Empowering Vietnamese Students in Global Research and Innovation

“I’d say that Polygence students in Vietnam can learn a great deal since you are working with a PhD candidate. Don’t be shy. Ask a lot of questions.” - Anh Minh Tran, Polygence alumnus

Anh Minh Tran is a first-year student at Yale University, planning to study history, philosophy, and education. During high school in Vietnam, Anh completed a Polygence research project titled “Implementation of Decree 82/2010 in Tra Vinh: A case study of Khmer language and the EVG Community Library and its effect on ethnic Khmer students.” Through his project, Anh was able to write a full research paper, develop critical data analysis skills, and develop his confidence. 

At Polygence, we’ve received a growing interest from students in Vietnam who want to start their own research project while in high school. We feel that Polygence’s core research program is an excellent fit for students in Vietnam, and we’ll explain why in this article. We’ll also discuss more about Anh’s Polygence experience and how Polygence can help other Vietnamese students pursue their passions and learn from expert mentors.

The Increased Need for Student Research Opportunities in Vietnam

Vietnam is widely known for one of the best schooling systems in the world. According to The Economist, “The latest data from the World Bank show that, on aggregate learning scores, Vietnamese students outperform not only their counterparts in Malaysia and Thailand but also those in Britain and Canada.” Teaching quality in Vietnam is extremely high, as teachers are assessed based on student performance and also receive frequent training. Overall, Vietnam is a country that cares a lot about the value of education.

However, there are still gaps in the education system to address. Firms around the world are looking for workers with more sophisticated skills, a mix of high-quality cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills—skills employers say are rare among Vietnamese graduates. Further, for students who are interested in attending college in the US, the application process has become more competitive than ever.

At Polygence, we believe that doing a research project while in high school is a great way to address those challenges in the education system and gain an advantage in college admissions.

Why Vietnamese Students Choose Polygence For Research Projects

Given that there’s a gap in technical and behavioral skills for many Vietnamese students, a Polygence research project gives students the opportunity to build many high quality skills that are not usually covered in traditional school systems. In a Polygence project, the student can dive into any topic that excites them while also working with a mentor who’s an expert in that specific topic. Students are able to learn research and industry-specific skills from their mentors as they progress in their research.

For example, although Anh initially wanted to do a research project in his local area in Vietnam, he was “not sure how to really formulate good research questions, find literature reviews, conduct interviews to get data, and write the research paper.” According to Anh, “I looked to Polygence for someone who is in the research field, who reads and writes a lot of research papers, to guide my research. Working with my mentor, a PhD candidate from Harvard, Ri Dresser, she helped me with finding documents, analyzing them, and applying it in my research. Most importantly, she proofread my paper so that I got more of an analytical and ‘research’ voice in it. With the help of his mentor, Anh was able to learn how to write a research paper from someone who has significant research experience and also gained a valuable personal connection outside of his country. That is a personalized mentorship experience that can be hard to find in school. Learn more on how to write a research paper as a high school student.

During his project, Anh was also able to learn valuable data analysis skills: “I learned that research was no easy work, especially with qualitative data. Collecting all those interviews in ethnic areas and typing it all out in order to find patterns requires substantial work, even if I only have about 30 interviews. However, after doing this project, I feel like if I [can] process data on my own, I can take on more complex data sets or quantitative ones in the future with more confidence and become more independent.” 

In addition, the success of Anh and Maria’s mentor pairing demonstrates that valuable mentorship can happen remotely and across countries. As Anh describes, “I think we can be both professional and informal at times, but the most important thing is we choose the right time to be which. She is open to sharing her experiences in her PhD program while I share my high school stories as we go on, and we get along well..her tips and proofreads enhance my writing and guide my data collecting skills.” With the right mentor, students not only improve their writing and technical skills but also gain exposure to future career paths like PhD programs that they may have never considered before. These potential paths are often very exciting to students and motivate them to continue their research. Even after his Polygence research project, Anh is still continuing his project in the ethnic minority community in which he conducted his research, offering them free English classes and fundraising. Anh hopes to have “a more established nonprofit in the future for Vietnamese rural students.” This is just one of many success stories where Polygence students become passionate about their project topics and continue to learn about the fields on their own or through their college studies. 

Anh’s Insights for Vietnamese Students Considering Polygence

Polygence is committed to supporting Vietnamese students interested in research projects. We plan to expand our presence internationally and spread the word about high-quality research opportunities for students worldwide, not just in the US.

If you’re a student in Vietnam thinking about doing a research project, here’s Anh’s advice: 

“I’d say that Polygence students in Vietnam can learn a great deal since you are working with a PhD candidate. Don’t be shy. Ask a lot of questions. More importantly, it helps you when you study abroad and work with your friends and your professors in research. With Polygence…it will prepare you for conversations you need to take initiative [on] to join research projects in your future school. Most Vietnamese will be shy when approaching new teachers/professors. Polygence has helped me become more confident.”

We believe that there’s an increased need for research opportunities in Vietnam so that students can develop key technical and soft skills that they may not be learning in school. Anh’s story is a great example of a student from Vietnam who made the most out of Polygence by learning closely from his mentor and also gaining confidence in his own research skills and ability to approach new professors/researchers in college.

If you’re a student in Vietnam interested in research, check out Polygence’s core research program, where you learn from an expert mentor who can provide personalized support in your research process. Through Polygence, you can also learn about different showcasing methods, such as publishing a research paper or creating a website, to see which one is best suited for your project. If you’re new to the world of research projects and looking for inspiration, check out our list of the top research project ideas in 2024