Doan Ba Trang, from Thanh Hoa province, is a valedictorian with an Excellent distinction in Chemistry Pedagogy who graduated from Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 this year. The young man, born in 1996, took 10 years and went through many schools and fields of study before reaching his goal.

Amid pressure and expectations, Trang said he is grateful because “without the failures, there would definitely be no version of me today.”

Ba Trang is a former student at Lam Son High School for the Gifted, majoring in chemistry. During high school, Trang was known for his academic excellence, earning scholarships for six out of six semesters and winning the Consolation prize in the National Excellent Student Exam in the 11th grade. At that time, he was the pride of his parents.

"Back then, passing the entrance exam to Lam Son High School for the Gifted was even harder than passing the university entrance exam, so when I was accepted, my parents had high expectations. For students from gifted schools, the pressure of the university entrance exam is much higher than for students from other schools," Trang recalled.

In 2014, Trang took the university entrance exam for the first time. At that time, each candidate could only choose two schools in two exam subject groups. Trang registered for Group-A (math, physics, chemistry) at the People's Security Academy but failed, and Group B (math, chemistry, biology) at the Military Medical Academy, but was short by 0.5 point.

Trang's failure for the university entrance exam shocked his parents. "For a long time, my father didn't want to talk to me because he was so disappointed," Trang shared.

Trying not to miss the academic year, Trang enrolled at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture as a temporary solution. However, lacking passion, he decided to study for the exam again after one semester.

In 2015, Trang took the exam for the second time, applying to the 1st Army Officer School, but again missed the cut-off by 0.5 points. Finally, he decided to pursue dual majors in Petrochemical Refining and Construction Engineering at Hanoi University of Mining and Geology.

“I decided to follow my strengths in chemistry-related fields and not retake the exam again. Petrochemical Refining was the most suitable major because it offered good career prospects if I returned to Thanh Hoa,” Trang said.

However, that year the Petrochemical faculty did not accept students applying for the major as second-choice. So Trang chose Construction Engineering, planning to add a second major in his second year.

He knew this path would be much tougher. Each semester, he studied 34–35 credits. Some days he attended classes from period 1 to period 13, sometimes until 8 PM.

“My parents always said our family doesn’t have financial resources, so I must work hard to build my own career. That motivated me,” Trang said.

During his time at Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Trang competed multiple times in national Olympic contests and earned strong results: Second Prize in the 2018 National Chemistry Olympiad for University Students; Consolation Prize in the National Mechanics Olympiad in 2019 and 2020. After four years, he graduated with Good standing in both majors.

The turning point 

While studying at the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Trang served as head of the university’s Academic Club, which offered tutoring classes for struggling students and training for Olympic teams.

Teaching these classes and helping students reach their goals made him realize how meaningful it was to stand on the podium. That’s when he began dreaming of becoming a teacher.

After graduating, Trang didn’t immediately take a job. Instead, he worked as a teaching assistant and tutored for a year. In 2021, he took the university exam for the third time, applying to the Chemistry Education program at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, and finally got accepted.

“I didn’t take excessive notes; I listened carefully and recorded keywords. I also joined research groups and discussed directly with lecturers whenever I didn’t understand something. For advanced topics, I always sought out lecturers for clarification,” Trang said.

After four years, Trang graduated with Excellent standing and became the school’s valedictorian. People often asked why he didn’t apply to teach at high schools. Trang said he felt he “owed” the university and wanted to stay and strive toward becoming a lecturer.

Thuy Nga