Nguyen Tue Linh, a student from Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary and High School, received her 10th-grade entrance exam results for the Foreign Language Specialized High School (part of the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) on the afternoon of 19/6. It took Linh two or three reads to believe the score she saw.

She scored 9,62 in Chinese, with a total admission score (Literature, Math, English, and the specialized subject weighted two times) of 41,04/50. This was nearly 10 points above the benchmark, securing her position as the top student for the Chinese language specialized class, which required an exam taken in Chinese.

"This result was beyond my expectations. Initially, I just aimed to pass the exam," Linh shared.

Nguyen Tue Linh. *Photo: Family provided*

Nguyen Thi Bich Viet, Tue Linh's mother, said that her daughter pursuing Chinese was something the family had never considered. Viet and her husband had studied Chemistry in France, so the family wanted Linh to learn French or develop an interest in natural sciences, allowing her parents to provide support. However, Linh chose neither path.

Observing her daughter, Viet noticed Linh's consistent academic performance, but no particular passion for any subject, except drawing. By grade 7, in addition to drawings covering her desk, Linh began practicing writing Chinese characters and asked for money to buy Chinese language textbooks.

"At that time, I was quite surprised because she had managed to write a fair number of Chinese characters just by self-studying. I asked if she wanted to learn properly with teachers, she agreed, and her journey with Chinese began," Viet recalled.

Tue Linh stated she was drawn to the language's beauty, with its rich, vivid, and multi-layered expressions. Learning what she loved, Linh was enthusiastic.

She recognized her writing skills as an advantage, thanks to her drawing talent. Conversely, the listening component presented some difficulty for Linh because many words have similar pronunciations. To improve, Linh maintained a habit of listening to Chinese speeches, short videos, and watching movies.

According to Linh, her study method was quite simple. She tried to create a communicative environment by spending much time speaking Chinese with friends in her extra classes. Additionally, she requested materials from her teacher and older students for self-practice at home.

Nevertheless, Linh was quite nervous entering the exam. The student found the official exam more challenging than practice tests, including an essay question asking "is reading books or playing games more meaningful". Linh rarely encountered such topics during practice, so she hesitated for a while before outlining her response.

The exam also featured many new grammatical structures. For a vocabulary question, Linh was the only one among her friends to choose a different answer. After leaving the exam room, she was quite worried, thinking she had lost points. However, upon reviewing and consulting her teacher, Linh breathed a sigh of relief as her choice was correct.

Tue Linh set a goal to pass the specialized high school exam in her yearbook photo shoot. *Photo: Family provided*

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan, a lecturer at the University of Languages and International Studies, has been Tue Linh's Chinese teacher since grade 7. What impressed Nhan about her student was her meticulousness and serious attitude towards learning. The student paid attention to everything from pronunciation and word usage to handwriting. At one point, she even diligently practiced two different styles of Chinese characters and sought her teacher's advice to choose the most suitable style for her specialized exam.

"Linh is very well-behaved, gentle, attentive, and self-motivated," her teacher said. She mentioned that she often encouraged students to watch Chinese programs and films to understand the language and culture, and Linh actively followed this advice. As a result, Linh's knowledge is quite solid, she has a good sense of language, and a certain understanding of Chinese people and culture.

Tue Linh also passed the Biology specialized program at Chu Van An Specialized High School but decided to enroll in the Foreign Language Specialized High School because it aligned with her interests. This summer, Linh plans to spend time studying for the HSK and HSKK certificates, which are international Chinese language proficiency certificates.

Reflecting on Linh's journey, what brought Bich Viet the most joy was her daughter finding a field she loved and having enough determination to pursue it.

"Previously, I always thought I was the one guiding my child. But now, I realize that sometimes children teach parents a lesson in return: trust them and let them choose their own path," Viet shared.

By Thanh Hang