I am Nam Anh La, a student at Hanoi – Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in Hanoi, Vietnam. My strongest academic interests are chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering, especially questions that lie between traditional disciplines—problems where chemistry interacts with materials, physics informs engineering design, or a scientific idea must eventually become a working prototype.
My interest in science has developed through both academic study and experimentation. Some of my projects have produced successful results, while others have not. One of my early engineering projects was a portable water filtration device. Although the device was able to filter the water, the resulting water still retained a yellow coloration. At first, I saw this as a failure. Over time, however, I began to understand that the result was itself informative: the filtration process was incomplete, and this raised new questions about dissolved contaminants, adsorption, filter materials, and system design.
That experience shaped the way I think about science. A project does not become meaningless simply because the first version fails. In many cases, failure provides the most useful information because it reveals what still needs to be understood. This mindset has continued to influence my later research and engineering work.
I have also participated in chemistry research involving essential oils, formulation science, and experimental studies, and I have gained exposure to professional research environments through internships at scientific institutes in Vietnam. Outside the laboratory, I practice Karate and take part in community service. I founded a project that collects books and school materials for students in disadvantaged communities, including areas affected by floods and other natural disasters.
Together, these experiences have helped me see science not only as an academic discipline, but also as a way of thinking: observe carefully, identify a problem, test an idea, learn from the result, and improve.
Academic Profile
Grade 10 GPA: 9.3/10
Grade 11 GPA: 9.5/10
Grade 12 GPA: 9.6/10 — expected
A-Level Qualifications
Further Mathematics — A*
Mathematics — A*
Physics — A
Chemistry — A
English Proficiency
IELTS — 7.0
Beyond Academics
Karate has played an important role in developing my discipline and consistency.
Training has taught me that progress rarely happens all at once. Improvement comes from repeating fundamentals, identifying small errors, and continuing even when progress is not immediately visible.
I have found the same lesson in mathematics, scientific research, and engineering.
