From the Eiffel Tower (Paris, France), the Hungarian Parliament building, the Statue of Liberty (New York, USA), to the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy) or the ancient Athens Square (Greece), the nameplate "12 Ly" always appears in every photo of the group of former students of the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University).
"Some go to the US, some study in Singapore, some stay in Vietnam, but every time we hold up a sign in front of a famous landmark, we remember that we were once a part of the Physics class, class of 2019-2022," said Nguyen Ngan Ha, 21 years old, an international student at the University of South Florida.
A group of former students of Physics class 19-22, Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), at a meeting in Florida (USA).
Traditional
The story begins with the "tradition" of the Physics class that was passed down from the previous year. When she was in high school, Ngan Ha and her classmates saw some circulating photos of class name boards taken in Europe or the Merlion statue in Singapore.
"In turn, we inherit that tradition and raise it to a more organized level," Ngan Ha humorously said, saying that her class has "collected" 6 nameplates: 10 Physics, 11 Physics, 12 Physics, Physics Team, B209 (classroom board) and A503 (Physics Team classroom).
After graduation, they divided their class numbers among themselves according to each stage of their study abroad journey.
Ngan Ha and Luu Khanh Dan brought their class nameplates to the US; Cu Thi Thuc Quyen, who studied at the University of Science and Technology, kept a nameplate in Vietnam; and Tran Phan Anh Danh, a student at Nanyang Technological University, "exported" class nameplates to Singapore. It was Danh who removed most of the class nameplates in high school.
To date, the 12 Ly nameplate has "checked in" in 16 countries/territories around the world , including: USA, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Monaco and Vatican.
6 class signs were taken around the world by a group of former students.
Locals or tourists at famous tourist destinations did not pay much attention, but there were many curious glances when they saw the group of international students holding up the sign to take photos.
Ngan Ha has been asked about the origin of her name tag at least three times. Every time she tells the story, everyone seems very interested.
For her, the most memorable photo was taken at the Statue of Liberty. At that time, Ngan Ha and Khanh Dan had just finished their second year of university and had saved up some money to travel to New York.
"When we held up the class name board, we both suddenly realized: 'Ah, so after high school, we've come this far'. Later, even though the name board was brought to many places, that first feeling is still something we remember forever," the female international student confided.
Grade 12 Physics board checking in famous tourist destinations.
The journey is not over yet
At first, carrying class name tags around the world seemed “cool,” as Khanh Dan put it. Then, Ngan Ha realized that this was not only a way to continue the tradition of the Physics block, but also a way for the alumni group to connect with each other despite being in different places.
Whether studying in the US, Singapore or still in Vietnam, everyone was attached to the same school, sat in the same class, and studied in the same grade.
"Every time we look back at the photo album, everyone feels proud because the class has traveled to many places after graduation. Not only are we proud to have traveled far, but we are also reminded of the starting point of that journey," Ngan Ha shared.
12th grade alumni reunite in Florida (USA).
The group of alumni called this photo series "Bringing L1922 around the world" (Class 19-22).
The next dream destination is Dubai, which is associated with an old joke in class about selling the class fanpage that had more than 10,000 likes to get money to travel. Danh said that this social networking site is no longer as active as before, but their promise is still intact.
The group also hopes to "expand branches" to the Asia-Pacific region, bringing class nameplates to Japan, Korea, China, Thailand...
"Previously, more than 10 members had reunited in Florida (USA). But the biggest dream is that one day, when the class name board has traveled far and wide, we will return to Nang Khieu High School and take a beautiful photo right where the journey began," Ngan Ha said.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nhom-hoc-sinh-viet-mang-bang-ten-lop-di-khap-the-gioi-ar954182.html
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