Mai Thi Ha Thu is a final-year student at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
I've been driven to make money since a very young age, starting in middle school by importing handbags directly from the factory and reselling them on Facebook groups. In high school, I earned a decent income selling unisex clothing on Instagram. So, when I got into university and arrived in Hanoi, the first thing I did was look for a part-time job. For me, part-time work wasn't just about increasing income; it was also about gaining experience in life and society, and honing my skills.
As a full-time journalism student, in my third and fourth years, I prioritized jobs related to my field of study. Fortunately, before my final year began, I had the opportunity to work as a contributor at the Inspectorate Newspaper (under the Government Inspectorate). My time there was a "golden opportunity" to boldly get involved and apply the theories I learned in class to real-world situations. There were moments of joy and sadness, but above all, I learned many valuable lessons and gained precious experience in identifying problems, developing topics, gathering information, and other professional skills.
For Ha Thu, family is the abundant source of energy that motivates her to always strive and work harder in life.
Perhaps everyone has their own source of motivation to help them face difficulties and challenges. For me, from high school until today, family has been the abundant source of energy that always motivates me to strive and work harder in life. I am fortunate to live in a loving home with my parents, so I cherish the value of family immensely. Watching my parents grow older with each passing year, I tell myself that tomorrow must be better than today; I must live well so that my parents will be happy. Therefore, I don't allow myself to stop until I see the smiles and happiness of my parents.
Having been fortunate enough to join the Communist Party of Vietnam while still a student, I am deeply honored and proud that my efforts over the past years have been recognized. Furthermore, I am profoundly aware of my responsibilities and obligations to the community. In my view, first and foremost, the younger generation in general, and I personally, need to be diligent, creative, and have the right goals and motivations for learning. Secondly, we must actively cultivate morality and conduct; maintain a pure and healthy lifestyle, and fight against manifestations of decadent, pragmatic lifestyles that stray from the traditional cultural and moral values of the nation. In addition, we need to actively cultivate revolutionary ideals, morality, and a cultured lifestyle to avoid being influenced by hostile and reactionary forces.
Having been admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ha Thu is aware of her responsibilities and obligations to the community.
I think one of my strengths is my optimistic spirit. No matter the circumstances, no matter how bad things get, I can always see and cling to the remaining good things to get back on my feet and move forward. Therefore, for me, difficulties and setbacks are not the end; they are opportunities to grow and become stronger, capable of standing up and asserting my inner strength.
In the past, I was a girl constantly plagued by self-doubt about my appearance. I hated myself, hated the body my parents gave me. I always assumed I was ugly and spiraled into negative feelings, thinking, "I'll never be beautiful, no matter how well I dress or how much makeup I wear." At that time, pursuing a professional modeling career or participating in beauty pageants was a distant dream for me. Then, one day, I realized that if I deprived myself of the right to love myself, who else could ever love me?
I'm gradually learning to love and take care of myself more. For me, the Miss World Vietnam 2023 competition is an opportunity, a chance for me to freely express myself, learn, and gain experience in a national-level beauty pageant. This is also my first time participating in a beauty contest, and I hope to push my comfort zone. I hope to leave a memorable mark of my youth at Miss World 2023, and at the same time spread a sense of humanity to the community to continue the journey of maintaining and sustainably developing good values.
Unlike other "highly skilled" contestants, I registered for Miss World 2023 with absolutely no experience, and my only assets were a thirst for learning, a compassionate heart, and intelligence. In this final stage, I will do my best to improve my catwalk, performance, and language skills, so as not to disappoint everyone who cares about and supports me.
I feel very fortunate to be a student at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the cradle of formal journalism training. Not only have I studied under the guidance of experienced and dedicated professors and journalists, but I have also received enthusiastic support from senior students and classmates. Thanks to this, I have been able to find joy in my studies and achieve certain accomplishments.
In the coming time, I hope to do my best to achieve the highest possible result at Miss World Vietnam 2023. At the same time, I will complete my studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and receive my bachelor's degree in June of this year. And I will continue to improve my knowledge and professional skills to realize my childhood dream – to become a professional journalist.
Ha Thu's outstanding academic achievements:
- Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (admitted at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi)
- HSK 5 Chinese Language Proficiency Certificate
- Head of External Relations Committee of VUMCC Media Club, term 2020-2021
- Class Deputy for Student Affairs, K64 Journalism
- Top-scoring student in the entrance exam for the D04 group in Journalism.
- Former student of Tran Phu Specialized High School, Hai Phong
- GPA: 3.42/4.0
- Graduated from the MC training course at Sukha MC Training Center
- Bachelor of Journalism with Distinction (expected graduation in June 2023)
- Captain of the Red Tigers Generation 6, VUMCC Media Club
- Member of the External Relations Committee of the UPC Photography Club in 2020-2021
- Won the "Most Popular Photo" award in the "Hanoi in my heart" contest organized by the UPC Photography Club in collaboration with the Youth of the Humanities.
- 100% scholarship for a course at COLORME
- 30% scholarship for courses at Arena Multimedia.
