Ngoc Linh, Winner of the 2019 Golden Microphone Competition: Happy to have surpassed herself.

Gain more confidence with the Golden Microphone.

It's hard to imagine that the eloquent winner of the Golden Mic competition, a girl full of energy and actively involved in youth union and association activities, with a special ability to captivate those around her with every smile, was once described as "shy" by Mr. Tran Hong Linh, the head of the Sol Club. This is because, before the 2019 Golden Mic competition, Ngoc Linh had participated in many other competitions. Linh still remembers the advice from the judges: "You must know who you are." Initially, Ngoc Linh was very uncertain: she hadn't yet defined her own style, and lacked confidence in her abilities. Linh was confused about what she was good at and what she was suited for. Every time she was given a task, she would worry and wonder if she could do it well, or if she could do it successfully.

Speaking about the biggest takeaway from the competition, Linh affirmed: "The Golden Mic helped me learn how to overcome myself. After participating in the Golden Mic, standing here now, I understand myself much better. I've discovered that I'm more confident and can adapt to any situation. Before, I would accept any task and worry about whether I could do it. But now it's different. When I'm given a job, I consider and think about whether I can do it. If I can do it, I'll accept it; if not, I'll refuse."

Perhaps to truly explore and hone her abilities, Linh still needs more experiences, but Mic Vàng is the first door that helps her gradually find the answer to who she is and what kind of person she wants to become.

Striving to shine

In the semi-final doubles hosting round, Ngoc Linh drew the number 1 position alongside Tuan Anh (K60 Psychology) with the topic: Building a team-building program (leading hundreds of participants in a single program). This was the most difficult topic in the doubles hosting round, and Linh had no experience hosting this type of program before.

“When Linh received the assignment to lead an indoor team-building activity, she was quite worried and at times felt discouraged. There were times when we saw Linh tired in class, but after school she still stayed at school to practice with her co-leaders. Looking at Linh's talent and efforts, we always had faith that she could do it.”Nguyen Quoc Anh (K62, Institute of Journalism and Communication Training) – Linh's close friend – shared.

Recalling his experience in the doubles coaching round, Pham Tuan Anh shared:“During the Hung Kings Commemoration Day holiday, my brother and I decided not to go back to our hometown but to stay and practice. The whole school was deserted, even the security guard was on holiday, so we had to park our bikes far away and walk to school. We went from the courtyard of building E, then to building H, then to building G… At lunchtime, we ate a quick meal at Circle K and continued practicing. Closer to the competition day, after finalizing the script and receiving analysis from our advisor, we realized we had gone in the wrong direction. We decided to discard the old script and sat together from 7 am to 6 pm to create a new one. The whole day was stressful; we couldn't even swallow our lunch properly. Only then did we allow ourselves to go home to rest.”

Team building was both a challenge and a great opportunity for Linh. Overcoming initial difficulties, with her talent and hard work, Linh quickly caught up and mastered the art of leading team building activities. Her performance in the semi-finals was highly praised by the judges. Nguyen Khanh, the team's advisor, commented that he was very impressed by Linh's transformation. Being the only pair in the team building round to make it into the Top 5 is a well-deserved result for the efforts of Ngoc Linh and Tuan Anh.

Family is everything.

In the final round, you choose the box containing your family photo that matches the theme."Where are you from?"Ngoc Linh left a lasting impression on the audience with her statement:"The starting point and the destination for every individual is family.".

What Linh always cherishes is"People often say that family is one of the most important things in a person's life. But for me, family is everything."Her 10-year-old younger brother is the driving force behind Linh's dedication to giving her all for Mic Vàng:“In my small family, my younger brother is the one who motivates me to strive. I once said, ‘You’ve competed in so many competitions, but you’ve never won first place.’ That’s why I want to win first place even more to make my brother proud. My mother is truly a friend. No matter what I do, she will always support me. If I make a mistake, she’ll help me realize it; if I do well, she’ll be happy. My father guides me but respects my freedom of choice. He often says, ‘That’s just my advice, the decision is yours.’ Thanks to that, I know I have to be responsible for every decision I make.”

When Linh received her family photo, she was quite surprised. Previous contestants had talked about self-positioning, career aspirations, and beauty... so Linh wanted to dedicate her performance to the place that had given her the best things – her family. The first words Linh spoke were about her parents. Her first steps were supported by her parents. Even now, Ngoc Linh still feels happy to be in her parents' embrace. No matter what she does, Linh always thinks of her family first, and she believes that everyone strives for something in life to make their family happy. Her parents gave her enough space to become independent, mature, and the confident and grown-up woman she is today.

My dream is to become a television editor.

Winning the Golden Microphone 2019 was the first milestone on Linh's journey to achieving her dream of becoming a television editor. Since the 4th grade, Linh had planned to study humanities subjects in middle school and specialized literature in high school. By the 10th grade, she had already decided to become a journalism student.

This dream originated from an incident in Linh's family: a traffic accident occurred, and the perpetrator fled the scene. Someone provided information claiming to have seen Linh's father as the driver. Some time later, the police investigated and verified the truth, clearing her father's name, but the incident continued to haunt Linh and her family. This event motivated Linh to pursue journalism so she could become an investigator and speak out for the truth.

Linh said:“I did a lot of research. The two options I was considering back then were the Academy of Journalism and Communication and the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (now the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training) at our university. Ultimately, I chose the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, hoping to receive both a broad foundation of knowledge about various forms of journalism and in-depth training in the specific field I loved.”"

Ngoc Linh doesn't want to simply be an MC, standing on stage and hosting events; she wants to experience all the work behind the scenes: writing scripts, and collaborating with others to produce news articles.

The Golden Mic 2019 competition has come to an end, but Ngoc Linh's journey towards her dream of becoming a television editor continues. Winning the Golden Mic 2019 will be a stepping stone to recharge her energy, helping Linh move faster on her path to achieving her dream.