At the invitation from National Junior College (NJC - Singapore), the delegation of the High School for Gifted Students in Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH) - under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University (VNU-USSH) including 3 teachers and 13 students took part in cultural and academic exchange at the International Humanities Symposium of NJC, Singapore.

This is the result of the academic exchange session in 2023 between the two universities, as well as the result of nearly a year of joint research cooperation of the delegation. The selected students are all excellent, dynamic, have good foreign language ability and are most suitable for the program, participating in a competitive and transparent selection process.

With the support and guidance of teachers, 13 students were divided into 2 research groups with 2 topics. Group 1 consists of seven students, led by Dr. Hoang Thi Thu Huong (Head of the Geography Department, HSSH) to conduct research on the topic " Women’s empowerment in community-based tourism in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam ". Group 2, consisting of 6 students, researched the topic "Psychology of the generation gap" under the guidance of Dr. Pham Hai Linh (Teacher of the Literature Department, HSSH).

Nguyen Vu Anh Thu (Geography K3 student, representative of research group 1) talked about the research process: "This is my first time participating in scientific research and also my first time to learn about scientific terms such as "document review, research hypothesis, sociological investigation ..." That was the first time I was able to write a complete scientific report. When participating in the research, I went far away from home for the first time, going with my friends and teachers for field- research in Hoa Binh. Throughout the preparation stages, there were many incidents, with many all-night meetings, corrections, suggestions from teachers as well as many intense debates.

But all challenges can be overcome when we get to know each other better, unite and achieve worthy results together in Singapore. After the trip, we are extremely proud to have brought the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people in general, and the Thai people in particular to international friends, and we are honored to receive the First Prize for the Best Research. "

According to Vu Bao Chau (Linguistics 1 K3 student, representative of research group 2), the time spent researching with the members of group 2 has brought her to many different ups and downs: “When starting with the topic with a high theoretical level of psychology and generation psychology, at first, we had many difficulties in understanding the documents and putting the research into practice. However, thanks to the help of Ms. Pham Hai Linh, we have had more opportunities to conduct field surveys, and face-to-face interviews with a variety of subjects in life, from young to old, urban or rural villages, as well as online interviews and surveys with NJC students within the framework of the cooperation between the two schools. Since then, we have learned more about the generational psychology of the two countries and then come to a solution to this problem, which is harmony.

Talking about valuable experiences and lessons during his time in Singapore, Phung Gia Khanh (Geography K3 student) shared: “The trip to Singapore with our teachers and friends at HSSH has presented us with great advantages. I had a lot of intriguing experiences, as well as unforgettable memories. Among them, I think the cross-border, cross-national friendship, regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity that we and our Singaporean friends have built together in a short time has really left in me an indelible mark.”

Khanh Linh, a student of high-quality K3 added: “We have created many beautiful memories together that we will remember forever, that we may carry with us for the rest of our life. In the not-too-distant future, my Singaporean friends and I will have the opportunity to meet again in Vietnam, and I look forward to the day when we introduce the wonderful things that can only be found in our culture of Vietnam and the signature of HSSH to our international besties.”

Sharing about the process of visiting and growing up on the trip to the “lion city”, Dang Gia Tien (History K3 student) confided: "The journey to Singapore was the path to more research and knowledge. In the process of interacting and working directly with NJC students, we are exposed to open scientific research methods, starting with simple questions and then being able to develop a clear implementation into a complete research topic. Personally, I have also observed and understood what parts of Singaporeans' openness to communication and approach to learning – these really show their sensitivity when facing an unfamiliar problem."

As for Dinh Pham Huong Giang (Linguistics 2 K3 Student), the experience also gives her equally meaningful lessons: “One of the most meaningful things I learned after my recent trip was soft skills, especially in reading maps and communicating with people around. Even though it's only been 6 days, I feel that reading maps and finding directions is also much easier."

"Study hard - Play hard", the research team of the High School for the Gifted of Social Sciences and Humanities not only experienced a memorable trip but also, for the first time achieved outstanding results when presenting their research at the International Humanities Symposium 2023 (IHS). Overcoming 33 research groups from 14 universities, both of their projects were highly commendable and honored with the Best Research Award. The first prize was awarded for the research on “Women’s empowerment in community-based tourism in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam” and the third prize was awarded for the research on “Psychology of the generation gap”.