Vietnamese ‘golden boys’ at Asian Physics Olympiad share three traits

VietNamNet Bridge - All of the high school students who won gold medals at this year’s Asian Physics Olympiad (APO) have parents who work as teachers, prefer playing sports and usually do housework.

VietNamNet Bridge - All of the high school students who won gold medals at this year’s Asian Physics Olympiad (APO) have parents who work as teachers, prefer playing sports and usually do housework.

Tran Duc Huy and his gold APO medal

Tran Duc Huy, who gained the highest achievement among Vietnamese competitors at APO, is a 12th grader at the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in Hanoi.

Asked why he studies physics, Huy said it is an interesting science which explains phenomena in nature. Physics has many applications in modern life and it serves as the platform for new technologies in the 21st century.

The physics major student at the prestigious school in Hanoi, modest about his achievements, said he doesn’t think he has a special aptitude and he studies physics just because he has a passion for the subject, though no one in his family is a physicist.

Asked why he studies physics, Huy said it is an interesting science which explains phenomena in nature. Physics has many applications in modern life and it serves as the platform for new technologies in the 21st century.

His mother is a primary school teacher, while his father is a civil servant. They encourage him to overcome difficulties.

“To learn physics well, you need to understand the nature of phenomena from which you will infer final results when you are in different situations,” he said.

Huy manages his time by balancing his study and relaxing.

“I like watching football matches and kicking a shuttle cock. After learning period, I help parents prepare meals, clean the floor and hang out the washing,” he said about his daily works.

Long loves all subjects, but he decided to focus on physics when he was at secondary school. He passed the entrance exams to physics major classes of two prestigious schools – the Lam Son High School for the Gifted in Thanh Hoa province and the Hanoi High School for the Gifted under the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences. He decided to apply to the former school.

As a teacher, his mother can give advice about study method, but Long has to rely on himself to gain his achievements. He has also received strong support from his head teacher, a teacher of physics.

Long said he spends a lot of time on learning, but always has time for his habits – listening to music, watching film and reading books.

“The closer the competition, the less time I spend on learning to avoid pressure,” he said.

About his schedule, Long said he goes to school in the morning, goes to extra classes or plays sports in the afternoon and spends one to two hours on studying at home. Sometimes he stays up late at night to learn.

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