Nguyen Phuong Ngan, 23, has just graduated as the valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy in 2025, earning a GPA of 3.81/4. Five years ago, she also topped the university’s entrance exam. For Ngan, maintaining this academic consistency was all about discipline.

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Nguyen Phuong Ngan, valedictorian of Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Photo: Provided by character

A former student of Nguyen Du High School (Thanh Oai, Hanoi), Ngan earned top prizes in Physics at both district and city-level academic competitions.

Besides Physics, she had a strong passion for Chemistry and was drawn to health-related fields due to their high practical value for individuals, families, and communities.

Although no one in her family had pursued medicine or pharmacy, her parents supported her decision wholeheartedly. In 2020, she scored 29.3 out of 30 in the A00 entrance exam block and became the top incoming student at Hanoi University of Pharmacy.

“When I found out I was the entrance valedictorian, I felt surprised and proud, but I never aimed to graduate as valedictorian,” she said.

However, in her early days at university, she felt overwhelmed. The program attracted many students with strong academic backgrounds and intense passion for natural sciences. Many of them were already reading international research papers and conducting scientific research.

“In the beginning, I felt I was starting behind. So I constantly reminded myself that everyone has their own strengths. What matters is not comparing with others, but how much better I am today compared to yesterday,” Ngan reflected.

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Ngan on her graduation day. Photo: Provided by character

From then on, she committed to self-discipline, persistence, and continuous effort.

Throughout her five years at university, Ngan upheld this mindset. She doesn’t consider herself particularly gifted, but she believes deeply in the power of perseverance.

“I always plan my studies in detail, create revision schedules, preview lessons, and take personal notes. For me, no learning method beats consistent hard work.”

There were times she studied up to 16 hours a day, especially during exams or when preparing to write scientific papers.

Ngan uses mental mind maps to retain knowledge. Rather than drawing diagrams on paper, she visualizes connections between concepts and links them to real-life experiences.

For instance, when studying anatomy and physiology, she imagines how each organ functions. When learning pharmacology or pharmacokinetics, she envisions the drug’s circulation through her body and its effects on the heart or blood pressure.

For difficult concepts, she takes photos and stores them on her phone for easy access – reviewing them after waking up, before sleeping, or while waiting for the bus.

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She began scientific research in her third year. Photo: Provided by character

By her third year, Ngan began conducting research at the university’s Medicinal Chemistry Synthesis Laboratory. Initially, she faced countless setbacks: failed reactions, hard-to-purify impurities, and multi-day experiments yielding no results.

“There were moments I wanted to give up. But once I calmly reviewed the process, I realized every mistake had a reason. I adjusted solvents, catalysts, and slowly overcame those hurdles,” she recalled.

She co-authored the paper “Overview of HDAC6 and selective HDAC6 inhibitors for cancer treatment,” published in the Journal of Scientific Research and Development. Her team also won second prize at the 22nd National Conference on Youth Science and Technology in Medicine.

Ngan became deeply passionate about designing synthesis routes for new compounds. She would develop concepts and discuss feasibility with her supervisor.

“When my idea was approved and I got to implement it in the lab myself, it felt incredibly fulfilling,” she shared.

After graduating as valedictorian, Ngan plans to pursue a master’s degree at her current university and continue working at the Medicinal Chemistry Synthesis Lab.

“I hope to contribute to the discovery of new compounds that can help treat cancer. The research journey may be long and difficult, but as long as I have passion, I believe I’ll always find joy in it,” Ngan said.

Thuy Nga