Valedictorian Ha Chi on her university graduation day.
With a score of 3.8/4.0, Chi was the valedictorian of the International Studies major, including the Standard and High Quality programs, at the graduation ceremony in late July 2025 of VNU-USSH. Four years ago, the former student of Thang Long High School, Hanoi, was admitted directly to university with the national excellent student award in Geography. Although she has always maintained her performance, Chi confided that she still felt surprised and emotional when becoming the valedictorian.
Talking to a reporter from the Vietnamese Student Page of Tien Phong Newspaper, Ha Chi shared: “I always believe that success comes from 99% effort and 1% luck. I consider small achievements in university as motivation to try harder in the future, not the final destination.”
Ha Chi and her mother received the valedictorian award from the school on graduation day.
According to Chi, she chose International Studies because of her background in geography and her desire to broaden her understanding of countries, cultures, and international issues. During her time as a student, Chi was the Head of the Content and Expertise Committee of the International Speakers Academic Club, responsible for organizing many events to exchange specialized knowledge, training in negotiation skills, and debating competitions.
For her, Loa Quoc Te is not just a club but has become a deep attachment in her journey of maturity. Accompanying the Club for four years, this is the place that has given Chi the opportunity to try her hand at many different roles. From the tasks of a new member such as searching, translating and editing news, in-depth analysis, to joining the executive board, having to build an action plan and being directly responsible for all activities of the organization.
The valedictorian is also an enthusiastic participant in scientific research and won all First, Second, and Third prizes at the School-level Student Science Conference for three years from 2022 to 2024. With good English and French skills, Chi was a translator for the International Research Project specializing in international current affairs and the Sérendipité community page for learning about French and France.
Ha Chi (far right) with lecturers and students of the Faculty of International Studies at the Youth Initiative for Governance and Development in the Mekong - Lancang Region YICMG 2025.
With a passion for knowledge, Chi said it is difficult to choose her favorite major. For her, each subject is a new journey of discovery. Foundational subjects such as History of International Relations or Introduction to International Relations not only help her gain a deeper understanding of global context and issues, but also open up a new lens to view the contemporary world. Highly applicable subjects such as International Negotiation or Foreign Affairs give Chi the opportunity to practice practical skills, from foreign affairs activities and event organization.
Since the summer of her first year, Chi has been accepted to do an internship at the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV), under the Administrative Procedure Reform Advisory Council. She had the opportunity to learn about a number of issues such as innovative startups, Net Zero policies, or how to collect data to conduct the Administrative Procedure Compliance Cost Index (APCI) Report.
In her third year, thanks to the introduction of a lecturer in the department, Chi interned at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Kingdom of Thailand under a distance learning program. She was in charge of translating and interpreting news, conducting some small research on Thai politics and economics, as well as helping summarize and analyze diplomatic reports.
Internships in her field have helped Chi learn multi-method research and information analysis skills, combining quantitative and qualitative thinking to process, synthesize and draw conclusions. For her, this is an extremely useful lesson not only in the research process, but also very helpful for social science students in the current context.
Majoring in International Relations, Chi is interested in topics such as international politics and international economics. In her final year, Chi completed her graduation thesis entitled Comparing the roles of the US and China in international economic organizations, under the guidance of Professor, Dr. Hoang Khac Nam, Chairman of the Science and Training Council of the Faculty of International Studies (VNU-USSH).
Chi’s thesis focuses on the activities of international organizations, examining the role of major countries, typically the US and China. In addition to specialized knowledge, the journey to completing her thesis has helped Chi practice many important skills such as self-study, self-research and independent work. These are all fundamental competencies that play an important role in her long-term career development orientation.
Ha Chi in a cultural exchange activity at YICMG 2025.
Before graduating, Chi applied for a research internship position at the REK Institute and was accepted. For her, this was a choice that suited her interests and long-term goals. She is particularly interested in issues in international relations, and is also oriented towards sustainable development topics such as education policy.
Chi’s main job is to synthesize and analyze information, apply quantitative and qualitative research methods, and support the translation and compilation of documents for research projects. In her current position, she expects to improve her in-depth research capacity, broaden her perspective on multidisciplinary issues, and practice working skills in a professional environment.
Looking further, Chi wants to continue to stick with the research path, creating a harmonious connection between a solid academic foundation and rich practical experience, so that each project is not only academic but also makes a practical contribution to the development of society.
