Listing the achievements of Nguyen Huynh Hoai Phu, the top student in the English Language major at FPTU’s Can Tho campus, in just a few lines would be an “impossible task.” Throughout his three years at FPTU, this K19 student has consistently written brilliant chapters, achieving accomplishments spanning academics, student activities, and even entrepreneurship while still a student.
Leaving the lecture halls, before continuing her career in education and scientific research in the field of linguistics, Hoai Phu shared: “When I entered FPTU, I already had an IELTS certificate, so I was able to go straight into the specialized program, saving a year compared to the traditional path. And it was the training environment here that helped me develop myself beyond the limits of my major, finding my passion in academic research and entrepreneurship.”
Hoai Phu was honored as the valedictorian of the Language majors at FPTU Can Tho campus during the graduation ceremony.
The “low point” of the third semester and the secret to “teachers are golden”
Few people know that behind the impressive achievements of the new valedictorian, there was once a Hoai Phu who struggled with feelings of disappointment in himself. This was in the third semester, when Phu’s GPA stood at 8.98. Although this was not a low score, seeing his friends around him successively achieving titles like “Golden Frog,” “Top 5,” or “Outstanding Student” left the young student feeling disheartened.
“At that time, what I regretted most was that I really tried my best, even retaking some subjects to improve my scores as much as possible, but in the end I still didn’t achieve the titles I wanted. I realized that things don’t always turn out as expected. There were times when I felt discouraged, even doubting my own abilities,” Phu confided.
However, that very low point became a turning point for Hoai Phu to reshape his learning methods, leveraging the advantages of the FPTU environment to excel. Phu realized that effort doesn’t mean cramming knowledge before each exam, but rather about discipline and consistency every day. Phu began learning how to “decode” course outlines: proactively reading the course outlines carefully from the beginning of the semester, accurately identifying assessment criteria, point weightings, and timelines to allocate his efforts appropriately.
From a low point in her GPA, Hoai Phu regained her determination and strived to break through.
In particular, Phu discovered the most valuable secret right in the classroom: “I always believe that the knowledge and experience that teachers share in class are incredibly valuable. Sometimes, the small explanations or notes from the lecturers are the key to helping us understand the lesson and do well on the assessment. Therefore, I always keep in mind: Don’t let class time pass by distractedly, because the words of the teachers are gold!”
Besides that, instead of studying on Coursera (an online learning resource provided by the school to students) just to get a certificate, Phu diligently watched each lecture video , delving into the essence of the subject. When he felt discouraged, Phu chose to change locations, going to a coffee shop and inviting friends to study with him to maintain his motivation.
It was this unwavering discipline that helped Hoai Phu make a spectacular comeback: achieving a “hat-trick” of being in the Top 5 Outstanding Students in her field of study three times in three semesters (Fall 2024, Fall 2025, Summer 2026), conquering the Golden Frog award in Spring 2025, and concluding her university journey with an Excellent Graduation degree (GPA 9+) and the title of Valedictorian of the Languages field.
Stepping out of your comfort zone: From language to AI and 7 international publications.
Refusing to confine himself to the stereotype that “Language students are only good at translation, interpretation, or pure teaching,” Hoai Phu fully utilized FPTU’s unique learning ecosystem to become an interdisciplinary researcher. 2026 marked a significant leap forward for Phu on the academic map, with 7 international scientific research papers listed in the ORCID database, including 2 international journal articles and 5 international conference papers (ACM Conference Papers). Notably, Phu served as First Author in 5 papers and Second Author in 2 papers.
On graduation day, Phu shared a special thank you to teacher Nguyen Trong Luan for accompanying and inspiring him during his final year of study.
Phu’s research spans many pioneering fields: language education, artificial intelligence in education, educational technology, learning psychology and behavior, communication support technology, and sustainable development. Notable among these are his international journal article published in Sustainable Futures (Elsevier, Vol 12, 2026, DOI: 10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102012) – co-authored with Professor Nguyen Trong Luan, his article in Issues in Educational Research (Vol 36, Issue 3, 2026), and a series of five international scientific conference papers published by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Not content with just achieving personal success with an award at the FPT Research Festival, Phu also played a role as an inspiration by directly guiding and supporting 6-7 research colleagues. Phu persistently accompanied them from identifying research gaps, building theoretical frameworks, processing quantitative data, to finalizing drafts for international publications.
Phu shared : “On my journey of scientific research and study at FPTU, I would like to express my gratitude to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Sang and Mr. Ly Thanh Danh – who supported me through the initial difficulties and opened up the path to scientific research. In particular, I also want to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Nguyen Trong Luan, who instilled in me a passion, motivation, and an unceasing desire to conquer new achievements. Although I only had the opportunity to meet and work alongside him in my final year, it was the most memorable year of my university journey, filled with countless experiences, opportunities, and milestones that I will always cherish.”
Starting a business from the classroom: Directly leading two projects and achieving the runner-up position internationally.
A particularly noteworthy achievement of the top graduate, Hoai Phu, is his aspiration to use technology to serve the community, realized through two technology projects: FYNIX Trans-Lens (Smart translation glasses using AI & Edge-IoT to support multilingual communication) and FYNIX Sign Language (A sign language recognition system aimed at supporting inclusive communication). In both projects, Phu was the founder and directly led the team members from idea to impressive results.
Hoai Phu with FYNIX members and lecturers on the day of the project defense.
FYNIX Trans-Lens is an interdisciplinary graduation project that the group further developed from a project in their Entrepreneurship course, bringing together five students from English Language, Information Security, and Economics. Based on the problem of how two people speaking different languages can communicate more naturally without constantly looking at their phones, the group developed a wearable device capable of receiving speech, processing it with AI, translating the content, and converting it back into speech to support direct communication. Phu and his colleagues focused on language, translation quality, and the user’s communication experience.
The FYNIX Trans-Lens project has been continuously tested in real-world environments and received feedback from the team. The team achieved 2nd place in the “2nd Best – Engineering Category” at the RAVTE 2026 International Student Project Competition; their research on FYNIX was published in the ACM proceedings at IAIT 2026; and the prototype was showcased at CON.NEX.TION with over 100 practical operation sessions. The team also signed a pre-order contract for 5 devices with VISI, marking an initial verification of the product’s commercial potential.
Currently, the project is in the process of preparing for intellectual property protection, with the patent application documents under review. For Phu, the development journey of FYNIX shows that in the FPTU environment, knowledge of the English language can become a direct part of interdisciplinary projects: from evaluating translation quality, context, and communication experience to user research, content creation, and product presentation in English.
Alongside his research and entrepreneurial endeavors, Phu maintained a persistent spirit by working since September 2023 (at the age of 18). Starting as an English tutor, Phu gained experience at several large organizations such as Kyna for Kids, Edupia, Simple English Center, Gia Viet Center, and took on the role of IELTS teaching assistant (specializing in Writing & Speaking assessment) at IELTS VIET.
Looking back on the past three years, what makes Hoai Phu most proud is not just the medals or titles, but his remarkable personal growth: “Besides academic achievements, I am also proud of daring to step outside the confines of my major to pursue scientific research, publish internationally, and lead innovative projects. What makes me happiest is not just the titles I have achieved, but seeing how far I have come since my early days at FPTU.”
After graduation, Hoai Phu will take on a full-time English teacher position at the Global English Center. In the long term, the valedictorian aims to pursue a Master’s program in TESOL or Applied Linguistics at a prestigious university worldwide, continuing her career in teaching and scientific research.
