My Childhood
I was born in the heart of Hanoi. My dad, who you might know as “Anh Phúc” from the book “Giữa đôi bờ thương nhớ” by Đỗ Xuân Thảo, was a teacher and lecturer at Hanoi University of Education. My mom, a civil engineer, has always been a pillar of strength in our family.
We’ve had our share of tough times; my dad dealt with a stroke and kidney failure, and my younger sister had complications from a vaccination that led to cerebral palsy. Despite these bumps in the road, I’ve always seen them as part of the unique deck of cards life dealt me, and I’ve always appreciated my parents for their resilience and love.
Then My Professional Journey Starts
Like many parents, mine had dreams of me donning a white coat and becoming a medical doctor. But I had other plans. I wanted to dive into the world of computers because, let’s be real, from elementary school to high school, computer science was my jam. Ignoring my parents’ well-meaning advice turned out to be a great decision because during my time at UET, VNU, I racked up a collection of scholarships like a pro.
In my third year of college, my dad, who had started to realize that I was both pretty good at studying and stubborn enough to argue my points convincingly, suggested I pick up a law degree as a backup plan. You know, just in case the whole coding thing didn’t pan out. I don’t remember exactly how he convinced me, but somehow I agreed, tackled the entrance exams again, and a year later, there I was, a student at both UET and the School of Law at VNU. Honestly, I didn’t think I could handle it, but surprisingly, I did quite well in both schools. I ended up being the runner-up valedictorian at UET, snagging first prize in student scientific research at VNU, and graduated with honors in law. Who would have thought?
Luckily, I finished both degrees in time to share the news with my dad before he decided to stop battling his illnesses and chose to find peace with our ancestors.
My Journey to Japan
In 2014, I got the fantastic opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange program in Japan. Picture this: me, rubbing elbows with top students from Japan and Vietnam, trying not to embarrass myself with my limited Japanese while enjoying sushi and sumo wrestling matches.
Then, in 2015, I hit another milestone by snagging the Honda Y-E-S Award, which is kind of a big deal given that only 10 people in the entire country receive it. I guess you could say I was on a roll!
After saying my final goodbyes to my father, who decided to finally let go of his illnesses, I packed my bags in 2018 and headed off to Japan to pursue a Ph.D. at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). Life at JAIST was nothing short of an adventure—especially after my professor gave me a car. Yes, you read that right. Suddenly, my monk-like existence in the mountains was spiced up with weekend trips and scenic drives. My family and I had some amazing experiences exploring Japan.
In 2022, after four years filled with late-night study sessions, ramen noodle dinners, and the occasional karaoke night to blow off steam, I managed to graduate as the valedictorian of my Ph.D. program. Talk about a plot twist!
Following my graduation, I started working as a researcher at the National Institute of Informatics (NII). In my early days at NII, I managed to make quite an impression—or rather, misimpression. Using my best Japanese skills (with a little help from Google Translate), I tried to tell my supervisor that my Japanese was still terrible. But thanks to a Google mistranslation, what I actually said was, “Japanese people are terrible.” Needless to say, if Google ever offers me a job, I might have to think twice because of this little grudge.
And here’s the kicker: I may have refused to become a medical doctor, but I ended up being a Doctor of Philosophy anyway. It reminds me of that classic scene from “Journey to the West” where no matter how far Sun Wukong flies, he never escapes the Buddha’s palm.
Life sure has a funny way of working out!