Constant effort is what the two of them mentioned many times throughout the conversation. Join Tuoi Tre to chat at the beginning of the year with Huynh Anh Thu (Nguyen Du Secondary School, Go Vap District) and Le Nam Long (Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, District 1).

Be persistent and conquer yourself

* You are an enthusiastic member of the Team and your average score is almost perfect. How did you do that? - Anh Thu: When I started participating in the Team, I promised my mother that I would not neglect my studies no matter what. So even though I was busy with activities, I always found a way to complete my homework and ensure stable study results. My way was to focus on listening to lectures in class to understand the lessons and grasp the knowledge. There were times when my schedule was quite busy, I took advantage of every 5 minutes between classes to do homework, and during recess I studied theory or prepared new lessons. Usually, the evening would be reserved for Team activities. * When did you realize that you had a special passion for mathematics? - Nam Long : Since grade 2, I have been very interested in finding ways to solve puzzles and logic problems. Whenever I encountered difficult problems, I would think more deeply, read the instructions and find good ways to solve them, then do them again and review the problem more to remember. That is how I started to be passionate and want to study math more until now. * It must be the process of reviewing and delving into that favorite subject? - Nam Long: Maybe I have a little talent for mathematics. But what I have achieved is definitely the result of constant effort. Every day, I spend a lot of time solving problems in math books, finding good and interesting problems and learning how to solve them, and researching research in the field of mathematics. To both study well and win exams, I always prepare lessons in advance, take advantage of doing homework or reviewing knowledge right at school. That way, I will have more time to review math and science subjects, programming that I love, thereby improving my skills.

Conquer new challenges

* What do you gain after each challenge you have overcome? - Anh Thu : I feel more clearly the meaning of what my grandparents taught me "Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength". Putting yourself in each challenge will help you know your strength, your ability to endure and face challenges. Through that, I train myself to be more resilient, continue to pursue my dream, and also build trust with my family, teachers and friends. I learned many skills through Team activities, made many quality friends, and accompanied each other even after the activities ended. - Nam Long : At the Asian Math and Science Olympiad (ASMOPSS) in Indonesia, the exam was very difficult compared to my age and my opponents were very good students from other countries. I won the only gold medal of the Vietnamese delegation at this exam. Before that, I was the global first prize in the Grand Final STEM Olympiad International in Paris (France)... I always try my best in every exam. Candidates for international competitions are all excellent people, so you need to stay calm, focus and make the most of your time. You can temporarily skip difficult problems and come back to them later instead of stopping at one problem for too long. And you need to check your work carefully to make sure there are no mistakes. * Is it too mature for you to choose your motto in life as "We can fail many times, but we must not let ourselves be defeated"? - Anh Thu : Surely everyone makes mistakes and fails. What is needed is to know how to turn mistakes into experience and motivation to continue trying. No matter how many difficulties there are, be steadfast, do not let yourself become weak or give up on your dreams. I always set the goal of turning talent into skills. Having a talent will help you be more favorable, but success must come from effort and hard work. Everyone has will, is talented, and has many dreams. The key is whether you can maintain your enthusiasm and passion, have a specific plan and persevere with it. * How do you portray yourself in the future? - Nam Long : I want to become a mathematician or a computer engineer. I will try to find scholarships from famous technology universities, study and return, contributing something to the country. I will also continue to participate in math and computer science competitions. Along with expanding into programming, artificial intelligence and especially investing time in scientific research.