Research Assistant at VNU University of Science
If at Hanoi University of Science and Technology I was buried in paperwork, then at VNU University of Science — I was buried in… smoke and the scent of leaves.
Instead of simply observing bacteria under a microscope, I had to learn how traditional farmers burn plants to create wood vinegar — and then compare it to the modern pyrolysis method used in laboratories.
For the first time, I realized:
Science doesn’t just live inside the lab.
It lives in the way a farmer mixes water and charcoal by instinct.
In the way an old woman sniffs the smoke and somehow knows whether it’s “ripe” yet.
And in the way a researcher asks: “How do we turn what people have done for generations into a standardized protocol?”
I used to think scientists were people who invented things. But this project taught me that sometimes, a scientist is simply someone who translates ancient knowledge into a modern language.When I presented my findings at the Global Youth Summit, I didn’t talk about chemical reactions.
I told the story of sitting beside a farmer as he explained how he differentiates between “good smoke” and “toxic smoke.”
And people didn’t clap because of the graphs — they clapped because they saw a truth:
Science doesn’t only come from international journals — sometimes, it comes from the fields.
