To Minh Nhat, born in 1996, is an aerospace mechanical engineer specializing in aircraft engine manufacturing at Safran Group (France). Eight months ago, he obtained a doctorate from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space, the No1 aerospace engineering school in France.

"Three years ago, I came to France with two suitcases and a dream to conquer the sky. Three years later, I have more things in my luggage, but that passion has never cooled," Nhat said.

The young man is an alumnus of Duc Pho High School No 1 in Quang Ngai, but he is well known throughout the country as a contestant on ‘Road to Olympia’, the competition for excellent high school students. 

Inspired by the movie "Iron Man," Nhat had a passion for flying robots, and he decided to apply for the HCM City University of Technology under HCM City National University.

As one of the top scorers, Nhat successfully enrolled in the high quality Vietnam-France engineer training program. But the heavy curriculum, plus with more theory than practice, discouraged him. He even thought about retaking university entrance exams to study another major.

His passion came back when Nhat began his second year at school. Nhat chose to study Aerospace Engineering and felt more encouraged with more practical lessons.

"At that time, I worked with real aircraft technical specifications and interned at several aviation companies in Dong Nai and Binh Duong. The more I learned, the more I wanted to pursue this career," Nhat recalled.

In the fourth year at school, thanks to outstanding academic achievements, Nhat was one of two students sent to a 6-month intern course in France at the National School of Engineering and Aeronautics, which has relations with the HCM City University of Technology. He worked in a lab researching fluid mechanics.

Though his French skills were not very good at that time, Nhat decided to defend his graduation thesis in French before a French council. He scored a perfect 20/20 score and came first on the final exam, with a GPA (grade point average) of 8.19/10.

With his impressive achievements, Nhat was advised to stay in France to study for a doctorate. However, Nhat returned to Vietnam to work at a Swiss software company related to Structural Mechanics and Materials.

After one year of working, Nhat realized he needed to study further to be promoted in his career, and he began applying for scholarships to study for a doctorate in 2020.

With his high achievement in study in France and letters from the professors who supervised his internship, Nhat had certain advantages. These endorsements helped him secure lab positions with several professors.

Finally, he chose to pursue further studies at the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, France, considered the headquarters of many aviation companies. 

“Thanks to that, I had the opportunity to be in touch with the aviation industry, which opened up things I have never seen before," Nhat said.

When studying there, Nhat had an opportunity to become an exchange student at a school in Tarbes City.

“The professors who guided me were all dedicated, closely followed me in my work, and always encouraged me. The journey was not too stressful," Nhat recalled.

During the three years of research at two schools, Nhat had guidance from six professors at three labs, specializing in structures, mechanics, adhesives, and polymer materials. 

About six months before graduation, his advisor offered him a post-doctoral research position. However, Nhat thinks that in aerospace engineering, there's always a large gap between research and application, and he wanted to pursue practical applications.

Just before obtaining the doctorate, Nhat applied for a job at several large aviation companies in France. Safran was the first company which interviewed Nhat and offered Nhat a job there, just before he finished studying for the PhD. And he began working as an aerospace mechanical engineer specializing in aircraft engines.

Even with the good job, Nhat believes that he still needs to continue studying, accumulate knowledge and explore various aspects of manufacturing engineering.

"The more I venture out, the more I realize how little I know. I wish to further my thinking and knowledge to contribute to the aerospace industry in Vietnam one day," Nhat said.

Thuy Nga