The 2025 graduation ceremony for the full-time undergraduate program at National Economics University (NEU) will take place on August 23 and 24, promising to be a memorable event with many special highlights.

Among these highlights is new valedictorian Thieu Ngoc Mai, an outstanding student who has made history with a grade point average of 9.63/10, the highest in the University’s nearly 70-year history. This impressive achievement not only demonstrates Ngoc Mai’s determination, perseverance, and aspiration to excel, but also is a source of pride for NEU, providing powerful inspiration to thousands of students following in her footsteps on their journey of learning and service.

Ngoc Mai at her graduation thesis defense, May 2025

Ngoc Mai is a former chemistry-track student at Hanoi National University of Education High School for Gifted Students. She recalled once thinking she would study medicine and pharmacy or fields related to chemistry and biology to align with her specialization. However, her mother’s work as a lecturer in economic statistics sparked Mai’s interest, and she gradually changed direction.

In 2021, Mai was admitted to NEU’s English-taught program in Data Science in Economics and Business. To avoid feeling overwhelmed when classes began, she spent time reviewing the entire curriculum and reading textbooks for several core courses in advance.

Mai maintained this study method throughout her four years. She believes that reading ahead helped her identify difficult English terms to look up in advance and ask lecturers more in-depth questions in class. At home, Mai tried to finish that day’s assignments and review the material once more to reduce pressure when exams approached.

She said she had not set a goal of graduating as valedictorian but was determined to take her studies seriously. Mai felt that in fields focused on technology and mathematics like hers, lacking a solid grasp of the knowledge and skills required could lead to serious difficulties, or even prevent her from finding a job later.

“I wanted to do well in my studies and build a solid foundation of knowledge for work. So I didn’t take part in too many extracurricular activities, focusing instead on studying and research,” Mai said.

One of Mai’s two favorite courses was Data Preparation and Visualization, because it allowed her to use her programming skills to create charts and analyze trends and stories “within the data.” The other was Machine Learning, which required students to use historical or collected data to make predictions about the future. For Mai, the experience in this course was useful and “magical.”

Although the program was taught in English, Mai did not encounter many difficulties, having already achieved an IELTS score of 7.0 in grade 12. She views foreign language proficiency as a foundation that gives her access to a wide range of research, reports, and courses from abroad. During her four years of study, Mai completed six scientific research projects, including three papers published at international conferences.

NEU’s new 2025 valedictorian, Thieu Ngoc Mai

In the middle of her third year, she joined Viettel’s talent selection program for students, progressing through application screening, IQ, English, and subject knowledge tests, and an interview. After passing, Mai and several other students spent three months receiving general knowledge training in phase one, followed by three months working in departments in phase two. Each round ended with a test, and candidates who did not pass were eliminated.

Mai said she applied to learn more and “see how far I could go.” She found phase two the most difficult because the assignments focused heavily on technical research, making them more suited to students specializing in technology and computing than to someone focused on applying technology in economics like Mai. For the first time, she doubted her abilities and wondered whether she had what it took to continue.

This drove Mai to study more, despite the pressure, to keep up with others and meet the company’s requirements. She enrolled in online courses and watched many specialized lectures from universities abroad. Mai also actively sought guidance from colleagues in her department on specific work tasks. As a result, she was among the few students hired as regular employees at the beginning of their fourth year, with scores among the highest.

Over the past year, Mai’s work has involved AI research focused on technological applications. She said both the University and the company had provided support, allowing her studies to progress without interruption. Fortunately, most of her final-year courses were project-based, so Mai did not have to spend much time preparing for exams.

Previously, in her classes, Mai generally had access only to small datasets and individual models. Her work has taught her how to organize those models into a system and run them on a massive dataset. Mai has also acquired many additional soft skills, such as note-taking, teamwork, and developing ideas.

Dr. Nguyen Manh The, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical Economics, College of Technology, NEU, taught Mai three courses, starting in her first year. He considers her proactive, meticulous approach to learning the key to her high scores.

“The way Mai asks questions and engages with lecturers shows that she has researched the material very thoroughly. After each lesson, Mai can remember the material immediately and apply it,” he said.

According to him, beyond her knowledge, Mai has “very good” programming and data analysis skills, along with the ability to conduct independent research and adapt to new methods. These are qualities that businesses value highly.

“I believe that with her abilities, Mai can achieve her career goals, whatever they may be,” he said.

Mai said she would continue in her current job to gain more knowledge and research skills, then seek opportunities to study abroad to broaden her horizons. In the long term, she wants to become a lecturer, using the knowledge and experience she has gained to support more students.

According to Mai, not everyone knows which path they want to take from the outset. Although she had an early direction and had researched her field, Mai still encountered things that did not go as she wished. However, she believes that what matters is perseverance and the courage to take on challenges.

“You have to try to find out whether you can do it. If you don’t act, the results won’t come,” new valedictorian Thieu Ngoc Mai shared.

Text and photos: Vnexpress and the Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.