Nam Le

Name: Nam Le
Country: Vietnam
Course: Bachelor of Pharmacy

New Monash University pharmacy student Le Vu Ky Nam shares his name with one of the most distinguished of Vietnamese Australians, the writer Nam Le, author of the international best-seller debut short story collection, The Boat.

And the chances are the younger Nam Le, 19, will be just as successful in his own field -- chemistry.

Already, Nam has proved an excellent student at Le Quy Don High School for Gifted Students in Da Nang City in mid-Vietnam, winning many awards for outstanding academic performance in chemistry, including a high distinction at the Australian National Chemistry Quiz.

He comes to Monash’s four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy at the Parkville campus with a scholarship from his home city’s local government.

Late last year, Nam undertook the 10-week English for Academic Purpose course at Monash University English Language Centre and achieved the Monash English entry requirements. Monash University English Language Centre is located at the Clayton, Caulfield and City campuses, and small class sizes ensure a high level of attention and support. Past performance indicates that international students who undertake Monash University English Language courses perform better in their university units.

Both of Nam’s parents were teachers at his Da Nang school -- his mother in literature, his father in physics -- both retired two years ago.

His interest in chemistry developed early in his secondary school years after Nam delved into textbooks left about by an older brother studying chemistry at a Vietnamese university. Nam himself went to university in Ho Chi Minh City for a few months in 2008 before winning the scholarship and setting a new direction to Monash, which is Australia’s largest and most internationalised university and one of the prestigious Group of Eight.

“I decided to choose Monash because my principal teacher at my high school advised me to do so. He said it had an excellent quality of teaching in pharmacy.

“Many people said to me that if I achieved a good result in a pharmacy course in Australia, especially at Monash, then I could go around the world and find a good job. Monash is very famous for its pharmacy course.”

Nam was right about that. Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is a world-class research establishment and a leading education provider at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Several of his classmates are also at Monash studying business and IT, also on scholarships, and as it turned out, he is pleased to be joining his former form teacher, Hai Le, who has recently come to Monash to study for a doctorate in chemistry.

Nam, too, may aim to do postgraduate study.

“Many students in Vietnam go to Monash -- I believe there are about 400 students from Vietnam at Monash,” he said.

“Melbourne is a very beautiful city but it is quiet (compared to) my city in Vietnam.”

Nam plans eventually to return to work in Vietnam, but ideally, he hopes, Monash will one day start a ampus in Vietnam where he would aim to join the staff.