At the age of 8, I dreamed of becoming a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Nguyen Anh Tuan is a special young man. Behind his gentle and slender appearance lies a resilient and steadfast personality, unwavering in his choices.

Love for History

Born into a business family, Tuan showed a particular fondness for history from his elementary school years. While most of his classmates were preoccupied with games and paid little attention to reading, Tuan's passion at that time was the book "Complete Chronicle of Dai Viet"—a book that even many history majors only get the chance to read when they go to university. It was also a memorable gift that your wonderful, understanding parents bought for you to indulge your interests. That was the year Tuan was in third grade."

At that time, VTV2 had the program "Following the course of history"History" began to captivate the young boy. Historical events with unique interpretations, along with the layers of cultural and life-related meanings hidden within, further drew Tuan in. History isn't dry and boring! History possesses a colorful beauty with logical cause-and-effect relationships, with continuous flows from the past to the present and into the future. History is also a collection of lessons and accumulated values. Loving the program, Tuan also loved the erudite educators and scientists who appeared in the media to speak about and spread their love of history to the public. Most of these leading experts came from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. So Tuan began to research the University on his own. A leading university in social sciences and humanities – renowned for its prestigious faculty and brilliant achievements. That was more than enough for an 8-year-old boy to make a firm decision: he would study history and become a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the future.

Valedictorian Nguyen Anh Tuan/Photo: Thanh Long

Interestingly, in middle school, Tuan studied in the specialized Math class at Ngo Sy Lien High School, but in high school, he switched to the D-group (humanities/social sciences). While his classmates diligently studied for the A or D-group subjects, Tuan alone decided to take the C-group exam simply because he loved History. His score of 9 in the History exam was not surprising for a young man who had a deep, not superficial, interest in History like Nguyen Anh Tuan. However, over time, as he gained more knowledge in social sciences, Tuan made a slight adjustment to his major. He chose Chinese Studies, believing that mastering one of the region's core cultures would be a solid foundation for broader research into the cultural and historical aspects of Southeast Asia in particular and Asia in general.

Be proactive in your studies.

If someone were to ask Tuan the secret to studying well and getting high grades, you'd be stunned for a few seconds. Because for Tuan, there's no secret to studying. He studies because he loves it, because he wants to get to the bottom of the subject he wants to understand. He studies not for grades or any titles. And because besides studying, you wouldn't know what else to do.

Tuan was fortunate to receive the unwavering support of his parents from a young age in his decisions about his future path. Furthermore, throughout his secondary school years, attending selective classes and specialized schools, Tuan developed the habit of independently planning his studies and undertaking small research projects on topics he was interested in. Therefore, even in his secondary school years, Tuan harbored the ambition to pursue a career in scientific research. With such a foundation, Tuan easily adapted to the proactive learning methods at university. The favorable conditions—excellent and enthusiastic professors who encouraged students to pursue their passions, and a free and open learning environment—further propelled him to further his pursuit of knowledge and to explore his other abilities.

Lecturer Tran Truc Ly (Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies) commented on her student: "In the three subjects I teach Tuan's class, he hasn't missed a single class. He regularly prepares for the next class in advance and always proactively identifies research questions related to the subject matter. Furthermore, Tuan is someone that teachers can completely trust when assigning him general class management tasks such as photocopying materials, managing group discussions, and taking attendance. Normally, teachers have to take attendance themselves because if they delegate it to the class monitor, there's a high chance of favoritism or cover-ups. But with Tuan, he takes attendance very thoroughly and without leniency. However, because he is always fair and equally strict with himself, his classmates still respect and admire him."

Celebrating overcoming oneself

Tuan's most memorable experience during his four years of university was the time he spent working on his graduation thesis.A preliminary study of feminine poetry during the Tang Dynasty (A survey of female authors in "Complete Tang Poems" and their works)"This was a difficult topic and not his area of ​​expertise, but Tuan was still very determined because he wanted to challenge himself. Thanks to this thesis, he gained a wealth of 'brand new' knowledge about literary theory and Tang Dynasty poetry. More importantly, the willpower and experience of overcoming difficulties to achieve what he wanted were the biggest lessons Tuan learned after his best efforts. The thesis received a perfect score of 10 from the committee with very positive feedback."

Lecturer Tran Truc Ly shared a memorable experience guiding this talented student's thesis:I was quite surprised that Tuan chose to write his graduation thesis on Chinese Literature. Although he consistently achieved excellent results in all subjects, Tuan had previously mentioned that his desired field of study in higher education was Economic Geography. Furthermore, in the Chinese Studies program, Chinese Literature is only an elective course, and its content is general rather than in-depth like the Literature program. Therefore, choosing to write a thesis on Chinese Literature would be a significant challenge for a student majoring in Chinese Studies."

Therefore, in the specialized course on Chinese Literature, Tuan's initial performance in class discussions was somewhat naive in terms of methodology, but by the final essay, Tuan had shown remarkable progress in choosing a topic, selecting a research approach, and collecting and processing materials.

Throughout the process of developing his work from a final report on Chinese Literature into a scientific report (winning second prize at both the faculty and university levels), and then further developing it into a graduation thesis, Tuan demonstrated determination, perseverance, and courage in seeing his chosen path through to the end.

The topic Tuan chose was entirely new, requiring an enormous amount of meticulous work and the acquisition of specialized knowledge in literary theory, which was not included in the undergraduate curriculum of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. However, Tuan overcame all these difficulties with a detailed, day-by-day research plan.

"This was the first time I'd met a student who submitted a detailed, day-by-day thesis plan to their supervisor every week, even specifying which tasks to do in the morning and which in the afternoon. And that plan was diligently followed, yielding tangible results."— Ms. Truc Ly recounted her impression of the student.

One funny anecdote is that on the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day holiday, Tuan called to ask to come to school to meet with his supervisor to report on his progress and discuss his thesis. It turned out that he had been working in the library from morning till night all week and had completely forgotten the date.

“Supervising Tuan’s thesis was very time-consuming and quite stressful due to the large workload, especially towards the end of the semester. I was very busy, and my pace of reading and editing his thesis sometimes couldn’t keep up with his writing. But it also brought me great joy and pride as a teacher, and I even felt I could learn something from his work methods and determination.”Ms. Truc Ly shared more..

After all that he has achieved, Nguyen Anh Tuan views life as simple and full of love:Having love means having everything, sister. That's the most important thing. The most important thing in my life is the love and support of my parents, teachers, and friends, which have given me the opportunity to do what I want. And my love for learning and research has truly brought me joy."

This year, the Department of Chinese Studies offered numerous scholarships for graduating students to pursue master's degrees at universities in China and Taiwan. With his outstanding academic achievements, Tuan consistently topped the selection lists. However, he proactively and resolutely withdrew, giving the opportunity to other students. Tuan explained that he had a specific and detailed plan for his doctoral studies at the Faculty (he was eligible for direct doctoral program transfer). This might seem unusual to some, but it's likely a well-considered decision, stemming from practical considerations and a clear academic roadmap. Once again, Tuan chose his own path with a resolute and proactive attitude. Regardless of the path he chooses, his perseverance and passion for research and exploration make success a predictable outcome.