Young IT talent Nguyen Duong Kim Hao
Nguyen Duong Kim Hao. Photo: Q.L
Born in Tien Giang province, Hao, whose parents are both teachers, has been interested in informatics books since he learned to read. He often asked his father, a physics teacher, about how electrical circuits work and helped him repair electric devices in the house. When Hao was nine years old, he studied by himself from the Internet and created a software to help his father mark his students’ tests more easily and quickly. Hao also created a smart remote control program that can be installed on both computers and mobile phones. Hao told VOV: "Watching my relatives and people around me having difficulties dealing with their daily chores or work, I want to find ways to help them. If I have any idea, I’ll start my research right away to create useful products to make life more comfortable for everyone."
In 2011, Hao registered for the national young IT talent contest and won third prize. Hao’s parents moved to Ho Chi Minh City to give him more conditions to develop his talent. Hao won first prize at the national young IT talent contest in 2012. Many of his products are highly applicable and much sought after by businesses. One of them is a DIY laser printer called Laser Bot that engraves images on wood or paper through a smart phone or computer. It won Hao a special prize at the Young Makers Challenge Competition 2014. Hao is doing his research on creating a system to supervise household devices’ energy consumption. Hao said: "It’s passion that motivates me to overcome difficulties in experimenting with electronic devices. I’ve also learned many new things during my experimental process. Creating new products can help other people and at the same time enrich my knowledge."
Hao has won more than 20 prestigious IT prizes at home and abroad and is often referred to as an IT prodigy. Teacher Nguyen Duc Anh Khoa, deputy head of Nguyen Gia Thieu Secondary School, talked about Hao: "Whenever Hao invented a new product or won an IT prize, we organized talks with students in school where Hao could introduce his products to them. We hope that such talks will encourage other students to develop their creativity and passion for research. We are planning to establish a school science club and hope Hao will support the club although he may have already graduated at that time."
Hao was one of 7 outstanding young citizens of Ho Chi Minh City and one of 10 outstanding young Vietnamese of 2013. Hao’s dream is to become an international computer programmer.