Creating a future in the age of big data in the country that I admire

――What kind of research are you doing?

I am doing research on how to make big data-processing more efficient using parallel computing.

Technology for the “Internet of Things” (IoT) has spread and we can get various data in large amounts today. In order to take advantage of this, an efficient processing of big data is essential. Big data holds an important key in machine learning which forms the core of artificial intelligence (AI).

The challenge is how to minimize the cost for parallel programming. Even if we split one task among several workers, it would end up taking more time than necessary unless we do the splitting effectively. I plan to go to graduate school and continue my research to try to find an effective use of parallel computing resources.

――What made you decide to study at the University of Tokyo?

Since I was in elementary school, I have always loved Japan. Things made by Japanese companies like Honda, Sony and Toshiba are very popular in Vietnam. I studied Japanese language and culture when I was at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology as I had a dream to study in Japan someday. Then, I found out about the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship Program. The scholarship covered one year of Japanese language education and four years of undergraduate study. Under the scholarship, students were also exempt from paying any tuition fees as well as the cost of airline tickets and living expenses. I left the Hanoi University of Science and Technology and applied for the scholarship.

――Tell us what you think of the University of Tokyo’s School of Science.

I heard from people who had studied here that the University of Tokyo is wonderful. They were exactly right. The professors’ levels of knowledge are extraordinary and classes are sophisticated. The students in my class are brilliant and it is stimulating to study with them. I am now serving as the president of the University’s Vietnamese Student Association and get together with other Vietnamese students who had been here before me and those who came after me. I am fully enjoying my student life in Japan.

Interview and text: Masatsugu Kayahara
Photography: Junichi Kaizuka

Originally published in The School of Science Brochure 2018

Sang Van Tran

Senior, Department of Information Science, Faculty of Science Nakata Lab

Born in Vietnam. Enrolled in the Faculty of Information Technology of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2010. Withdrew from the university in 2013 and came to Japan as the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarships student. After studying at the Japanese Language Center for International Students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, entered the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo in 2014. Has been studying at the Faculty of Science since 2016. Will advance to the master’s program in the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology in April, 2018.