A 22-year-old Vietnamese student has been awarded Ph.D. scholarships from eight top American universities such as MIT, Stanford, and Yale.

Ha Hai Duong, who is now in his last year of studying chemistry at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., formerly went to HUS High School forGifted Students in Hanoi.

Originally intending to pursue medicine in Vietnam, he shifted focus due to his strong inclination towards scientific research. This led him to accept a scholarship valued at around $275,000 from Georgetown University in 2021, resulting in his move to the United States.

Last year, Duong was accepted into the PhD programs at 11 institutions, including prestigious places like MIT, Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley. The majority of these offers came with funding packages worth more than $100,000 per year, which covered both tuition fees and research costs.

Duong’s work focuses on fluoride compounds, with an emphasis on detecting and extracting them using ionization techniques. He has created a device that can identify fluorine levels at extremely low concentrations, which operates much more efficiently compared to traditional thermal ionization approaches.

Duong's academic path has been distinguished by numerous accomplishments, such as getting one of his studies published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal whilst he was in his second year at Georgetown University. Currently, he is working on submitting his next research paper.

During his third year, Duong demonstrated his enthusiasm for cross-disciplinary research through an internship at Stanford University, focusing on areas like quantum chemistry and physics, with specific work involving quantum supercomputers.

Originally intending to submit applications to just five universities for his PhD programs, Duong decided to broaden his choices to 11 institutions because of worries regarding funding. Surprisingly, he received acceptance letters from every single one.

Dr. Milena Shahu from Georgetown University's chemistry department commended Duong for his remarkable intellect, perseverance, and adeptness in research, calling him an extraordinary emerging scientist.

Graduating in May, Duong intends to stay in the United States to enhance his research skills. His long-term aim is to go back to Vietnam with the expertise he has gained and impart this knowledge through education and guidance.