(VTC News) – Dr. Nguyen Duy’s success story abroad is inspiring the younger generation and contributing to promoting cooperation between Vietnam and Australia.
Let’s talk with Dr. Nguyen Duy Duy, a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), about his journey from receiving an Australian scholarship to becoming an expert in water security, which inspires many young people who want to continue their studies abroad and develop their careers through new ideas and useful advice.
– Having the opportunity to travel around the world and meet many scientists, after graduating from high school, how did your journey go?
My journey to Australia is not a plain-sailing one. I had a dream of studying abroad during my high school years. My passion for physics, rivers, lakes, seas and natural phenomena led me to Hanoi University of Water Resource Management. I then received a full government scholarship to study Hydraulic Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, in Russia.
Like many generations of Vietnamese students who went to Russia at that time, we tried our best to study and get into the list of top students. I was no exception, graduating with a near-perfect overall score, receiving a distinction degree, and being honoured as one of the best students of the whole cohort.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy and colleagues at Science at the Shine Dome, Australian Academy of Science.
However, unlike many generations of Vietnamese students, I did not choose to continue my higher education in Russia even though it would have been an easier choice. I knew about the United States since the early days of my third year of university. For me, the United States is the place to realise many of my ambitions, about conquering knowledge, working with many talented people, and making the American dream come true.
It was also the motivation for me to go from not knowing English to achieving IETLS score of 8.5 after a year and a half, partly by cooking for a dorm mate from Nigerian in exchange for English lessons.
Building on background, along with high academic results in my university years, I successfully won the VEF scholarship (a scholarship that covers living expenses for two years of study in the US). This scholarship set the foundation for me to negotiate with many professors at major universities in the US. That year, after I completed my undergraduate program at the Russian university, I applied to 11 American universities (all in the Top 20 in the US) and I received full scholarships from eight of them.
I chose Notre Dame University to pursue my dream in the US because the University awarded me its highest scholarship (Presidential Scholarship). During my two years in the US, I also threw myself into study and work. As expected, the US opened up many new perspectives in my field. Thanks to that, I understood more clearly my strengths and weaknesses and knew which path I should follow.
Perhaps that is why, after two years in the US, I sought an opportunity to work in a field that is more in line with my strengths and orientation. I met Michael (Professor at the University of Sydney), he agreed to accept me as his PhD student on a topic which is very familiar to Vietnam – simulation of turbulent flow in drought conditions.
This agreement brought me to Australia, through the RTP scholarship of the University of Sydney.
RTP is my most meaningful scholarship. The scholarship opened up the opportunity for me to approach the research topic that I am still pursuing up until now. After many countries (Vietnam, Russia, Germany, and the US), the scholarship led me to Australia.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy receives CSIRO Recognition Reward.
Lesson for students: Society is developing so fast with many issues related to AI, biotechnology, quantum, climate change, geopolitics, etc. It is easy for young people to lose their way. If you are still studying or even have already graduated, and you are yet certain about your career path, do not feel discouraged. Maybe the right door for you is still yet to open.
Go ahead and look at four criteria: Do I like that path? Does it bring economic benefits to me? Am I good at it? And finally, if I continue, can I create good impact on society?
If you say “yes” to all four questions, keep moving. I myself have lived in five countries and gone through many turning points to get to where I am today. I do not know where I will be tomorrow either, but I am confident to say that I always have four “yeses” to the questions above in every step I take.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy and young Australian scientists visit Max Planck Institutes in Germany.
– How has your study in Australia helped your daily work so far?
The expertise I gained during my PhD time at the University of Sydney informs my current projects. My expertise is in fluid hydraulics, and I am currently applying hydraulic models and other biochemical models, along with AI/ML to address water security issues in Australia, Vietnam, and other countries around the world.
In addition to research, I also delivered lectures in many classes. Thanks to that, I improved my skills such as presentation, explanation, or interpreting complex knowledge into easy-to-understand language, etc. These are all crucial skills that I directly apply in my work.
I also actively searched for additional scholarships. Besides the full RTP scholarship, I also learned how to write a profile for a top-up scholarship, as well as applying for some grants for my research. Those small experiences also helped me write good proposals for major research funds.
Not only acquiring knowledge, but I also actively participated in social activities when I was a graduate student. I used to be a representative for the entire graduate students of the university to take part in the University Council.
In that role, I built many useful skills through meaningful activities. For example, my colleagues and I wrote a petition to the Australian Department of Education on a mechanism to support students doing research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our petition was approved, as well as applied to most universities in Australia at that time.
Having leadership and teamwork skills and participating in social activities also contribute to the success in my current job.
More notably, my achievements in research and teaching and my dedication during the PhD journey helped me to be selected as one of 10 young Physics scientists in Australia that had the honour to participate in the global knowledge festival in Lindau, meeting and talking with nearly 40 Nobel laureates. The trip not only opened up opportunities for collaboration, but also sparked endless inspiration about science, and motivated me a lot in my current research work.
Lesson for students: University is a miniature society, where if you can try to get out of your “comfort zone” and enrich your knowledge and skills, it will definitely be beneficial for you later.
To do that, you need to know two things. Firstly, there are many tools in school that are helpful in your study and work. Many students, after four years of studying, still do not know about the university job application guidance office and struggle to find external services for this matter. If you take the time to search for information, your school’s services are just enough for you. Secondly, you must know how to prioritise what you want to develop. First things first, it is probably professional knowledge, then other skills. Only you understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy and colleagues introduce AquaWatch technology to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
– How does winning the 2025 Australian Alumni Awards inspire you in your future work?
In 2025 alone, I won three major awards, two professional awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and CSIRO, and one ward for my contributions, the 2025 Australian Alumni Awards. Every year, I have something for myself.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not bragging. I just want to say that winning awards for me is like a shooting star flashing in the sky. Similarly, when standing on the stage to receive an award, I can steal the whole spotlight. But that moment will pass by very quickly. If I stop trying, then people will soon forget that I have won an award.
That’s why I set a goal that every few years, after I try to make contributions and accumulate knowledge in an adequate manner, I will use those results as benchmark to challenge myself in some award or competition, and hope that I will shine again.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy receives the Australian Alumni Award 2025.
Winning the Australian Alumni Awards has a direct impact on my life and work. Many of my projects are currently being carried out both in Australia and Vietnam, especially in the fields of innovation and digital transformation. An example is the project on applying AI in the water quality monitoring system in Vietnam’s aquaculture. Therefore, when my expertise and dedication were recognised, in addition to happiness, I felt that I needed to try harder to meet the expectations of those who believed in me and selected me for the Awards.
That’s why I am motivated to do better with my current projects and many other projects in the future, which will contribute more to both Australia and Vietnam.
Lesson for students: Don’t be shy. If you are good, just show it out for others to see, hear, and be inspired. Apply for a scholarship, compete in a contest or enter an award. Not only will the application and submission process help you learn interesting things, but if you win, it will be a memorable experience, not just for you.
Each award you win is also a motivation for many others. However, do not rest on your laurels and be complacent. If you do, others will surpass you and you will fall into oblivion in this ever-changing society.
Dr Nguyen Duy Duy receives the Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize
– In your opinion, as Australian alumni, what will you contribute to promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries?
I am sure that all alumni are contributing something, whether small or big. So am I, in my own way.
Professionally, I am still actively developing major projects between ministries, departments, and universities in both countries. As a scientist in CSIRO, I have a unique opportunity for my projects to create a greater impact and be applied more widely than university research.
Hence, the projects on water security that I am cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Science & Technology and universities all have the potential to be applied in provinces, cities, and other localities nationwide.
My recent projects in Vietnam, such as water quality monitoring in aquaculture or building a co-pilot AI application for agricultural farming, are gradually yielding the first results. I hope that in the near future, those technologies will be widely applied nationwide.
I also actively facilitate the cooperation between organisations of the two countries, most recently between Thuy Loi University, VinUni, or Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and CSIRO. In the future, I hope that more organisations in the two countries will exchange and cooperate with each other in potential projects.
Lesson for students: Every action you take, first of all, is probably to improve yourself, then to create impacts on the people around you, a larger organisation, and finally society.
Studying well, achieving outstanding results, and making the learning spirit of Vietnamese people in Australia widely recognised, is perhaps the best thing a student can do to contribute to the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” between the two countries.
– Thank you very much!
