From the dream of curing her father's illness to a doctoral scholarship of a girl from Hai Duong

Vu Thi Thanh Nhan (born in 2003) was a student majoring in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Compared to her peers, Nhan graduated half a year early and was awarded a full scholarship for a PhD in chemistry by the National University of Singapore (ranked 8th in the QS World Rankings 2025).

Dream of curing father's illness

Born in Hai Duong, Nhan's childhood was spent witnessing her father's steadfast struggle with Parkinson's disease - a disease for which modern medicine has yet to find a cure. The disease caused him to lose control of his daily activities.

When Nhan was in 12th grade, her father's illness became worse. Seeing him struggle with tremors every day, while medication only helped slow the progression of the disease, the little girl was determined to do something.

“At that time, my teachers all advised me to choose economics because of the wide range of job opportunities after graduation. However, the dream of making medicine to cure my father became the driving force, urging me to embark on the thorny path of pharmaceutical chemistry,” Nhan said. With her efforts and determination, in 2021, Nhan officially became a new student majoring in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Natural Sciences.

In the early days of entering university, the female student herself said she felt quite self-conscious when she saw that most of her classmates came from specialized schools and selective classes, while she only studied at a village school. Realizing that she was not very smart, the 10X determined to be diligent and hard-working to make up for it.

By the end of her first year, when she had gotten into the swing of things, Nhan faced a huge shock when her beloved father passed away. Her dream of curing her father’s illness was not yet realized, but instead of giving up, the young girl was even more determined to study, hoping to find effective treatments for patients in the same situation.

Step into the international environment

At the University of Natural Sciences, Nhan was guided by her teachers towards the path of studying abroad after graduation. Having determined her goal, right from her second year, the 10X proactively applied to join the pharmaceutical chemistry and organic synthesis research laboratory of Associate Professor, Dr. Mac Dinh Hung.

Here, she actively participated in the research of her teachers and seniors. The result was that after only 9 months, the female student had an article published in Q1 magazine (the most prestigious group), with the role of main author. Nhan's topic related to a new method of selective synthesis of furan and dihydrofuran derivatives. These compounds can be used in antibacterials, antibiotics, cosmetics and perfumes.

Also in her third year, Nhan was selected to represent her at the National University of Singapore’s summer science school for two weeks. The modern facilities, enthusiastic teaching staff, and geographical proximity made Nhan decide to apply for a doctoral scholarship there.

“Entering an international environment, meeting teachers and friends who are very good at pharmaceutical chemistry, gives me more motivation to go further and conquer bigger challenges,” Nhan said.

After returning to Vietnam, she started to prepare her application. The 10X proactively learned about professors at the National University of Singapore through the website, then contacted two professors whose research direction was close to her own. After participating in two interviews, the professor who is the Head of the Chemistry Department at the National University of Singapore chose her.

At the time of submitting her application, in addition to her research achievements and IELTS 6.0, Nhan had an overall score of 3.76/4. In her essay to the school, Nhan recounted her determination to pursue a career in pharmaceutical chemistry after witnessing her father’s battle with Parkinson’s disease, and committed to pursuing a career in scientific research.

“Although my father’s passing left me with a deep sense of loss, it also ignited in me a strong determination to contribute to the development of effective therapies to treat such diseases,” Nhan wrote in her essay. With her own efforts and commitment, the Hai Duong student later won a full scholarship for a PhD program at the National University of Singapore.

Last January, Nhan graduated from university a semester early, but continued to do research and teaching at the University of Natural Sciences. This August, the 10X will leave to pursue a doctoral program in Singapore. She hopes to become an excellent researcher, and at the same time bring the knowledge she learned from her host country back to Vietnam, contributing to the building of an advanced medical system.

“I will definitely return and apply what I have learned to real life. I always believe that knowledge and persistent efforts will bring effective solutions, helping us overcome diseases and bring about a better life,” Nhan expressed.