Three keywords help male student win valedictorian title in International Economics
On the afternoon of July 26, 2026, the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (UEB) held the 2026 Graduation Ceremony.
With a GPA score of 3.88/4, Nguyen Truong Giang (born in 2004) is the valedictorian of the International Economics major and is 1 of 7 valedictorians honored at the graduation ceremony.
Expressing his joy, Truong Giang said that the title of valedictorian is not his destination. Right from the first year, his goal was to improve his knowledge and practice the necessary skills for his career later.
I always try to absorb what teachers convey, shown through maintaining high academic results. However, I have never been sure that I will become the valedictorian, because I know there are still many friends who are also trying their best" - Truong Giang said.
The male student shared that throughout his university years, there were two important milestones that contributed to shaping his thinking and orienting his development.
The first time was when Truong Giang started to learn about and participate in the financial market, helping him nurture his love for economics and train analytical thinking.
The second is the decision to seriously invest in learning foreign languages. When he first entered university, with his foreign language ability not being too good, Truong Giang once thought that he only needed to study enough to meet the graduation requirements. But the more he studied International Economics, the more he realized that foreign languages are not just a subject but also the key to accessing knowledge and opening up many opportunities.
Starting his foreign language learning journey, Truong Giang recounted that there were periods when he spent a few hours each day learning vocabulary, practicing listening and reading materials in English and Chinese. Initially, reading a document was very slow, some pages he had to look up to about 60% in the dictionary. But thanks to maintaining his studies every day, he gradually progressed and became much more confident.
I choose to pursue both English and Chinese not only to expand learning opportunities, access international knowledge sources but also to prepare for the long-term development path in the field of international trade" - Truong Giang expressed.
Looking back at his 4-year university journey, Truong Giang said that this was not too difficult a journey, but also not "smooth sailing" as many people still think.
To overcome this journey, the male student mentioned 3 keywords "Persistency – Proactiveness – Gratitude". Persistence because no achievement comes overnight. Proactive because I always try to find opportunities to study, research and experience instead of waiting for opportunities to come. Gratitude because I am lucky to receive the companionship of family, teachers and friends.
Today's achievement is not just the effort of one individual" - Truong Giang said.
Currently, Truong Giang is working at a business in the field of Logistics in Hanoi. In the near future, I want to work and study practically in a business environment.
The value of a diploma is not just about knowledge.
In this phase, 1,590 people studying at the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi graduated, including 30 PhDs, 149 masters and 1,511 bachelors; of which 201 students graduated with excellent grades, 791 students graduated with excellent grades, 517 students graduated with good grades.
At the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truc Le - Rector of the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi shared that the diplomas that students received today not only record a completed journey. In which there is also the belief of families, teachers and society that behind a university degree is not only knowledge, but also personality, kindness and trustworthiness.
However, Mr. Le emphasized that the value of a degree is not only in knowledge, but also determined by how each person lives and contributes after leaving the lecture hall.
Therefore, the Rector of the University of Economics advises students to live kindly, honestly, be grateful to those who have supported them and use their success to make other people's lives better.
