Le Thi Phong, from Thanh Hoa, was overjoyed and admired by all when she achieved a very high 29.4 in her 2023 High School Graduation Exam, in the Literature, History, Civic Education C19 set. She registered for a minor in the International Tour Guide in Chinese course at DTU, after applying through the C00 set of Literature, History and Geography, with 27.9 points.
Full scholarship for outstanding academic efforts
Born and raised in the town of Sao Vang in the Tho Xuan district of Thanh Hoa province, Phong is the eldest child of a farming family. Her attractive looks hide a strong personality, she fully understands the difficulties her parents have endured, always helps with the housekeeping after school and studies hard to please them.
Le Thi Phong achieved a very high 29.4 in her 2023 High School Graduation Exam
Her cool thinking and cheerful approach have enabled Phong to win major prizes at high school, including:
- Second prize in History, at the provincial grade 11 skilled-student competition
- Third in Literature, at the grade 12 provincial skilled-student competition
- Third in History, at the grade 12 provincial skilled-student competition
- A skilled student award for 12 years in a row
Phong’s parents don’t have much time to concentrate on their children’s studies, so Phong has always been highly independent. Her secret is to set herself problems and research alone. She is self-disciplined, full of effort and optimistic.
Phong explains that: “During class, I am always attentive, then go home and study, review, and put what I’ve learned into place. Most important to me is perseverance and daily hard work. In Literature, I devote my time to reading profusely, to accumulate vocabulary and get to know life’s problems. This makes my writing more coherent and emotional and I also watch documentaries to improve my understanding of historical events. In preparing for tests, I make up my own questions and think of original ways to answer them.”
Phong has always been extremely fond of Winston Churchill’s quote: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” So, despite the challenges she meets in her studies, Phong always reminds herself to remain optimistic and positive, not hesitate, not to be afraid, find ways to turn problems into opportunities, and remain motivated to keep moving forward. She likes to say: “Be a better version of yourself tomorrow”.
Determined to achieve her ambition of becoming a Tour Guide
Phong shares her concerns about the differences in opinion between her and her parents regarding her choice of major and future career plans.
Le Thi Phong (first from left) with teacher and friends from the school’s History team
“My parents suggested that I should choose Policing or Pedagogy studies, because they wanted their children to find stable and undemanding jobs on graduation, but we talked about it, they changed their minds and agreed to support me in pursuing my dream. They just want me to be true to my passion and not regret anything later. The turning point that decided me to become a tour guide was a book entitled: ‘How Much is Youth Worth?’ by Rosie Nguyen. Based on the author’s own experiences, I thought again, because I love exploring new things, want to visit many countries and communicate with many different cultures. I therefore decided to live true to myself, choose the profession I love, and take full responsibility for my choice.”
Phong explains that DTU is the dream of many applicants, because of its high international rankings. “After thoroughly researching the educational environment, programs, and teaching quality, I decided to register at DTU with my first-choice majoring in Tourism & Travel Management, with a minor in the International Tour Guide in Chinese program. Fortunately, I was conditionally admitted to that major, and even received a full scholarship fully covering tuition throughout the course, if I enrolled at DTU. The scholarship gave me the peace of mind to study the next four years and reduced the financial burden on my parents. I believe that DTU will be a second home to me and will always be with me on my journey of learning and development.”
(Media Center)