The girl born to be… valedictorian

Ngo Thu Ha, who is the valedictorian of the 2025 graduating class of Hanoi Medical University, has also been the valedictorian of many other exams during her high school years. One of the secrets to her success is that she knew early what she liked.

In the recent 2025 medical graduation ceremony of Hanoi Medical University, the title of valedictorian was awarded to Ngo Thu Ha, with a final score of 8.42/10.

Notably, 6 years ago (2019), Ha was the valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University, and also the national valedictorian of block B, with a total combined score of 29.8 points (chemistry and biology both got 10 points, math got 9.8 points).

Newly graduated doctor Ngo Thu Ha (third from right) was honored as valedictorian on the day she received her diploma. PHOTO: HUU LINH

All my school life I was… valedictorian

Ha was born and raised in a family where neither parent worked in the medical profession (mother was a teacher, father was a retired police officer), but she soon had a special affection for the medical profession. Ever since she was a primary school student, Ha dreamed of becoming a doctor. But during her studies, she was good at math, so taking the entrance exam for the math major was "natural". Not only that, in the 10th grade entrance exam (in 2016), Ha was also the valedictorian of the math major class at Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted, Phu Tho .

During her 3 years in high school, Ha maintained her math performance, achieving many high achievements such as second prize in the Hanoi Open Math Competition HOMC, silver medal in the exchange competition for excellent students of specialized high schools in the coastal and Northern Delta regions, and 2 consecutive years winning first prize in the provincial math competition.

On the journey to reach her dream of passing the medical university entrance exam, Ha's biggest obstacle was biology. She found this subject "difficult to understand, too much theory, few exercises" uninteresting.

But then Ha found an effective learning method, studied better and better, then became passionate and did not find it difficult anymore. In the 2018-2019 school year, Ha took part in the assessment exams organized by the Phu Tho Department of Education and Training and the school 3 times, all 3 times she was the valedictorian of group B (all above 28 points).

In university, Ha's class had many students who were admitted directly because they won national excellent student awards. Therefore, when she first entered the school, Ha was "overwhelmed" by the intelligence and extensive knowledge of her classmates. But she also saw the opportunity to learn from those talented friends.

"At first, I couldn't keep up with my friends. But my goal was just to study well, not to compete to be the best, so I didn't feel worried. Later, I realized that my friends were usually only good at one specialized subject like chemistry or biology, while at university there are many subjects. Thanks to my good results in all subjects, I was still the valedictorian of the entire class at the end of the year," Ha shared.

During the first 3 years at Hanoi Medical University, Ha was awarded a certificate of merit by the school principal for being the valedictorian of the year. During her 6 years of study, Ha received 8 out of 12 scholarships from the school, including 5 corporate scholarships.

Only sleep more than 6 hours a day

Asked about the secret to studying well, Ha said that first of all, one must be diligent, with a very clear motivation for studying: "I study not for the title of valedictorian, but only because I want to prepare myself with the best foundation of knowledge and skills so that I can become a good doctor in the future."

Every day, Ha often stays up until 12 midnight or later to study; while the next day, she has to wake up at 6:30 am to prepare for class or go to the hospital. During exam preparation, she only gets 3-4 hours of sleep a day. There are even days when she is on duty at the hospital at night and only gets a few hours of sleep. Therefore, after every exam, Ha always rewards herself with a full 10 hours of sleep!

Ha shared: "But all medical students have to work hard, not just me. The daily routine is so long that maybe your body can adapt, not feel tired or not get sick. There are many times when I feel tired and discouraged, but when I go to clinical training, and get exposed to the hospital environment, I find that my efforts today are very meaningful because in the future I can contribute a small part of my strength to help patients, then I have the motivation to continue trying."

Ha added: "I have a group of friends studying with me to exchange and supplement knowledge with each other. In addition, I also use learning support applications like Anki to quickly review knowledge."

Ha recently took the residency exam at Hanoi Medical University and ranked 14th in the medical field. With this ranking, Ha has the opportunity to choose any major she likes. However, Ha is more interested in oncology and ear, nose and throat, not majors that are ranked as "top" by medical students such as obstetrics or surgery. "I am a meticulous and perfectionist person, so these are the majors that best suit my personality," Ha said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-gai-sinh-ra-de-lam-thu-khoa-185250831170410931.htm