Let me tell you a story. It’s about six nonchalant high schoolers, some cardboard, some spoons, physics, and zero chill. They called themselves OnlyPhysics Saigon, and their mission was as ambitious as it was unorthodox: to show that physics is not only not boring, but it is actually quite the opposite – it is thrilling.
Spoiler alert: we pulled it off hahhaha
Where It All Began: A Physics Meet-Cute
The idea for OnlyPhysics didn’t spring from some TED Talk or epiphany under a banyan tree. It started at a physics meetup, where a roomful of students swapped stories about their school experiences. What struck me was this: students from public schools were acing theory but didn’t get the chance to roll up their sleeves and do physics.
As someone who had both textbook-filled days in public school and hands-on labs at AIS, this hit home. So I turned to my friend Minh Nhật and said, “What if we did something about it?” Cue months of brainstorming, team-building, and yes, sacrificing weekends.
Meet the OPG: Nerds With a Cause
What’s a dream without a squad? Minh Nhật and I roped in four other brave souls:
- Henry, our meticulous experiment tester who never let us settle for “meh.”
- John, my best friend for 10 straight years (damn I’m old). He’s the guy who could simplify quantum physics into memes (like seriously).
- Nan, the Chinese visionary with a knack for making thrift-store lenses look like cutting-edge tech.
- Tommy, our logistics wizard who could MacGyver anything out of Gorilla glue and paperclips.
- Nhat, the smartest guy I know, the 100 megatons of explosive knowledge and genius.
Together, we were the Temu Avengers, with no budget for CGI and more duct tape.
Building Dreams on a Budget
We weren’t funded by some big-shot grant. Nope. We raided our piggy banks, pooled savings, and scoured every hardware store and recycling bin we could find. Our tools?
- Lenses from a thrift shop.
- Sheets of paper made from old business cards.
- Cardboard that, in another life, held up someone’s garden fence.
The pièce de résistance? The Invisible Object Experiment, a crowd favorite (not really but i like it OKAY?). Using a carefully arranged series of convex and concave lenses, we created an optical illusion that made objects vanish into thin air. It’s the science of refraction, dressed up as magic. Even we were giddy when it worked.
The First Workshop: Chaos and Triumph
Fast-forward to Marie Curie High School, one of Saigon’s biggest public schools. On the big day, our nerves were shot, and our gear looked like it had survived an apocalypse (thanks, public transit). But when the students packed into the room, curiosity practically radiating off them, the adrenaline kicked in.
We kicked off with:
- The Saltwater Refraction Experiment – Turning salt and light into a mini magic show.
- Young’s Double-Slit Experiment – Because what’s cooler than proving light is both a particle and a wave?
- The Invisible Object Experiment – This one stole the show, and my heart to hehe. Students gasped, laughed, and demanded we explain it twice.
Best part? We didn’t just perform. We handed over the reins. The students got to tinker with the setups themselves. Watching their eyes light up as they unraveled the science was pure gold.
Me, Nhat and Tommy
Lessons Learned (a.k.a. Things That Went Hilariously Wrong)
Physics is all about trial and error—and boy, did we embrace the error part.
- During a test run, someone accidentally mistaken 5g as 50g 😔
- We had one too many “Eureka!” moments at 2 a.m., much to the horror of our families.
- Logistics taught us that carrying heavy glass in a backpack is both an art form and a safety hazard.
Every mishap became a story, every story became a lesson, and every lesson made our project stronger.
Why This Matters: Beyond the Numbers
Physics has a bad rep. People think it’s all dry equations and endless memorization. But what if it could be more? What if it could wow you?
For me, it started as a kid. My dad and I used to build paper volcanoes and grow salt crystals in mason jars. What started as playful experiments morphed into a full-blown obsession with science. I wanted other kids—especially those who didn’t have fancy labs or resources—to feel that spark. That’s what OnlyPhysics is all about.
We’re not just teaching physics. We’re smashing barriers between public and private school students, proving that curiosity trumps privilege.
What’s Next for OnlyPhysics?
The success at Marie Curie was just the beginning. We’re planning workshops at more schools across Saigon in early 2025. We’re also doubling down on social media to make our experiments accessible to anyone, anywhere. (Physics TikTok, here we come!)
Our vision? A city where every student sees physics not as a chore but as a gateway to understanding the world.
Final Thoughts: Physics, But Make It Fun
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Why didn’t my school have this?”—I feel you. That’s why we’re doing this. To show that physics isn’t some unattainable Mount Everest. It’s everyday magic baby, waiting to be discovered.
OnlyPhysics Saigon started as a small idea but grew into a movement. It’s proof that with a little creativity, a lot of passion, and a dash of chaos, you can make a difference—one disappearing object at a time.
So here’s to DIY physics, mismatched lenses, and the next generation of curious minds. Saigon, we’re just getting started.
FYI: subscribe to OnlyPhysics Saigon on Youtube GRRRRRR, we’re gonna do some English content soon!!!
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