On the evening of June 19, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced exam scores and benchmark scores for 10th grade public high schools for the 2026-2027 school year.
According to exam score data, Tran Minh Ha, a 9G0 student at Newton Secondary and High School, is the valedictorian of this year's exam with a total of 29.75 points for admission. Minh Ha achieved 9.25 points in Literature, 9.5 points in Mathematics and 10 points in English. In addition, she was given 1 priority point.
Sharing with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Quach My Linh - Minh Ha's mother - said that the family was quite surprised to learn that her son was the valedictorian of the whole city.
Yesterday I came home late from work. My child only informed my mother that he got quite high scores and was very happy. I am a Muong ethnic person, so my child was given 1 priority point. It was not until the teacher texted to announce that the family knew my child was the valedictorian" - Ms. Linh recounted.
Where the weakness is, you find ways to improve it there
According to Ms. Linh, what makes her family most proud is not the title of valedictorian but her daughter's efforts over many years of study.
Ms. My Linh commented that her daughter is a student with high self-reliance, always setting clear goals for herself. From registering aspirations, registering for exams to looking up exam scores, Minh Ha proactively implements them.
If he is determined to achieve something, he will be very focused. He often self-assesses where he is weak, what is missing to find ways to overcome it" - Ms. Linh said.
In elementary school and in the early years of secondary school, the female student loved Mathematics, and participated in many mathematics competitions. However, in 7th grade, she turned to try her hand at Literature thanks to her mother's encouragement.
Once my child read the book "One Litre of Tears" and wrote a very long feeling. I was surprised that a child could see the story from many angles like that. From then on, I realized that my child has quite good literary perception and encouraged him to try his hand at Literature" - Ms. Linh said.
In 8th grade, Minh Ha participated in the excellent Literature student exam beyond the level but did not win a city-level prize. This result became a motivation for the female student to continue trying, winning the First Prize at the City-level Excellent Student Exam in the 2025-2026 school year in Literature.
My child changes every day, sets small goals, gradually improves her results and persistently pursues them to the end. That is what makes me proud" - Ms. My Linh shared.
In the exam preparation stage, Minh Ha pays special attention to systematizing knowledge. The female student has notebooks that are carefully compiled with many different ink colors, classifying each type of knowledge, errors and test-taking methods.
My child has very detailed Literature notebooks, using many colors of ink to systemize knowledge. In the final stage of the exam, my child mainly practices exam questions and reviews the synthesized knowledge" - Ms. Linh shared.
Likes to read books, plays the piano
In addition to studying, Minh Ha also has a special love for music and books. The female student plays the piano to relieve pressure during the exam preparation period. Besides, she maintains the habit of going to bed early, usually before 10 pm.
Minh Ha studies 2 sessions at school and during that time, she is highly focused on completing homework. In the evening, it is her time to review and review the knowledge she has learned in class.
In addition to being the valedictorian in the 10th grade public school entrance exam, Minh Ha also passed the Literature specialized class of Hanoi National University of Education and Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.
However, according to Ms. My Linh, her daughter still plans to continue studying at Newton Secondary and High School - where she has been attached for 9 years and she respects her daughter's choice.
I think this is an environment suitable for my orientation because I can develop evenly in Math, Literature and English" - she said.
Regarding future orientation, Minh Ha is interested in the field of human resource management. Ms. Linh shared that through reading books and actively learning information, she finds this an attractive career because managing people is like a difficult problem, requiring the ability to observe, analyze and solve many different situations.
