HA NOI -VIET NAM 2018

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

www.apho2018.vn

Issue 5

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Ha Noi, May 09, 2018

“The love of Physics inspired by father” 32°C Rainy in the afternoon (70%)

Today’s Weather Prepare umbrellas Foreca.com

Schedule Students 7:30 Departure from Hotel 8:30 - 13:30 Theoretical Competition at HUST 14:00 - 15:00 Lunch at Hotel 15:00 - 17h00 Cultural Exchange at Hotel 17:00 - 21:00 Dinner with leaders at Hotel

Leaders 8:00 - 11:30 Bat Trang Ceramics Village 12:00 - 13:30 Luch at Hotel 13:30 - 17:00 Free time 17:00 - 21:00 Dinner with students at Lotus Restaurant, Kim Lien Hotel 22:00 Uploading of Leaders’ Score of Experimental Competition Distribution of Scripts of Theoretical Competition

One of the most special features of APhO 2018 is the participation of two siblings, Biziya Sarangerel and Sumiyajav Sarangerel, from Mongolia. They are also the only siblings who have joined APhO this year. Born in a family with the father being a Physics teacher, since their childhood, Biziya and Sumiyajav - have had passionate love with this subject. “My father is the one who has raised my inspiration and passion to

Physics. Also, I love physics because I want to explain the natural phenomena such as ones about the sun or rain. I find them very interesting” - says Biziya.

With the love of Physics, Biziya took part in the Asian Physics Olympiad two years ago; meanwhile, this competition is the first one for Sumiyajav.

His brother Sumiyajav talks passionately when their father is mentioned: “My father is really great, and I always look up to him. I am interested in listening to his explanation about Physics. Each time I face a difficult topic, he always suggests and motivates me to find the most accurate answer”.

“In preparation for APhO 2018, we have been studying a lot, especially doing experiments many times. We hope that with our knowledge, we will achieve the best results in this competition” - tells Biziya.

“We are ready to be your tourist guide!”

We are family

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By Vu Thom - Tuyet Linh - Dao Hien Image: Kim Chi

Prof. Luu Le Hang (Jane Luu) a simple scientist Page 6

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“We are ready to be your tourist guide This is the message from the Vietnamese students to the participants of the APhO 2018. During this year’s competition, contestants can also discover the country, people as well as Vietnamese culture through the visits to the Bat Trang ceramics village, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex and Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology. This is an occasion for the Vietnamese team to show their hospitability.

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”

Mui Ne Flying Sand Dunes. Source: Internet

Fascinating Mui Ne Flying Sand Dunes Nguyen Ngoc Long

“Firstly, I am always happy, willing to help them, show them all my knowledge of destinations, Vietnamese cultural specificities. My team also prepared some gifts with specific characteristics of the contest in particular, and of Viet Nam in general for international students ”

Tran Duc Huy

Le Ky Nam

“Please pardon my English, and now I would like to introduce to you some outstanding features of the Vietnamese cuisine, culture, and people ”

“I am always ready to become a bridge to help them to have better understanding of our culture, people, and the beauty of the country. Together with the Organising Committee, I would like to leave them with a good impression about a beautiful, friendly and hospitable Viet Nam, and an unforgettable contest in their student life. “

Yesterday in pictures

In the Mui Ne Tourism Area in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province (South-Central Coastal Area) visitors must visit the Mui Ne flying sand dunes for its continuously changing shape and color, creating a unique and attractive scenery. The sand dunes cover an area of over 50 hectares, stretching from Binh Thuan to Ninh Thuan. The most beautiful and attractive area is located on the way to Mui Ne, about 20km north-east of Phan Thiet city. These unique sand hills in Viet Nam were formed on an ancient iron mine existing for hundreds of years. The Africandesert-like golden sand dunes swiftly change to various shapes. Setting foot on the sand dunes, tourists could see the changes in shape and color hourly from pink, gray to red, dark red, yellow and more. Then there is a sudden appearance of valleys, hilltops and

many shapes such as an animal lying prostrate, a naked girl lying face down, bluffs...; and then, just like a miracle, the sand dunes melt into gorgeous sand streams. The local residents called these changing streams of sand Tien (Fairy) stream, Au Co stream and Lac Long Quan stream (legendary Mother and Father of Viet Nam)... as a tribute to the ancestors who had accreted and preserved the beauty of the country for the children today. The changes in color, sunshine and wind have made the sand dunes more and more attractive to tourists and become an endless inspiration for photographers and sand-painters to create beautiful artworks. According to the locals, dawn or sunset is the changing time of the sand dunes, creating the most vibrant colors. From the sand dunes, tourists could view the

whole beauty of Mui Ne, which is surrounded by the blue sea, the yellow color of sand, intermingled with the pink of sand hills and the green line of coconut trees, altogether forming a painting of a sweet and ardent Vietnamese countryside. Coming to Mui Ne flying sand dunes, visitors should try the interesting sliding game. Visitors can freely go to any hills to enjoy the thrills of sliding from the top of the hill. In addition, visitors can also participate in sports such as hilltop-conquering and motor racing to experience the unique changes of the sand dunes. When night falls, in a pure and windy atmosphere unlike the desert, tourists can take part in community tourism activities, outdoor activities or camping to enjoy sounds of waves and sea at night.

“This is the second time I have participated in the Asian Physics Olympiad . Meeting with international friends who have the same passion for Physics is a very lucky and wonderful thing. Currently, I still keep in touch with you on the APhO 2017 exam. Hopefully, this year, I will see you again and make new friends. After this exam, I am ready to use all possible means of communication to keep in touch with you who share love with Physics. I hope you too!“ -- Nguyen Van Thanh Loi, Student from Viet Nam--

More picture can be seen at fb.com/APhO2018

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Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

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Reunion day of Viet Nam - Malaysia Teams

APhO 2018 has gone through its first half, and the contestants have finished their first exam and had unforgettable experiences with the sports activities and the visit to Ha Noi Old Quarter and Bat Trang Ceramics Village. This was an opportunity for international students to discover Vietnamese people and culture and also to make new friends. Through these activities, through love and passion for physics, the contestants have been united despite differences in culture. It was the moment for friendship, sharing, attachment and happy smiles to emerge from the simplest things, as APhO is a family.

UAE

India My name is Dhingra Rajdeep Singh from India, and I live in New Delhi, the capital of India. I love Pphysics, computer science, reading books and playing soccer. My dream is to become a software engineer. Participating in the APhO 2018, I want to cultivate my experiences to prepare for the coming IPhO.

Indonesia I am Stevan Kandyant Swadiryus from Indonesia. I love reading books about Physics, playing games and using Instagram. I am also interested in sports, especially Muay Thai because it teaches me to be humble. In this competition, I want to achieve the best results and , make new friends. But the weather in Hanoi over the past days is too hot., I have slept quite much, so I have not met with many other friends.

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PEOPLE and

COUNTRY

I come from the UAE, but I was born in India. I have moved to the UAE and now I am studying here. I like reading books, playing cricket and I am a Physics enthusiast. The weather in Vietnam is hot and humid. In my country, it is even hotter but not as humid as it is here. Vietnamese food is good, but we can’t eat much. I only eat chicken. It is a little bit too hot for me to eat.

Turkey I am Alkin Kaz from Turkey. I’m 18 years old. In my free time, I often play the piano. I have been playing the piano for 10 years, and this is a long time. Whenever I feel stressed, or I have a hard time, I just sit in front of the piano and play as I want. And thanks to the piano, I got through troubles. In the future, I hope to continue my career as an electronics engineer.

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Prof. Luu Le Hang

Rolled Pho

(Jane Luu) a simple scientist

Despite being the owner of Shaw and Kavli Prize - two of the most prestigious awards in astronomy, Vietnamese American astronomer Luu Le Hang who was named to an asteroid in the solar system and co-discovery of the Kuiper Belt, always keeps her simple and sincere style. Luu was born in 1963, grew up and attended primary school in Ho Chi Minh City. In 1975, she immigrated to the United States and completed her education at prestigious universities. In 1984, she received a bachelor degree in physics from the University of Stanford, a master’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate degree in celestial physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990. With her intelligent nature, innate energy and passion for research, Luu Le Hang “owns” a vast knowledge of the ancients about the unlimited sky. Especially, she pioneered the great and the most modern inventions, extending the human vision of vast and endless horizons. It was these creative achievements that brought Luu Le Hang prestigious prizes, and put her on the prestigious ladder. In the teaching career, she was a

Unignorable dish

in Ha Noi

By Thom Vu, Quynh Trang Image: Kim Chi

professor at Harvard University, USA (1994 - 1998) and University of Leiden, Netherlands (1998 - 2001). In the scientific career, she was a senior research fellow at Harvard University, Institute of Space Studies at the University of Hawaii, and MIT Research Centers. Being at the brightness of her glory, Luu does not change the conception of life. When she finds herself disturbed by the outside world, she is willing to give up money and fame. Despite being married to a Dutch astronomer and having a good job as a professor at Leiden University, which has the oldest astronomy department in Europe, she decided to return to work in the study room of MIT to her colleagues’ surprise. In particular, Luu is a nice, straightforward and simple person. She does not pay too much attention to appearance. Therefore, whether

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

participating in important events or meeting heads of states, the famous astronomer still choose the most comfortable outfit but not the most gorgeous. It is commented that the outfits of the distinguished researcher are not different from those of normal tourists. However, this never bothers her. Probably, seeking solutions to scientific theories is still her greatest passion. “If we are curious about something, and yet we have not found a satisfactory answer, let us conduct some observations or experiments ourselves and no need to care about what other people think,” said the astrophysicist. “Stay persistent, because the solution is often difficult to find; otherwise someone else has found it. And finally, you have to keep your eyes bright, keep your mind always open, because you never know what you can see tomorrow.”

QUOTATIONS If the universe is movement, it will not be in one direction only. We think of our lives as linear but it is the spin of the earth that allows us to observe time. Walk with me. ***** Jeanette Winterson

When mentioning Ha Noi, people often think of Pho - the famous dish that every table companion coming to this place wants to enjoy. The people here have come up with another version of Pho, called Rolled Pho – a fresh and delicious dish.

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If Pho with beef has become familiar to everyone, then Rolled Pho has left an unforgettable mark in the heart of Ha Noi’s cuisine lovers. Unlike the Pho with bone broth soup, pho roll attracts customers for its freshness and for the bold flavor of the skillfully-prepared spicy sour sauce. When it comes to Rolled Pho, people often think of Ngu Xa village, located on the Truc Bach lakeside, where the special dish originated from. The ingredients of this dish are rice noodles, minced or sliced beef sautéed with ginger and garlic for aroma, along with a few additional vegetables such as lettuce,

coriander, basil... The sheet of rice noodles must be white, smooth, thin and have the nice scent of rice, but they have to be tough enough to avoid being torn when rolling. After that, simply take the rice noodle sheet and fill it with ingredients such as lettuce, sauteed beef which is marinated with garlic and spices, together with some other ingredients and then roll it. Dip the roll in the sauce. The sweet and sour taste in addition with pickled vegetables will enhance unique the flavor of the dish. Instead of beef, people also roll it with shrimp or other ingredients to change the variety of tastes.

Bonding Through Family Meals Westerners normally do not take family meals seriously, but Orientals have the habit of having meals with the whole family. Meals are not just the time for people to enjoy good food, they also resemble the association of the members, form the tradition of the family. Family meals are like “glue” that binds the members, and at the same time, people learn how to behave, share, listen, care and love each other. Family meals are not just daily meals, but they are also the chances for family gathering after a hard-working day. They are the gift for family members, not only to meet the need of energy of the body but also contains many spiritual, psychological and emotional values. During the meals, members can share joys, sorrows or simply what they do in the day time. In today’s hectic pace of life, time spending for family is less, so the family meals will be the preciously rare moments - the time for love, care and share.

Source: Internet

In addition, meals are also the chances for the women to show their ingenuity and devotion to the family, cooking delicious food to bring joy and health to their beloved ones. Although family meals do not have many sophisticated, expensive dishes as in luxury restaurants, they will always bring up warm and, happy feelings. That is the love of the cook to the family members. They always take the taste of each person into consideration to cook the right food for the whole family. It is the expression of caring for

family members. Therefore, family meals are the glue that attaches members and helps keeping happiness. Family meals also help growing people’s love for each other. Human love usually originates from loving your parents, brothers and sisters. Therefore, children education has to first come from within each family. The custom of joining in family meals will help people gain a sense of belonging to a family, thereby developing solidarity, altruism and building up the responsibility of “one for all”.

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General Manager: Assoc.Prof. Huynh Quyet Thang - Head of APhO 2018’s Communication and Culture Subcommittee Editor in chief: Assoc.Prof. Le Hieu Hoc Secretary: Cam Le Journalist: Sang Nguyen, Vu Thom, Hoang Anh Photos: CCPR and Internet Designed by: Tuan Nguyen Proofreading: Dr. Nguyen Viet Khoa

Hanoi University of Science and Technology Center of Communication and Public Relations 924 Ta Quang Buu Building, HUST Tel: 024 36231732 Email: [email protected]

Kinh Thanh Hue. Source: Internet