Valedictorian of the Hanoi Medical University's competitive entrance exam: "There were times when I studied 13 hours a day"

(Dan Tri) - With 25.09 points, Vu Ngoc Duy (Phu Tho) has just been named valedictorian of the fierce entrance exam for residency at Hanoi Medical University.

Graduated with honors, passed the exam as valedictorian

On the afternoon of September 9, when the name Vu Ngoc Duy was announced, the entire hall burst into applause and screams. Outside the hall, friends ran to hug Duy.

With a fierce exam, in 40 years, only about 10% of candidates of Hanoi Medical University were admitted, achieving the top score in the residency exam like Duy is very difficult.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Duy said that before taking the residency exam, he graduated with honors from the medical school, with a GPA of 8.11/10; and received scholarships in 7 out of 12 semesters.

Vu Ngoc Duy ( Phu Tho ) has just been named valedictorian of the rigorous entrance exam for residency at Hanoi Medical University (Photo: My Ha).

"With the above score, I estimated that I was in the top 50. However, when I received the news that I was the valedictorian, I was extremely surprised, I couldn't imagine it.

At that time, I opened my phone and was surprised to see a series of messages from my friends congratulating me. At the same time, I received an email from the school saying that I had just passed the entrance exam to become a resident doctor. I ran downstairs and shouted to my mother,” Duy recalled.

According to this male student, for the residency exam, each candidate must take 3 exams. The first exam is a basic comprehensive exam (combining many basic subjects); exam 2 is a specialized exam 1 (internal medicine and pediatrics), exam 3 is a specialized exam 2 (surgery and obstetrics).

During the exam, Duy just told himself to do his best. For the obstetrics subject, he was very confident and got the highest score of 8.25; for the other subjects, he got the following scores: 8.9 for basic; 7.9 for internal medicine; and 25.09 for the total of 3 exams. With this score, Duy chose to study for a residency in obstetrics and gynecology in the next 3 years.

It is known that Duy is a math major student at Vinh Phuc High School for the Gifted (old). With second prize in math in the national excellent student exam, Duy was admitted directly to Hanoi Medical University.

Ngoc Duy said that he did not choose "hot" majors such as Computer Science or some trendy commercial majors. He chose Medicine because of family tradition, his mother and brother both work at the district hospital (old), in which his mother is an ophthalmologist, his brother is a nurse. Therefore, he has many opportunities to learn about this industry.

“My impression when I was young was that my mother opened a clinic, so even when a patient called me while I was eating, I had to put down my chopsticks, and when a patient called in the middle of the night, I had to go see a patient. I saw the hardship and joy that this job brings, very different from other jobs,” Duy said.

Ngoc Duy and family (Photo: NVCC).

"Sometimes I study 13 hours a day"

To pass the residency exam, especially to be the top student, Duy needs to plan early from the second and third years of study. You may not need to study too much every day, but you have to study regularly so that when you go back to review old knowledge, you won't be overloaded.

From year 4 to year 6, I tried to combine both basic and clinical subjects, so that when reviewing, it would be easier.

During the second semester of the 5th year onwards, I studied my regular subjects and also took the time to review for the exam. “In the morning I studied at the hospital, in the afternoon I studied theory in the lecture hall. In the evening I spent time reviewing for the exam to become a resident doctor.

The last months are the finishing time, I spend a lot of time, every day I can study up to 13 hours in the classroom, and when I get home I study more. Except for lunch and dinner time, the rest of the time I just study and study,” the male student shared.

Talking about his future plans, Ngoc Duy said that studying for a residency is quite difficult, so he wants to accumulate as much knowledge as possible, then graduate and hope to have a job in Hanoi. However, according to the male student, this is his initial plan, he does not know what will happen in the future.

At a previous conference, the leader of Hanoi Medical University said that the history of training resident physicians in Vietnam started at this school in 1974, and has now been 50 years.

Having to go through a very rigorous entrance exam, the learning process and output are both very demanding, so each course only selects a few resident doctors.

Currently, Hanoi Medical University is the largest training institution for resident physicians in the country, accounting for 41% of the total number of resident physicians nationwide. In 50 years, the University has trained more than 5,000 resident physicians.

In the first 40 years, Hanoi Medical University trained about 17,000 students and 1,770 residents, meaning only 10% of doctors received residency training.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thu-khoa-ky-thi-khoc-liet-truong-dh-y-ha-noi-co-luc-em-hoc-13-tiengngay-20250909163529433.htm