International Student Became Best Russian University Graduate

Nguyen Tien Hoang from Vietnam received SPbPU award for outstanding academic achievement.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is an international university training some 8,000 foreign nationals. Every year, the University chooses the best graduate; Nguyen Tien Hoang from Vietnam won the honorific in 2020.

A graduate of the SPbPU Institute of Energy and Transport Systems, he majored in “Nuclear Power Plants: Design, Operation and Engineering.” Nguyen devoted much time to his studies and passed all the examinations with flying colours; his transcript only shows excellent grades. He selected a programme taught in Russian which he had learnt during his foundation year. “When I came to Russia, I didn’t know any Russian letter or phrase. Perhaps, it was the most difficult period for me,” he said. However, his diligence and perseverance helped him meet all challenges. 

Hoang hails from the small Vietnamese town of Pleiku; he dreamt of becoming a doctor when he was a child, but later on chose an engineering profession in the field of physics. SPbPU attracted him with a large number of students and teachers, a Vietnamese student community and university alumni who had become internationally recognised researchers. Also, Nguyen liked St Petersburg and its places of interests. He found the local climate more comfortable than the hot weather in his native country.

In Vietnam, the SPbPU graduate plans to work in his field of study and design electric power plants. Together with his fellow students, he took internship at a nuclear power plant. Nguyen believes that it was a very useful hands-on experience that could not be gained from textbooks.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is a top Russian engineering university offering prospective international students some 400 programmes both in Russian and English including about 20 double degree programmes. More information about the university.