On May 17, at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Tien Phong newspaper coordinated with many units to organize the 2nd Enrollment Day for Science and Technology majors - year 2026.
At the seminar with the theme "Science and Technology - The Future of the Nation, Opportunities for Young People", many questions from students revolved around opportunities for women in the field of science and technology, whether students who are not good at Math can follow a major, as well as choosing to study domestically or abroad, were directly discussed by the speakers.
Advantages of women in science and technology
At the seminar, a female student from Phung Khac Khoan High School (Hanoi) expressed concern about her daughter pursuing science and technology.
Regarding this content, Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Thai - Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee, President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology - said that gender stereotypes in this field have now decreased significantly.
He believes that in the past, society used to have a concept of science and technology that was more suitable for men. The current reality shows that women have every opportunity to develop equally if they have capacity and passion.
In scientific research and technology activities, I do not see any barriers preventing women from developing" - Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Thai said.
The President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology said that through the working process, he realized that the role of women is increasingly prominent in scientific research groups.
From the reality of work, he assessed that women often have perseverance, certainty and good connection in work. Women sometimes have more advantages than men in their ability to persevere, accumulate experience and maintain connection in work.
He affirmed that equality does not mean that all roles in the family must be completely the same, because each person still has their own responsibilities. The development of women's scientific careers needs to be facilitated by sharing in family life.
Math grades don't determine everything
In addition to gender issues, a question of concern is whether students who are not good at Math can pursue science and technology or not. According to Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Thai, Math scores are not a factor that completely determines the ability to study this field.
He said that he had met many high school students who were not really outstanding in Mathematics, but after being formally trained, especially in the international environment, they still developed very quickly in the field of science and technology.
Prof. Dr. Tran Hong Thai advises students not to be too self-conscious about scores because in secondary and high school, students often focus on basic subjects such as Mathematics. However, when entering the university environment or in-depth research, knowledge will be retrained in a direction associated with more specific goals.
There is no unique career choice and everyone has their own opportunities if they know how to persevere in pursuing their goals," he added.
At the festival, Mr. Nguyen Tien Thao - Director of the Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training - emphasized that grades 10 and 11 are the golden time for students to focus on orienting themselves to choose majors and careers for the future. If grade 12 only cares about majors, the admission method may be too late to make necessary changes.
Right from 10th grade, students will have to choose subjects, affecting the university admission process later. Therefore, if students accidentally choose subjects that are not close to their desired major, they can adjust them if detected early.
