On June 10, the Shanghai Drama Academy (China) announced the list of doctoral research students expected to be admitted in 2026. In this list, actor Huynh Hieu Minh attracted attention when officially named after his second doctoral exam at the school.
With a total score of 271.34, he became a doctoral research student majoring in Art Management/Stage Drama Design.
After failing in his first exam last year, Huynh Hieu Minh is said to have refused some film invitations to focus on studying for the exam. After a year of effort, he finally passed the exam, realizing his dream of studying for a doctorate.
The actor of "Shanghai Bund" began his doctoral exam journey from 2025.
In May of that year, Huynh Hieu Minh's name first appeared in the list of candidates for the doctoral entrance interview round of the Shanghai Drama Academy, also with the research direction of Art Management/Stage Drama Design.
He took the exam on a level equivalent to a bachelor's degree, achieved 89 points in his major and entered the interview round. However, when the list of successful candidates was announced in June of the same year, Huynh Hieu Minh was not named. This major at that time only recruited one person.
When interviewed after the failure, he calmly said: "It's okay, if I don't get accepted this year, I can still try again next year.
Talking about the reason for persistently taking the doctoral exam, he repeatedly shared: "I want to become the first person in my family to have a doctorate degree.
He also said: "I want to learn more. Management, literature and directing are all fields I want to learn about. The learning process makes me feel life richer and happier. I hope my life will become more and more fulfilling.
On April 15th this year, when the list for the interview round continued to be announced, Huynh Hieu Minh achieved 90.67 points, tied for first place with other contestants.
Due to taking the exam according to a level equivalent to a bachelor's degree, he also had to participate in additional exams on political theory and two other specialized subjects, with a stricter assessment level than ordinary candidates.
To achieve this result, Huynh Hieu Minh has put in no small effort.
He once revealed in an interview that he had almost never accepted films for the past year: "If I don't have a really good role, I would rather rest.
During the time he refused invitations to act in movies and entertainment programs, the actor focused entirely on studying for the exam. Sources say that Huynh Hieu Minh even spent his birthday day doing exam questions and studying.
The PhD admission rate of the Shanghai Drama Academy is only about 7.3%. The school also emphasized that candidates who are celebrities or ordinary candidates are evaluated according to the same standards, without any special favoritism.
Born on November 13, 1977, Huynh Hieu Minh is about to turn 49. He graduated from the Faculty of Acting, Beijing Film Academy.
Huynh Hieu Minh said that taking the doctoral exam is not a temporary decision. For many years, he has maintained a habit of studying and studied the EMBA program at Truong Giang Business School.
This doctoral exam is to realize the viewpoint: "Live to old age, study to old age".
Notably, instead of choosing acting - his most familiar field - he chose Art Management.
This is said to stem from many years of experience working in management and production. In addition to his role as an actor and singer, Huynh Hieu Minh also participates in film production and investment in the entertainment industry.
