VietNamNet Bridge - Five months after winning the silver medal at the 2017 IMO (International Mathematics Olympiad), Pham Nam Khanh, a student from Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted has scored another goal – winning a $264,000 scholarship for 4-year study at the University of Chicago. 

Pham Nam Khanh and his mother

According to The World University Rankings, the school ranks ninth on the list of best universities in the world and third on the list of US universities according to US News.

Khanh said he chose the university for theoretical mathematics study because famous scientists work there, including Nobel prize and Fields medal winners.

The 17-year old student said his parents are the most influential persons in his life. They never force him to do anything, just share experience, give advice, and act as his companions. 

The student began dreaming of studying overseas when he entered the sixth grade. Hai, his mother, spent a lot of time to learn about US education.

Recalling the days to prepare for application for universities in the US, Hai said the biggest problem Khanh faced was that he didn’t like learning English. His English was at a very low level in sixth grade.

Hai then told her son that English would be useful in all study majors, and that if Khanh was good at English, he would be able to access the world’s knowledge in mathematics.

When Khanh entered the ninth grade, his English became fluent which allowed him to pass the exam to win a full scholarship from the Singapore government for 4-year high school study.

However, good English skills and mathematics knowledge were still not enough. The universities in the US appreciate diversity. Hai decided to help her son try music and painting lessons. Finally, Khanh found his interest in writing.

He began writing stories in 2013. In 2016, he made his debut with ‘Biet doi A11-15U’ (Detachment A11-15U). He continues to write stories.

To practice the skills of communication, teamwork and leadership, Khanh participated in many extracurricular activities and attended exchanges overseas. He has been to 10 countries so far. In 2016, he spent 2 months overseas.

He received a silver medal at 2017 IMO and first prize at the 2016, 2017 national competition for excellent students in maths. He also won the Le Van Them Prize awarded by the Vietnam Mathematician Association in 2017 and first prizes at Hanoi competitions for excellent students in math when he was in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades. 

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