The two friends were both valedictorians of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

On the morning of August 24, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - Vietnam National University held the opening ceremony of the 2024 - 2025 school year.

At the opening ceremony, the University of Technology awarded four new students with the best entrance achievements.

Among these 4 new students, there are Pham Minh Tien and Nguyen Hao Thien, close friends, both students of Le Thanh Tong Primary, Secondary and High School (HCMC).

Both have participated in many major academic competitions of the city, and now Minh Tien and Hao Thien are both valedictorians of the University of Technology, studying Computer Science , English Teaching and Learning program.

adf — Minh Tien (left) and Hao Thien are both valedictorians of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in 2024. Photo: NVCC

Minh Tien is the valedictorian in the combined admission method with a total score of 95.62. Hao Thien is the valedictorian of the A1 block nationwide and is also the student at the top of the list based on high school exam scores with 29.8 points.

Minh Tien and Hao Thien studied together in grades 10 and 11 at Le Thanh Tong Secondary School. In grade 12, they were separated into two different classes but still played together regularly.

Talking about themselves, Minh Tien and Hao Thien are both very modest, but when talking about each other, they both express admiration, especially for their friend's ability.

Even though they are "best friends" in school, according to the two new valedictorians, most of the times they meet, they talk about other things rather than about studying.

"We mainly study by ourselves. With the homework assigned by the teachers, each person will complete the task by themselves. If I encounter difficulties, I will often go to the teachers for answers," Minh Tien shared.

Hao Thien said that he has a passion for programming, so he decided to choose Computer Science at the University of Technology to study. "My goals were very high, so I tried very hard to study. There was a time when I studied from 6am this morning to 2am the next morning," Hao Thien said.

Talking about their upcoming plans, both said they have not made a detailed plan yet but will study and orient themselves to create flexibility for both studying and other activities, but the general spirit is to try to study well.

Dinh Quoc Thinh and Pham Nhu Ha Linh. Photo: NVCC

The remaining two excellent new students include Pham Nhu Ha Linh (Nguyen Du High School for the Gifted, Dak Lak province), the female student with the best entrance result with a total score of 93.02 in the comprehensive admission method, and Dinh Quoc Thinh (Nguyen Trai High School, Khanh Hoa) is the valedictorian based on the capacity assessment test score of 1,080 points. Quoc Thinh is also the runner-up in the comprehensive method.