"Coming to the world of History feels like destiny."

With a total score of 25.5, Tran Thi Bich Huong became one of the two top-scoring students in the humanities and social sciences group at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2011. Notably, Huong also achieved the highest score in History among all students at Vietnam National University, Hanoi. A team of reporters from USSH visited her home and met her on a rainy day at the beginning of the monsoon season.Over time, Huong quickly overcame her initial shyness and became more open and communicative with us. Sharing about her studies, she said: "History wasn't my initial choice. In middle school, I studied more Literature, and pursuing Literature was my dream. However, the results weren't as I hoped. When I took the entrance exam for the Literature specialization at Thai Nguyen High School for the Gifted, I was 0.25 points short and had to switch to History. So, I came to History more by chance. Although Literature and History are both social science subjects and have some similarities, each has its own unique characteristics. Therefore, I faced difficulties at first, but luckily, my homeroom teacher and classmates helped me a lot, and gradually I adapted to the new environment in the History specialization class."

Regarding her approach to studying History, she shared: "History cannot be learned all at once. There are countless history books, and textbooks contain many difficult-to-remember facts, so few people enjoy studying History. Initially, I wasn't very interested, but after spending more time with History, I became passionate about it and dedicated to it. I chose to apply to the History Department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities because I hope to continue learning about History, and if I become a teacher in the future, I hope to instill this passion and love for History in my students. Although I know many students won't pursue this major, they will still cherish history and uphold national traditions." Driven by her passion and respect for History, Huong always strives to excel in her studies. Her academic achievements have been remarkable: in 10th grade, she won third prize in the provincial History competition; in 11th grade, she won first prize at the provincial level and third prize at the national level. In 12th grade, she won second prize at the provincial level and first prize at the national level. For 12 consecutive years, she achieved the title of all-around excellent student. She achieved this success because she always strived, overcoming difficult circumstances to excel in her studies. Talking more with her, we learned that her family consists of four people: her grandmother, mother, Huong, and a younger sister. Her father passed away more than three years ago. This is the biggest loss and difficulty for her, as her father's death coincided with her entrance exams for high school. Her grandmother, mother, teachers, and friends have encouraged and supported her a great deal. She feels she still needs to continue striving to excel in her studies so as not to disappoint her grandmother, mother, teachers, and friends…

Another difficulty we learned about during our conversation with Ms. Pham Thi Bich Huong (Huong's mother) was that Huong had poor health since childhood due to intestinal inflammation. There was a time when her mother had to take her to the Cancer Hospital for tests. Fortunately, she was fine. Due to difficult financial circumstances, her family could only encourage and motivate her to study hard, relying primarily on her own academic abilities. When she learned that Huong had topped the entrance exam, her mother couldn't believe it and had to ask her to double-check if it was accurate. "Just knowing that I got into university was wonderful, but to be the top scorer was even more amazing," Huong's mother shared. Not only Huong's mother, but Huong herself was also very surprised and couldn't believe she had achieved such success. Recounting her feelings at the time, Huong said: "When I found out the results, I was stunned. Only after knowing for sure that I had topped the exam could I smile." Although the results weren't outstanding, I'm very happy because my hard work and studying have paid off to some extent, and I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished. Despite achieving high results and being satisfied with what I've done, Huong continues to strive for improvement. She said: "I will apply to the high-quality class. Further down the line, I will find a suitable job and help my family." Huong humbly added: "I don't want to set overly ambitious goals; I want to set smaller goals for the near future. These are easier to achieve, and I will work towards them gradually…" And a new phase in her studies is about to begin, and she will undoubtedly face many challenges. Even though our time with her was brief, we felt her strength, determination, passion, and belief in her goals…