Tran Le Hanh Dung is currently studying in class 12G, specializing in German, at the Foreign Language Specialized High School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The scholarship she received a few days ago, sponsored by the German Foreign Office, is granted to 116 students worldwide.

According to German language teachers, this scholarship is primarily for postgraduate students (master's, doctoral candidates), making it very rare for bachelor's degree programs. Dung will have all her tuition and living expenses covered during her studies, along with health insurance, accident insurance, and round-trip airfare.

To secure this scholarship, the student embarked on a meticulous preparation journey, which included 20 revisions of her motivation letter.

Tran Le Hanh Dung. Photo: Provided by subject

Despite specializing in languages, Hanh Dung chose to pursue Engineering Economics in Germany, driven by her enjoyment of math and physics. She also seeks to understand how technical knowledge is applied in practice and integrated with economic factors.

"I believe an engineer needs to be technically proficient but also understand economics to create valuable products for society", Dung shared.

In her motivation letter to the selection committee, she began by recalling childhood memories of drawing washing machines, dishwashers, and assembly lines that helped her parents with household chores. The student views those innocent drawings as the first sign of her curiosity about the world of engineering.

To craft the best possible statement, Dung spent nearly two months researching DAAD's criteria. She jotted down ideas in a notebook, rewriting more than 20 times to clearly explain her choice of Germany and how she would leverage this educational opportunity. Dung was so meticulous that she thoroughly checked everything from the font to the file name before submitting her application.

Additionally, the student's application included a three-year average GPA of 9,7-9,8, a C1 German language certificate (DSD-II), and an IELTS score of 8.5. She also won first prize in the German Olympiad at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and second prize in the Grammatikzauber competition on German grammar instruction.

Dung is also the Vice President of the German Club at her school and participates in many extracurricular activities, such as the Julience Science Fair and the High School Help Kit - HSHK program, which assists middle school students applying for 10th grade.

Regarding German, Hanh Dung notes her advantage of early exposure, at two years old, when her parents were research students in Germany. This opportunity helped her develop natural pronunciation skills. After returning to Vietnam, Dung maintained her proficiency by self-studying with German materials and films, trying to integrate the language into daily life. She often writes down her thoughts, motivated to look up unknown words.

"I am weakest in writing, as it demands critical thinking and strict time management", Dung said. To improve, she read many sample essays and exam papers to learn expression, accumulate vocabulary, and sentence structures. For vocabulary, she always placed words in specific contexts or imagined a story to remember them longer.

"Learning a language is not just about speaking; it's about understanding culture and a worldview", she shared. "With enough perseverance, even small steps can lead to big dreams".

According to Nguyen Ngoc Lan, her homeroom teacher, Hanh Dung is an exemplary academic deputy, disciplined, and highly self-reliant.

"Despite balancing classroom studies, preparing for international certificates, and applying for study abroad, Hanh Dung has always maintained focus and a sense of responsibility", said Lan.

This august, Dung will travel to Germany to complete a one-year preparatory course before officially starting her university program.

Huyen Trang