Fulbright student who failed medical school and turned to architectural conservation

Nguyen Hoang Yen won a Fulbright master's scholarship to pursue architectural conservation in the US after an unexpected journey from medicine to architecture.

Hoang Yen is one of the candidates who won the Fulbright master's scholarship this year - Photo: NVCC

As long as you dare to do it, at least if you apply for a scholarship, you still have a 50% chance of passing. But if you are too nervous and do not apply, your chance will be 0. So just believe in yourself and apply for the scholarships you are aiming for.

Among the list of young people who won Fulbright master's scholarships this year, Nguyen Hoang Yen chose an unusual path, studying architectural conservation at the University of Pennsylvania - a prestigious Ivy League school in the US.

The turning point of choosing the wrong major

* Let's start the story from the day you "failed medical school", a choice that sounds completely opposite to your current major?

- The day I failed the medical school entrance exam at first seemed like the end of the world. But now looking back, I feel lucky that I didn't study medicine because I personally didn't think it was the right field for me. At that time, medicine wasn't a personal choice, but rather a choice from my family, with the thought that being a doctor would definitely not make me poor.

That year, I passed the civil engineering major (block A) at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture. After one semester, I felt that the major was not suitable for me. I decided to retake the exam to switch from construction to architecture. At school, I was able to observe and participate in common courses with students majoring in architecture and planning, and I really enjoyed it.

I hesitated many times because retaking the exam would cost both money and time. But then I thought that if I invested in studying a major, it must be my passion and it will be the major that I will study for the rest of my life.

* And then when you were accepted for the Fulbright scholarship, how did you tell your story?

- In the essay, failing the medical major is a detail that shows my confusion in the process of orienting my future career. It shows the lack of experience as well as support from career guidance consultants for students in high school. Therefore, I think not only me but also other students need to be brave enough to try different majors until they can find the most suitable major.

Besides, studying construction was a temporary decision for me at that time, because I accidentally passed. I tried studying but felt it was not suitable, but then I was lucky to approach and find the landscape architecture industry.

Switching to a new field of study, I found myself passionate about analyzing large-scale data; interested in various aspects of urban areas such as economy, society and people. From there, I was able to delve deeper into a small niche in the field, which is conservation.

Hoang Yen (left cover) during her time studying at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture - Photo: NVCC

To let historical works live in the "new era"

* You graduated with a project on preserving the ancient brick kiln area of Mang Thit ( Vinh Long ). What about Mang Thit touched you so deeply?

- After reading an article titled "Proposal to demolish more than 2,000 brick mouths in Mang Thit brick village" in a newspaper, I tried to learn more about this area and realized the potential for tourism development here.

With the rich culture and art of the brick village, in addition to the lost production values, I want to preserve the village through a proposal to design a functional conversion for the village. It is a pity to imagine losing such a heritage complex from the map of Vietnam. That is the reason I came to Mang Thit.

In my opinion, architectural conservation is a very broad term that includes many specific levels of conservation such as: preserving the original state, restoring, renovating... Depending on the assessment scale of historical value, the architect and the archaeologists will make recommendations on whether to preserve or renovate the building.

For me personally, conservation is not just about restoration like the conservation work at Notre Dame Cathedral (HCMC). Architectural conservation should be a work that breathes new life into old buildings, giving them a new function so that they can survive with the development of the city.

And it is not just about putting it in a museum to preserve history. But helping it to have a new function where this function is put into use in the life of the new era would be great. The High Line project in New York City is a specific example of the transformation of the face of New York City from the industrial revolution to the present.

* Is there anything in the field of architectural conservation that you "embrace with such interest" that you want to learn more deeply and broadly?

- I think that a conservation approach requires architects to have in-depth knowledge of cultural history at a technical level, because coming up with design ideas on an ancient building is much more difficult than building a new one.

In addition, building works in the direction of renovation and conservation helps to reduce construction waste, one of the serious causes of environmental pollution. Besides, the value of an ancient building also lies in the hearts of the people in the surrounding area. Losing a large building by demolition seems to be a great loss of memory in the hearts of the people.

At the University of Pennsylvania, the program allows you to choose between four approaches: Architectural Conservation, Conservation Design, Conservation Planning, and Built Environment. Each approach has different perspectives from policy makers to conservation designers and future conservation urban managers.

I will also experience a variety of different conservation positions and works and new technologies in conservation... In addition, the author of the famous work The High Line, Mr. James Corner, is also a lecturer at the school, so I really want to meet him directly at the school to learn more.

I hope that after studying, I can equip myself with good knowledge and skills to approach ancient buildings in the US with the orientation of renovation and regeneration. Through that, I can more or less help the urban appearance to be both modern and not lose its ancient features.

"Hot" is only temporary

* After all, your major is not in the "hot" group, easy to get a job. Have you ever felt worried about the future or doubted about the path you have chosen?

- I study this major simply because of my passion for conservation-oriented research, not based on "hot" majors.

The word "hot" is only temporary and is based only on data from many students applying to the industry. This index does not accurately reflect whether you will have a job after graduation or not, nor does it reflect whether the individual student is suitable for the industry or not.

I think sometimes you can be blinded by the glamour of the industry in your decision to choose a major. However, you need to spend a lot of time to decide whether you really like the industry or whether it is because of the persuasion of a close friend or just because your parents say that there is an aunt or uncle in the industry who can help you get a job.

And the most important thing is whether you like it enough and have enough passion to make you steady in this industry from the time you go to school until you start working.

HOANG THI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-sinh-fulbright-tung-rot-truong-y-va-cu-re-sang-bao-ton-kien-truc-20250804103555654.htm