Born and raised in Binh Duong (now part of Ho Chi Minh City after the merger), Do Pirlo – a student of Trinh Hoai Duc High School – has written an inspiring story. From a small district school, Pirlo worked hard to rise above, proving himself with an outstanding list of national and international achievements.
Throughout his three years in high school, Pirlo collected remarkable awards including: First Prize in the Southern C2 category and Consolation Prize at the national finals of the “Young Informatics” contest in 2023, Third Prize at the National Excellent Student Contest in Informatics in 2025, Bronze Medal at the ICPC Asia Regional Contest in 2024, and Second and Third Prize in the provincial Informatics contest in grades 11 and 12.
Few people know that Pirlo’s journey into Informatics started quite by chance. The turning point came in grade 10, when a friend at Hung Vuong Specialized High School asked him to solve a few computer science problems. “Luckily, I was able to help with some of them,” Pirlo recalled modestly. After that, he was encouraged to take part in excellent student competitions. “At first, I worried I couldn’t keep up with students from specialized schools. But thanks to encouragement from my family, teachers, and friends, I decided to challenge myself. Since then, I’ve been drawn to real-life problems that are complex but can be solved with programming languages like C++ and Python, along with fascinating algorithms,” Pirlo shared.
Although he started later than his peers, Pirlo quickly caught up with specialized school students and became deeply fascinated by the challenges and creativity of algorithms and programming languages.
With his impressive achievements both in Vietnam and abroad, Do Pirlo applied for the Global Talent Scholarship of FPT University and became one of 18 recipients of this prestigious award. The scholarship is granted to talented students who win First, Second, or Third Prize at the national excellent student contest and enroll in Information Technology programs. To earn this scholarship, candidates must submit essays, pass the application screening against hundreds of others, and be shortlisted among the Top 30 for final interviews with FPT directors.
Explaining his choice of Information Security at FPTU, Pirlo said the university stood out for its holistic education – physical, mental, and academic. He was also impressed by its modern facilities, dedicated lecturers, and dynamic learning environment with clear career orientation. “This will be the ideal place for me to develop my strengths,” he affirmed.
The scholarship not only covers 100% of tuition fees for the entire course and provides 30 million VND per year for living expenses but also opens the door for graduates to work in one of five countries: the US, Japan, South Korea, Germany, or Singapore.
Pirlo’s story is not only an inspiration to young people passionate about technology but also proof of FPT University’s efforts in supporting, nurturing, and empowering Vietnamese tech talents on their journey toward global integration.