Two valedictorians of grade 10 entered the same specialized school.

- Ảnh 1. — Lu Tran Quynh Lan, a 9th grade student of the integrated English program at Tran Quoc Toan 1 Secondary School (Thu Duc City) is one of the two female valedictorians of grade 10 in Ho Chi Minh City in 2025.

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According to information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, this year's 10th grade exam had two students who both scored 28.75 points for the three subjects of literature, English, and math, becoming the valedictorians of the exam. These two candidates were among 36 candidates who achieved the maximum score in math, and were admitted to the 10th grade math class at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted.

That is Lu Tran Quynh Lan, a 9th grade student of the integrated English program at Tran Quoc Toan 1 Secondary School (Thu Duc City), who achieved the maximum score in math, literature with 9.25 points and English with 9.5 points. In addition, Quynh Lan achieved a score of 7 in specialized math and was admitted to the 10th grade specialized math class at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted.

Sharing quickly with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter, Quynh Lan said she was quite confident with her work right after completing the 10th grade exam. "At that time, I knew I would get the maximum score in math but I only thought I would be the second best student, so becoming one of the two valedictorians was also a surprise."

To achieve the above results, Lu Tran Quynh Lan said that she distributed her studies reasonably. In all 3 subjects, she always had to grasp the basic knowledge before focusing on the difficult, advanced knowledge.

In particular, as a student studying the integrated English program, Quynh Lan said she has a favorable environment to practice foreign language skills, apply foreign languages in daily communication with foreign teachers and friends. Especially using the website integrated with AI to practice foreign language skills every day.

Self-study and not being "easy" on himself is the way that the valedictorian of this year's 10th grade exam chose as motivation in his learning process.

Right from the time she entered junior high school, Quynh Lan trained herself to be proactive in each subject instead of having to study hard in extra classes. Starting from basic knowledge, she then went through each level of knowledge, expanding to higher requirements and levels. Her love and passion for math and English are the motivation for Lu Tran Quynh Lan to overcome all challenges and not easily give up in the face of difficult knowledge.

- Ảnh 2. — Nguyen Minh Thu, 9th grade student at Pham Van Chieu Secondary School (Go Vap District)

Female valedictorian "mainly self-studied at home"

Also achieving the title of valedictorian of this year's exam with 28.75 points and being admitted to the 10th grade math class at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted is Nguyen Minh Thu, a 9th grade student at Pham Van Chieu Secondary School (Go Vap District).

"After the exam, I also predicted that I could get perfect scores in both math and English. Winning the title of valedictorian has also been my dream since I started studying," the female student who was admitted to Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted shared.

When asked about the secret to getting a perfect score in math, a result that only 36/76,154 candidates achieved, Thu said she made the most of her time, even before starting the test. Accordingly, during the time the invigilator read the questions, Thu chose the questions she could do immediately and prioritized them from easy to difficult. Of which, the practical math question 6 related to Hoa and Binh was the last to be solved, taking nearly 30 minutes.

"With practical math questions, I often rely on my imagination to reason more effectively. For example, with question 6, I drew a path and imagined the possible scenarios in my head. A special feature of the HCMC exam is that it often gives me puzzles, so I have to read the given data carefully. If it is too easy, I immediately doubt it. I also spend a lot of time solving problems, on average 3-4 math problems per day," Thu said.

The female student revealed that she also won third prize in math in the city's excellent student competition in grade 9.

Meanwhile, with English, Thu said she did not encounter many difficulties, only taking "more time" in rewriting sentences and word forms. However, thanks to learning English from a young age and regularly listening to English music, even though she only spent 1 month before the 10th grade exam focusing on reviewing English, the female student was still able to get a perfect score in this subject. "I also use TikTok to learn how to learn English effectively," Thu said.

Regarding literature, the new valedictorian said that every night she often sits and listens to the news with her parents to grasp the issues that are of interest to society, thereby enriching her knowledge of social debate, as well as forming critical thinking. That is one of the reasons Thu decided to develop two arguments with the topic asking about "knowing how to read", which, according to the explanation, is knowing how to recognize good values that are being hidden.

"In the essay, I used two examples to clarify my thesis. First, the story of a K-pop idol whose career was ruined by fake news about school violence, to show how serious the consequences of not being able to 'read' the truth behind baseless rumors can be. Second, I quoted The Lu's poem Remembering the Forest to say that if we only know how to read words, we will not understand the words of a person who suffered the loss of 'home and country'," Thu recalled.

Sharing more about her study secrets, Thu said that she chooses to balance between studying in class and studying at home. Specifically, the female student tries to complete all the homework assigned by the teacher in class, and also writes down the content she doesn't understand while listening to the lecture and asks the teacher when she has the opportunity. "Sometimes the teacher also shares knowledge outside of the textbook, I also write it down to learn more later," Thu said.

When it comes to exams, instead of trying to tackle many new questions, Thu said she often re-solves old questions to confirm whether she really understands the methods she has applied, thereby reinforcing the knowledge she has learned. When she gets home, Thu often focuses on reviewing her strength in math and also sees this as a way to relieve stress. "Every time I do math, I don't pay attention to the time, I just try to solve the most difficult questions to satisfy myself," Thu said.

Outside of class, the female student said she often listens to the K-pop band Seventeen, as well as reads the works of writer Nguyen Nhat Anh. "In the coming time, I will focus on improving the parts I did not do well in the specialized exam, such as arithmetic or combinations. I will also start learning about the SAT exam because I want to study abroad after graduating from high school," Thu added.

As the math teacher for Minh Thu's class at Pham Van Chieu Secondary School and the one who guided the student on her journey to compete in the subject, Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho said that despite the unexpected results, Thu still kept trying to reach the milestone she has today. "Thu always tries to solve the assigned exercises herself and often finds very unique solutions," Mr. Tho commented.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hai-thu-khoa-lop-10-cung-vao-hoc-mot-truong-chuyen-185250623224021524.htm