From professional athlete to medical school valedictorian

Thai Anh Thu (born in 2001) has just received the news that she has become the valedictorian of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine, and is also the school representative honored as the valedictorian of the year 2025 at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam. Few people know that before becoming a medical student, Anh Thu spent 10 years as a professional athlete .

10 years pursuing the path of an athlete

Anh Thu began her “destiny” with sports in 2nd grade, when she was discovered by a coach and selected to join the Hanoi gymnastics team. “At first, my parents agreed because they wanted me to have the opportunity to practice my physical fitness and health. Unexpectedly, I was able to stick with sports for a long time,” Thu recalls.

Thai Anh Thu is the valedictorian of the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine. *Photo: NVCC*

From grade 2 to grade 12, Thu studied at Hanoi High School for the Gifted in Sports. During the day, she practiced, and in the evening, Thu and her friends studied culture right in the dormitory. “Because the number of students was small, we had to study in combined classes, sometimes studying at folding tables right on the dormitory beds. Studying usually ended at 9:30 p.m.,” Thu recalls.

There were times when they had to compete or train domestically and internationally, Thu and her friends were given the opportunity by their teachers to study and take make-up tests later. Despite the busy study and training schedule, according to Thu, it was this harsh environment that trained her to be disciplined and persistent.

In 2010, due to some changes in the gymnastics department, the diving coach contacted Thu's parents, hoping that she and her brother would switch to this sport since both had the technical and physical foundation. Thu's family agreed, however, in 7th grade, Thu continued to change direction to diving.

During her time studying at Hanoi High School for the Gifted in Sports, the female student participated in the national youth gymnastics competition, the national age group swimming and diving championships...

Anh Thu started her "fate" with sports since grade 2. *Photo: NVCC*

However, when she reached grade 11, she realized that the path of an athlete was full of “thorns” while she had good learning ability, so Thu changed her direction to pursue her studies. The field of study she wanted to pursue was traditional medicine.

In the family, besides Thu, her three siblings are all athletes. The two older siblings are swimmers for the Hanoi swimming team, and the third brother is a diver. Therefore, when hearing Thu's decision, although the whole family did not object, they felt a bit regretful.

However, Thu is steadfast in her choice even though she knows that changing direction close to the National High School Exam will have many risks.

From swimming pool to medical school

At Thu's school, most students choose the Social Science group to make it easier for them to take the National High School Exam. Female students are a rare case of studying Natural Science.

“Going in a different direction like that would be very difficult. Even my teachers advised me to reconsider because the amount of knowledge and time taught in class was too little to get a high score on the National High School Exam. My teachers felt that my decision was risky, no one was sure that I could pass the exam, let alone get into medical school,” Thu recalled.

Amidst much skepticism, the female student said she still felt lucky because she always had the support and encouragement of her two teachers, Physics and Chemistry. “The teacher told me that to get a high score, I first need to have a firm grasp of the basic content so as not to get the easy questions wrong. It was the teacher who guided me a lot,” Thu said.

During the review process, Thu contacted subject teachers and was given the opportunity to arrange a suitable practice schedule, helping her have more time to attend extra classes and study on her own.

Thanks to her efforts, in 2019, Thu was admitted to the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine with 22.8 points in block B00.

Passing the entrance exam to her favorite major, for 6 years, Anh Thu always maintained discipline and perseverance.

Studying traditional medicine is inherently difficult because you have to learn both Western medicine and the theory of yin and yang, the five elements, acupuncture points, etc. Therefore, the female student believes that the most important thing is to focus on listening to lectures in class and rereading books to consolidate knowledge when going home.

In addition, clinical practice is also a useful time for students to practice their skills such as getting familiar with medicinal herbs, remembering acupuncture points or practicing on patients to gain experience in accurate diagnosis and providing appropriate treatment plans.

In addition to her academic achievements, Thu also actively participates in extracurricular activities such as the English Olympic competition and won third prize in the Northern region, won a gold medal in the Academy's sports competition; has a HSK3 certificate in Chinese...

Looking at my high school friends who are still persistent in competing, contributing to the country's sports or becoming coaches, Thu does not feel regretful. "I think that is the career that chooses people. Sports have trained me with many valuable skills, but I feel that the current path is the right one and suitable for me. My wish is to pass the residency exam and be able to contribute to the traditional medicine industry," Thu shared.

The female valedictorian with perfect scores was once gossiped about as "studying at a specialized school but failing university" . Deciding to retake the exam because she did not pass her desired major, Hoai once faced comments like "studying at a specialized school but failing university". But this "setback" created momentum, helping Hoai become the absolute valedictorian of the top school.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tu-van-dong-vien-the-thao-chuyen-nghiep-thanh-thu-khoa-dau-ra-truong-y-2436811.html