At the conference held at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Cho Quan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, stated that, as of now, more than 130,000 12th-grade students across the city have registered for the 2026 high school graduation examination.
This year, the 10th-grade entrance exam for public high schools, scheduled for June 1–2, and the high school graduation examination set for June 11–12 will take place in close succession. With a large number of candidates, the organization of these examinations is facing considerable pressure, particularly in terms of preparing facilities and mobilizing sufficient personnel for invigilation and marking.
The mobilization of administrators and teachers at the secondary level is currently facing difficulties, as ward- and commune-level authorities have yet to exercise strict oversight of their subordinate units. This has resulted in increased workload pressure on administrators at high schools and vocational training and continuing education centers, the Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training noted.
To ensure the requirements for organizing the examinations, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has issued stringent directives on personnel management. Specifically, officials and teachers subject to mobilization are not permitted to travel abroad or return to their hometowns throughout the period of exam invigilation and marking.
School leaders have also been instructed not to approve personal leave requests during this time to prevent any disruption to the organizational process.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Ho Chi Minh City has set the highest priority of ensuring that the examinations are conducted in a serious, safe, and compliant manner. Schools are required to proactively coordinate with the municipal Department of Education and Training in planning, supporting personnel mobilization, and preparing the best possible conditions for the examinations.
Regarding the registration process for the high school graduation examination, the department’s leadership emphasized that schools must thoroughly disseminate information to homeroom teachers and parents on procedures and timelines, ensuring that no cases of late registration or arbitrary interpretation of regulations occur.
It is expected that by mid-April 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training will officially announce the list of examination venues for the high school graduation examination.
The high school graduation examination will take place on June 11 and 12. Candidates are required to sit for four subjects, including two compulsory ones, Mathematics and Literature. For the two elective subjects, candidates may choose from those studied at school, including Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, History, Economic and Legal Education, Informatics, Agricultural Technology, Industrial Technology, and Foreign Languages.
The Literature exam will be administered in essay format, while the remaining subjects will be conducted in multiple-choice format, comprising questions with single correct answers, true/false options, and short-answer responses.
For the 10th-grade entrance exam for public high schools for the 2025–2026 academic year, Ho Chi Minh City recorded more than 169,000 lower secondary graduates, an increase of 43,000 students compared to the previous academic year. The municipal Department of Education and Training plans to organize the examination at approximately 250 test sites distributed across three areas of the city.
Given the large scale of examination venues, the education sector is expected to adjust the method of exam paper distribution. Specifically, exam papers may be delivered one day in advance to minimize the risk of traffic congestion or logistical disruptions on the morning of the examination.
Regarding marking, the city will establish three centralized marking centers, each assigned to a specific subject, to ensure professionalism and transparency.
