Fulbright University Vietnam is pleased to announce 5 excellent students who won our undergraduate scholarships for the class of 2025. They are Nguyen Dac Hoang from Hai Phong, Tran Tieu My (Kien Giang), Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Ha (Dak Nong), Luong Ngoc Chung (Binh Phuoc), and Le Dao Minh Tam (Quang Ninh).
These talented young Vietnamese have demonstrated exceptional academic excellence, as well as their strong commitment to community service in Vietnam. Each will receive a scholarship equivalent to 50% of the annual tuition fee for four years, in addition to financial aid (up to 100% of tuition fee) that also covers their housing expenses for the first two years at Fulbright.
“Congratulations to the recipients! Thanks to the generous support of our donor, Fulbright University Vietnam is proud to be able to offer these scholarships to our students. This is one of many scholarships that Fulbright aims to offer our next generation of change-makers. While there is still more work to be done, we will continue to expand our aid portfolio so that more Vietnamese students can gain access to higher education regardless of their background.” – says Ms. Dam Bich Thuy, President of Fulbright University Vietnam.
We’re delighted to share with you the students’ personal thoughts and inspiring journey to Fulbright. While they may come from different regions in Vietnam, we recognize in them a common dream to pursue a liberal arts education, the desire to make meaningful contributions to their communities, and the passion to venture into the unknown.
Tran Tieu My
Inspired by the “Save Son Doong” campaign, Tieu My started to learn more about the environmental issues that affect her hometown, and founded the Saving Green Club at her high school. “Being a young person, I decided to be the change I want to see in this world,” she says. “I believe that if we can build a chain of young people who share the responsibility for sustainable development, they will make great contributions to our community and for the future.”
At the “Plastic Waste Reduction Initiative” competition organized by WWF Vietnam, her club won Second Prize and received $2,500 to implement their idea to high schools in her hometown. Naturally, Tieu My also wants to establish an environmental club at Fulbright, as well as visiting preschools and primary schools to teach children about environmental issues.
Tran Tieu My
“My hometown, Go Quao, is a poor place. The young people there rarely have resources to approach life-changing opportunities,” she says. “When I told my friends that I’d been accepted to Fulbright, they didn’t know much about what a liberal arts education is, or how important a global citizen’s skills are. It got me into a lot of thinking.” Tieu My wishes to visit schools in the rural area, as well as creating video content on her social media, to share her life story and the journey that got her into Fulbright. “This scholarship is not only about money, it gives me the chance to come to my university of choice and realize my dreams,” she says.
Nguyen Dac Hoang
Dac Hoang is the founder of Wise Thoughts Vietnam, a non-government organization whose mission is to fight against discrimination, prejudices and stereotypes in Vietnam. Over two years, it has gathered over 50 young artists, freelance writers and journalists, all joining hands to create a safe platform where the vulnerable can raise their voice and have their stories heard. The organization also organized exhibitions, produced a series of online talk-shows and attracted over 40,000 followers on their Facebook page.
Nguyen Dac Hoang
“Since writing has been an indispensable part of my life, I would love to build a community of young writers and writing activities at Fulbright,” he tells us. “ I have some ideas for a writing club, possibly inviting famous authors and novelists to host writing workshops on our campus. My dream is to co-design and publish a book with my Fulbright mates, contributing to 2025’s legacy.”
Dac Hoang also plans to create a new podcast called “Humans of Fulbright”, where the Class of 2025 can share their stories and empower each other on their personal journey. At the moment, he’s looking int0 Arts and Humanities, believing “works of art are the best tool to go back in time without a time machine.” While aspires to become a writer for magazines and independent research organizations, ultimately his plan after graduating from Fulbright is to become “an individual full of stories worth telling, full of joy and always believing in a brighter future.”
Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Ha
A math enthusiast from Dak Nong, Ngoc Ha has participated in many math competitions and camps across the country, winning awards back and forth. “I never forget each delightful moment whenever I solve a math problem,” she tells us. “Since I was little, I have loved the beautiful lines, the logical equations, and the deep work and creative time I must put into math.”
Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Ha
At Fulbright, she plans to concentrate on Mathematics and Computing. Her dream is to come up with tech products that can solve real-world problems in the future. While she intends to apply to the university’s STEM Club, Ngoc Ha also aspires to collaborate with other students to build a project that supports farmers in her hometown and various farming communities. “Due to my upbringing in a farming area, I have witnessed farmers’ economic difficulties and the climate challenges they have to face,” she says.
Ngoc Ha credits her mother as her biggest inspiration: “Although she grew up in a destitute part of Nghe An and didn’t have as much opportunity to study, my mom still tried her best to pursue a bachelor degree even though she was over 30 years old. She’s now an inspiring teacher, a hard-working farmer, and a tender homemaker. She taught me to always value my lifelong learning and motivated me to play different roles in others’ education. She also empowered me to embrace my identity, to love farming and overcome any challenges in life.”
Luong Ngoc Chung
In 2021, “ Lullabies of the Rivers”, a project Ngoc Chung co-founded in high school, was selected as part of the British Council Vietnam’s The Rivers of Life programme that leads to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). The project, which inspires 20 high school students in Dong Thap to tell their stories via self-written songs about how climate change has impacted their families’ livelihood along Sa Giang River, has earned him the invitation to attend the launch of the Special Report on “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam”, among whose many esteemed guests was the COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma.
Luong Ngoc Chung
Needless to say, Ngoc Chung is deeply passionate about the climate crisis and social causes. “For the future, I’m thinking of working in the field of development, advocating towards a world of equity, transparency, prosperity and sustainability in Vietnam,” he tells us. “We lead our lives not as individuals, but as members of the community. Because of it, we must strive for the betterment of everyone around us.”
The Fulbright scholarship, for Ngoc Chung, is a reminder that he should never stop trying to become a whole person. Having recently read ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama, he reflects: “Coming to each stage of my life means having a somehow new worldview proportionately. By continuously learning and practicing the values I believe in, whichever plan I am going to have in the future, my most sincere wish is to become a kind and active person. I am becoming!”
Le Dao Minh Tam
Minh Tam was the Head of Content and Debate Coach at her high school’s Debate Club in Ha Long. In 2020, her team won the Trường Teen VTV7 Debate Competition, the biggest debate competition in Vietnam that attracted 100 high school teams from all 63 provinces.
Le Dao Minh Tam
At Fulbright, she plans to facilitate networks between the university’s Debate Club and high schools in the Southern region, with the ultimate goal of having Fulbright in the World Universities Debating Championship. “Being able to meet and greet new individuals and get energy boosts from them tremendously makes my life more meaningful and cheerful than ever,” she says. “With debate being my greatest strength, I want to promote meaningful and effective discourses on topics where student’s contributions are essential to the development of the Fulbright community as a whole.”
While she currently sees Social Sciences as a potential focus at Fulbright, Minh Tam wishes to one day work in the field of education. “The scholarship prompted me to think about the distribution of opportunities in education and how it applies to my own case. Knowing that I’ve been granted the opportunity to alleviate any financial burden and focus on my study, it becomes the main driving force behind every single effort of mine, to give back to the school and to communities that I want to engage in the future.” she shares. “I’m always happy to strive for a good cause.”
Bao Quyen
