The spotpight couple at Hanoi – Amsterdam these days have shared their heart about the competition, student's love and about themselves

A few sidelights on the “spotlight couple”:

She is Tran Hai An, the monitor of 12A1. She likes travelling, making handmade craft and wandering in the old streets. She won the International Trade Challenge Vietnam as well as working for Ams’ Radio and has been an MC for countless shows.

He is Trinh Thanh Trung, 12A1. He likes sports, listening to music and exploring things. He is now the editor in chief of E-times and a member of the UNESCO Centre of Cinema Development of Vietnam.

Together they won Mr. and Miss Ams 2012 in the Ngay Hoi Anh Tai (NHAT) the finale a few days ago.

Winning Mr. and Miss is not a dream.

Interviewer (Intv):Hello Hai An and Thanh Trung. Congratulations to both of you on winning the title of Mr. and Miss Ams on 29/9/2012. This is a dream to many people, so what is it to you?

Hai An & Thanh Trung (M&M): Hello. To us this is not a dream. We decided to go in for the competition quite unexpectedly. At first we didn't intend to register, and the other contestants were so talented, so we never thought we would make it this far let alone become the new Mr. and Miss Ams.

Intv: Well right now it’s definitely not a dream any more, isn't it? Winning Mr. and Miss Ams means that your teachers and friends will expect a lot from both of you. So what are you planning to do next?

M&M: Of course we’ll continue our study and participate in more extracurricular activities to perfect ourselves. We’ll spread the fire, spread the Amsterdam’ spirit to people around us, because we believe that each and every one of us has our own distinct and special feature, and everyone deserves to be Mr. and Miss and representatives of Ams.

Intv: One of the judges said that you two as a couple made a strong impression because your clip was “short but very intelligent”. How did you come up with the idea?

M&M: Initially we only wanted a subtle clip about our differences and similarities and the little things that might be forgotten in our busy student life. So that was how we came up with the idea of using split-screen to demonstrate the similarities. During that time, I was taking my TOEFL exam and I had to go to Hong Kong for an international competition so we only had two days to shoot the video and finish the script at the same time. But thanks to the help of Ngoc Anh (A2 09-12) and Phi Anh (A1 10-13), we were really satisfied with the clip.

The clip that helped Hai An and Thanh Trung score with the judges

Love should just be pure and subtle

Intv: Nowadays, many people are concerned about student love. What do you think about this?

M&M: At this age sometimes you might feel something a little more than friendship. If those emotions are pure and subtle and the two of you help each other with your study and your daily life, it should definitely be encouraged. But of course, if that love distracts you from your study, there must be changes. I mean we are still students so let’s just keep our love pure and gentle.

Intv: So could you define that “something” between you two?

M&M: We are close friends, we understand each other and we help each other in life.

That’s the most romantic thing that he did.

Intv: Let’s talk about you two. Describe your partner in three words?

Hai An: Trung is smart, caring, and he’s a great listener.

Thanh Trung: An is zealous, curious and very active.

Intv: You seem to really understand each other. Are there any hobbies that you two share?

M&M: It’s hanging out in the old streets, because we are really into exploring the ancient Hanoi of many years before. We also love the gentle cold of the autumn of Hanoi.

Intv: You seem to be very romantic, too. Why don't you share something romantic that you think your partner did?

Hai An: He put a bunch of flowers together and gave it to me on the stage of the second elimination round of NHAT. That I think was the most romantic thing to do. But I don’t think I’ve ever done anything romantic for him.

Fly like a bumblebee

Intv: If you had the opportunity to change something about Ams, what would you change?

M&M: We want to build a larger library with more books to make it a big classroom. Besides, we also want to grow more trees so that in a few years’ time, after we graduate, we’ll come back to the old shady home.

Intv: What have you learnt from NHAT ’12?

Hai An: I got to meet new friends and try things I’ve never done before like dancing or walking on the runway. I found them very interesting.

Thanh Trung: As for me, I have become more confident. I’m not afraid of the stage light or speaking in front of a crowd any more.

Intv: Do you want to say anything to those who dream of becoming shining stars?

M&M: It’s very simple: fly like a bumblebee, as they said: “Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway”. Just flap your wings and go for your dreams.

Intv: And just a fun question, if someone told you that he’s not satisfied with the new Miss’s height, what would you be thinking?

Hai An: Then perhaps he would be happy with my height from my head to the sky. (laugh out loud)

Beautiful pictures of Hai An and Thanh Trung in NHAT ’12:

Interviewer: Nguyen Sieu (A1 1013)

Translator: Hoang Thanh Thao (A1 1114)