Nung female student achieved HSK 5 certificate thanks to self-study, sleeping 4-5 hours a day

(Dan Tri) - Phung Thi Anh - a female student of the Nung ethnic group - is studying in grade 12 at the Lang Son Province Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities. Anh holds an HSK 5 advanced Chinese certificate with a score of 241/300.

Phung Thi Anh pursued chemistry since middle school. Failing the provincial chemistry competition in grade 9 made the beautiful girl even more determined to conquer this subject in high school. As a result, while in grade 11, Anh won third prize in the chemistry competition for students who excelled in grade 12.

In the same year, Anh was awarded the Odon Vallet scholarship, a scholarship fund established by French physicist of Vietnamese origin - Professor Tran Thanh Van - under the sponsorship of French billionaire Odon Vallet.

Female student Phung Thi Anh (Photo: NVCC).

Not only excelling in chemistry, Phung Thi Anh also surprised and made her teachers proud when she won the HSK 5 Chinese certificate with a score of 241/300 thanks to self-study.

Dan Tri reporter had a conversation with Nung female student Phung Thi Anh.

Dream of entering a top 4 university in China

How long did it take you to pass the HSK 5 Chinese certificate? Can you share your secret to learning Chinese?

- It took me more than a year to achieve HSK 5. At first, I studied Chinese at a center until HSK 4. Then I studied by myself to prepare for the HSK 5 exam.

I don’t have any special secret. To take the HSK test, vocabulary is very important, so you need to study hard, then grammar. If you understand the meaning of the words, using grammar will be easier. And of course, to get a good score, you need to practice a lot of questions.

Anh's purpose of studying HSK is to get early university admission or to study abroad in China?

- I aim for both goals. Currently I am pursuing international communication at the Diplomatic Academy. My dream is to become a media specialist and content creator.

International communication is a very dynamic profession, with creative freedom and open-mindedness. The Diplomatic Academy is a school with top quality training in this field.

Phung Thi Anh (6th from right) took a souvenir photo with Professor Ngo Bao Chau and Professor Tran Thanh Van at the 2023 Odon Vallet scholarship award ceremony in Hanoi (Photo: NVCC).

At the same time, I also set a goal to study abroad and will apply for a scholarship from the Chinese Government in 2024. I hope to be able to enter Shanghai Jiao Tong University - a university in the top 4 in China. However, I am not confident enough to confirm whether I can pass or not.

If I fail, I will apply for a scholarship at a higher level later.

Having a passion for Chinese, why don't you focus on this subject alone while still pursuing chemistry at the same time?

- I have loved chemistry since secondary school. Before studying chemistry, I often heard people complaining that chemistry was difficult. That made me curious and wanted to try to conquer this subject.

After more exposure and understanding, I feel that I love chemistry more and more. I was selected to the provincial chemistry competition team in grade 9. Unfortunately, I did not win any prize, but that became the motivation for me to be determined to stick with chemistry when I entered high school.

For me, Chinese is not a subject but a necessary asset to achieve my learning goals. Therefore, I do not feel distracted when studying both chemistry and Chinese.

For me, each subject has its own attraction. That attraction comes from both the subject and the goals I want to conquer. Studying an attractive subject is never boring and tiring.

Wake up at 5:30, a school day only ends at 1:00 am

To be able to conquer many goals at the same time, how do you arrange your study and living schedule?

- My day starts at 5:30 am to do personal work. Morning school hours are from 7:15 am to 11:30 am. Afternoon self-study hours at school are from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Evening self-study hours last 3.5 hours from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm.

I divide my time into 1.5 hours for math, 1 hour for literature and 1 hour for Chinese. Then I take a 30-minute break for personal hygiene and spend 1 hour studying the subjects according to the next day's schedule.

From 0:00 to 1:00 am, I study HSK. I maintain and follow this study schedule.

In my free time, I like to listen to music or take a rest.

Studying by yourself 6-8 hours a day and only sleeping 4.5 hours a night, do you feel stressed and pressured?

- I have been used to this pace of study since entering high school, so I don't feel pressured. Moreover, my friends are also studying at the same intensity. To be able to enter good universities in the country, we have no choice but to work hard and make an effort.

At the age of 15, you had to leave home, without your parents and live an independent life in Lang Son city. What difficulties did you encounter?

- When I first entered boarding school at the age of 15, I was quite confused, not yet adapted to the living environment and homesick. However, the students here were all very sociable and friendly so I quickly integrated.

The teachers also care about us very much, creating all the conditions for us to focus on studying. Our study and living expenses are covered by the government, which also reduces the burden on our parents back home.

Phung Thi Anh's pretty appearance in everyday clothes (Photo: NVCC).

What do you want to do after graduating from university?

- I am a Nung person in Quang Bi village, An Son commune, Van Quan district, Lang Son. I think my hometown is very beautiful. I have been to Hanoi and am very impressed with the development of Hanoi.

I hope that in the future I will be able to contribute to implementing programs to promote the image of my hometown worthy of its current values ​​and potentials, thereby attracting investment, developing tourism in particular and the economy in general of Lang Son province.

I also have another ambition which is to support people to start their own business. Of course that is when I have succeeded in my career.

Thanks for this chat!

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