VAS students: Dynamic, bold and ready to embrace the world!

Carrying on the success of her two elder brothers who also attended VAS and were known for their exceptional study achievements, Vuong Cung Nguyet Minh, a student from class 7.3 at the Sunrise campus, was awarded the Talent Scholarship for the best student of VAS for three years in a row.

She also won countless prizes in the school’s contests and international competitions, including the World Scholar’s Cup, TOEFL iBT, the VASers for the Community programme, and the VAS’s Got Talent.

Nguyet Minh shared, “Although thriving academically, I prefer to focus my energy onto other pursuits, such as singing or baking and what not, and even though I am not as talented in these fields, they bring me joy. I feel like I can try everything in my school from being a little model, an artist, a singer to an activist.”

After 10 years, with VAS since her kindergarten years, Nguyet Minh noted: “My journey with VAS has been one of my greatest achievement, both personally and academically. I would have become a completely different person if it were not for this school. For that, I am eternally grateful.”

Building a strong foundation to rival those on an international scale

Since the fifth grade, Khang Thinh has been able to complete 12^th grade Maths exercises. Now, as a ninth grade student at VAS Sala mega campus, Tran Khang Thinh has acquired exceptional knowledge in the medical field by conducting research, paying visits to medical institutions, and meeting and learning from top-notch doctors in Vietnam and around the world. Khang Thinh's long-term dream is to become a politician in anticipation of making this world a better place, where people can live more happily. Nonetheless, he understands that he needs to first build a successful career and social status as "stepping stones" to his big dream. On that account, he will pursue the medical profession before embarking on politics.

Khang Thinh now possesses a huge collection of achievements at diverse domestic and international competitions for students in many fields

Continuing to be the highest-scoring student of both his class and his grade with an average score of 9.8-9.9 for the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) programme and five Gold points or A* points for the Cambridge programme.

“I recognised that it might not be enough to always just learn from teachers and friends in school, I would like to explore more about the world. To do this, I usually participate in national and international competitions outside of VAS for Advanced Mathematics, English, Science, Politics, Psychology, History, and many other fields,” Thinh said.

“Through these contests, I am proud of being able to increase VAS’ exposure among international friends at the award ceremonies held in countries around the world like Singapore, Malaysia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and the US,” said Thinh.

These experiences have allowed me to recognise that VAS has really helped me build up my strong background knowledge together with good problem-solving skills by which I am able to compete with people globally as a Vietnamese student, who would likely be considered weaker in international playgrounds,” Thinh added.

He now possesses a huge collection of achievements from the Second Prize of the TOEFL Junior Challenge, the Second Prize of the English Champion to the Silver medal of the SASMO Math Olympiad Contest, the Third Prize of the Bulgarian Maths without Border Contest, the Silver medal of The International Science Contest VANDA, and 56 medals at the World Scholar's Cup.

Currently, Khang Thinh is also a very active community activist at VAS. He and his team have implemented the "Dishes on the wall" and "HP91 – Wings of dreams” charitable projects that made a big splash in the community for their meaningful and practical ideas.

Willing to adapt to all fluctuations of life

14-year-old Thuy Quynh left her parents and hometown Binh Dinh for Ho Chi Minh City with the desire to seek a better learning environment. Then, she started her high school years at VAS from Grade 10 with the IGCSE programme.

In addition to maintaining excellent academic achievements with grades A* to A during her three-year schooling, Thuy Quynh has become the senator for her grade in the VAS Student Council, making her one of the Top 50 national delegates at the Vietnam Youth Initiative Conference, then becoming a Vietnamese Delegate at Future Leader Congress in Bangkok, Thailand and won the first runner-up prize at the World Youth Meeting for the most “sustainable project”.

Thuy Quynh has made constant endeavours and become an eminent Vietnamese delegate at diverse international forums

In grade 12, Thuy Quynh got her first job and earnings as a tuition and marketing manager for an online academy based in India.

“In an ever-changing world, I realised what keeps me dynamic and proactive is not the theoretical knowledge but the ability to adapt to the new environment,” said Quynh.

“This adaptability, in my perspective, is extremely crucial to all of us to weather any difficulties in school life and beyond that, especially in the hard time of the COVID-19 pandemic. How fortunate it is that I’ve been equipped with the requisite skills since I started my education in this school, thanks to the teachers and my dear friends.

“From now on, when I step out of the current sheltered environment, I dare to think, to act, and to take responsibility. I dare to learn and to apply whatever knowledge I acquire. I dare to talk and to listen. I dare to take a step forward and when necessary, take one backward,” Quynh noted.

VAS is a school system with 16 years of experience in teaching international bilingual programmes with nearly 9,500 students from kindergarten to grade 12 attending seven campuses. Apart from the three Cambridge-based learning pathways, the school also focuses on developing core values, talent, and community activities for students, and helps them reach their full potential and grow up with a high sense of responsibility.