Research Assistant at Hanoi University of Pharmacy
If the pyrolysis project taught me to see science through the smell of smoke and leaves, then my time at Hanoi University of Pharmacy taught me to believe in things I… couldn’t see.
To be honest, the first time I worked with bacteria, I was a little scared. Not because they were dangerous — but because they were invisible. I had to learn to sense their existence through faint inhibition zones on agar plates, or through a cold MIC/MBC value on an Excel sheet
Turns out, science isn’t always as “grand” as I imagined. It’s not constant Eureka moments — it’s sweat falling onto a lab bench, and the discipline of verifying every single step.
And then there was a moment I’ll never forget: when I presented our findings at the Korea International Youth Olympiad, the thing I was proudest of wasn’t the medal — it was a question someone in the audience asked me afterward:
“Do you really think what you're doing will help people someday?”
“I’m not entirely sure.
But I do know this — every time I see a bacterium stop growing, I feel like I’m one step closer to ‘yes.’
