Nguyen Ngoc Hung, a K26 student of Software Engineering at the DTU School of Computer Science, won a third prize in the specialized section at the 30th Vietnam Student Informatics Olympiad & 2021 International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) Asia Hanoi.
When he was admitted for the selection for the Informatics Olympiad in Hanoi, Hung was elated. This is a large-scale contest that took place from March 22 to 25, 2022 and which counted about 700 students from 67 universities and colleges in Vietnam and abroad who gathered at FPT University Hanoi for the contest. The contestants could be classed as programming talent and formidable opponents, and they already won prizes at provincial, national, or even Asia-Pacific level.
Ngoc Hung (left) with Dr Huynh Ba Dieu and Duc Huy with this third prize in the specialized section
Just like anyone else would, I did feel nervous. But before the contest started, Profs. Huynh Ba Dieu and Nguyen Quoc Long prepared us painstakingly. I love the way they teach us: devoted and professional, and they understand the way students think very well.
They know how difficult the contest is, so they don’t put pressure on us to win prizes. They often say, “I don’t put pressure on you to win a prize. You just do what you can!” This could be why I entered the competition room completely at ease. They furthermore advised us to eat, have coffee, and go for walks to remain cheerful. This way, the contest would go as smoothly as possible.
Ngoc Hung and his lecturers and friends at the contest
About three quarters of an hour before the end of the contest, I had a look and saw I was placed rather high in the ranking. At the last minute, though, other contestants made their come-backs and pushed me down. My participation was relatively good, through, and I got a third prize in the individual specialist section, which counted most contestants at 171 students. My prize will encourage me a lot to continue working hard in future contests and in my studies.
No need to be a book worm, you only need a suitable method
Quite a lot of people say I must be a book work to get these prizes. However, I have my own method: high concentration to study for a preset time. This means that, every time I’m in class, I’ll try and understand the lecture right away. Afterwards I re-code the lecture my own way. This helps my long-term recall and my agility when solving similar problems.
I remember an exercise for which I coded until two or three in the morning and still it wasn’t finished. I then lay down to think about how to do it, and I fell asleep without intending to. (Laughs.) Then in a dream it looked like I was still coding. The strange thing was that the next morning, I redid the code like in my dream and... it ran. I say that’s a mystery!!
2020 DTF Football champion
Besides my studies, I often play football, have coffee with friends, or go for walks. I divide my time between learning and play, which is why my grades are very high at 3.9/4. Besides the third prize at the Informatics Olympiad now, I won many other prizes, including a second prize at the 2020 Vietnam Student Informatics Olympiad (when only in my freshman year) and many prizes in skilled-student contests and young informatics contests when I was at high school, and even the 2020 DTF Football championship held by DTU clubs.
I remember at the end of 12th grade, my friends and I were all preoccupied with choosing a university. I did quite some research into different universities, and before I chose DTU, I received a lot of advice from DTU alumni. With its modern infrastructure and especially its lecturers that are famous for their deep expertise and their enthusiasm, I decided to study at DTU. So far, I’m very content with my decision. Winning a prize at the Informatics Olympiad has boosted my confidence to continue honing my knowledge and use my skills, which will be the foundation of my future professional development.
(Media Center)