From a “triple-no” student to a scholarship recipient at VinUni

Born and raised in the highlands of Dak Nong, Tran Manh Dung soon realized the limitations in science and technology in his living area and always self-motivated to continuously explore self-study, self-doing to improve daily life. Dung did not choose the path of “specialized school – selected class” but decided to study at Hoang Viet High School – a liberal education school in Dak Lak. Here, Dung not only studied but also actively participated in many scientific research projects, aiming to provide meaningful solutions for the community.

Early failures

In the early years of high school, Dung faced many difficulties and constantly failed in exams due to limitations in specialized knowledge and English proficiency. This made Dung start to doubt his own abilities, gradually losing the motivation to study and becoming the “bottom student” of the class for a long time.

During this challenging time, Dung’s mother was always there to encourage, support and guide him to rise up and strive to pursue his passion. His mother also introduced him to her old student – Nguyen Xuan Hieu, a student of The College of Engineering & Computer Science at VinUni, which opened a new door for Dung to help him have a “comeback” when stepping out of his own failure and strongly moving forward to conquer a new peak.

“It has to be VinUni, not any other school”

Dung shared with excitement: “Hieu told me a lot about studying at VinUni about what the university can bring to me in the present and future, from the excellent faculty and friends with the same passion to the wonderful academic experiences. In addition, he also introduced me to the VinUni–Illinois Smart Health Research Center (VISHC) – where he is studying and working. This really aroused my curiosity about what I could learn and contribute when working here.”

It can be seen that Hieu’s sharing has truly become a strong motivation, making Dung determined to pursue a scholarship at VinUni with the thought that: “It has to be VinUni, not any other school” because Dung believes that The College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) and VinUni will provide him with the most comprehensive learning and development conditions.

Despite facing many challenges such as English proficiency and academic results not really outstanding, Dung did not give up. He strived to study and practice every day, and proactively registered to participate in research projects with careful investment and the mindset to find truly valuable solutions for the community. Dung shared that at the time he decided to pursue a scholarship at VinUni, all feelings of fear, inferiority about his abilities were completely replaced by desire and determination to conquer.

Perseverance and effort day by day, in a short time, Dung has transformed himself into a completely different version. He not only can use English fluently but also excellently won the Second Prize in the National Science and Technology Contest for the project using artificial intelligence. The project provides a solution to read chest X-ray films, helping to detect pneumonia caused by COVID-19 right in the most complicated stage of the epidemic. Dung’s story of conquering scholarships full of effort and determination has successfully persuaded the Admissions Council to help him successfully become the new full scholarship owner at VinUni.

Aspiration to be a change-maker

Although not officially starting to study at VinUni, Dung has outlined a clear roadmap for himself in the next 5 years. He plans to study Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at VinUni, then participate in the 3+2 program to obtain a master’s degree related to semiconductors or computer science. Dung wants to build a comprehensive platform from hardware to software, contributing to the technological development of Vietnam, with the goal of turning the country into a technological powerhouse in the future.

The story of Tran Manh Dung is a vivid proof of the power of resilience and aspiration. From a bottom student, he has overcome all difficulties to conquer a high scholarship at VinUni, nurturing the dream of contributing to the national science and technology. Dung’s journey not only inspires but also strongly affirms that: “Nothing is impossible if you dare to dream and strive to the fullest.”