range of brand safety solutions.
ADBRO operates across SE Asia, including Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia.
To test our channel for your advertising campaigns or consider partnership programs for publishers, please contact us at www.adbro.me
Pham Thi Thu Huyen and her daughter Dang Huyen Anh. Photo: Courtesy of the family.
Pham Thi Thu Huyen, Huyen Anh's mother, said she had only hoped her daughter would gain admission to a specialized high school.
"Before the exams, I simply wished she would achieve her dream of entering a specialized school. I never expected her to rank first. When I learned she had topped several entrance exams, I could hardly believe my eyes and ears. My emotions went from complete surprise to overwhelming happiness," she said.
Huyen Anh developed a passion for literature from the time she first learned to read and write.
"The first time I realized she had a special ability to appreciate literature was when she was in third grade. She enthusiastically told me about the character Death in the novel The Book Thief. I was quite surprised because it is a challenging book for a primary school student," her mother recalled.
Since then, her mother, who is also a literature teacher at a Hanoi high school, has encouraged her to read a wide range of literary works.
According to her mother, Huyen Anh is an introvert who is somewhat shy and reluctant to talk about herself. However, she is exceptionally diligent, persistent and highly focused in her studies.
"One memory I will never forget was when she was in fourth grade. Before the Lunar New Year holiday, her homeroom teacher assigned a large number of optional worksheets. After only two days of the holiday, before we left to visit our hometown, she asked me to photograph her completed work so she could submit it to her teacher. Even I was amazed that she had finished so much work in just two days," her mother said.
Study smarter, not longer
Dang Huyen Anh with her homeroom teacher Tran Thi Nga (right) and her mother. Photo: Courtesy of the family.
Huyen Anh said she has always focused on studying efficiently rather than studying for long hours.
"I believe you have to be truly focused for studying to be effective. Studying for too many hours, even until one or two in the morning, can be counterproductive. I have never stayed up later than 11 p.m. to study," she said.
For Literature, she believes a successful essay requires a balance between logical structure and genuine emotion.
"You need to make sure your writing is logical first, then let your creativity and emotions flow. It has to be correct before it can be beautiful," she explained.
To improve her writing, Huyen Anh regularly reads literary classics, works recommended by her teachers, prize-winning essays by older students and model essays. She also follows current affairs to enrich the examples she uses in social commentary essays.
"Real-life examples can come from ordinary daily experiences, whether at school or in the community around us," she said.
Beyond classic literature, Huyen Anh also enjoys reading online novels and books from many other fields. She is also passionate about writing.
"Some people see writing as a form of entertainment, but for me, stories bring emotions and beautiful language. Writing down my thoughts also helps me improve my writing skills and develop a better writing style," she said.
She previously competed a year ahead of her grade level while in eighth grade, winning first prize in the district-level Literature competition and second prize at the Hanoi city-level Literature competition during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Huyen Anh said her success would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of her teachers.
"If I had only been good at Literature, I wouldn't have been admitted to a specialized Literature class. I'm truly grateful to my teachers for helping me achieve strong results in both the specialized subject and the required general subjects," she said.
Tran Thi Nga, Huyen Anh's homeroom teacher, described her student as warm-hearted and thoughtful.
"Huyen Anh is always encouraging and motivates everyone in the class. Whenever I feel down, she is always ready to listen and share," Nga said.
She praised Huyen Anh for being hardworking, talented in Literature and consistently humble despite her achievements.
"She always told me she would do her very best to achieve good results not only for herself but also for her class and school. That meant a great deal to me as her teacher," Nga said.
After receiving admission offers from three prestigious specialized schools, Huyen Anh has chosen to study in the Literature stream at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.
"I'm still a little shy, so I want to study in a more dynamic environment where I can participate in more extracurricular activities and continue developing myself," she said.
Vietnamnet.vn
Podcast
.svg){kind=icon}
