Security personnel were deployed at the school gate from shortly after 5 a.m. to maintain order and ensure examination security. Candidates began arriving at around 6 a.m., with most at the venue by 6:30 a.m. and a small number arriving shortly before 7 a.m.
Three hundred and twenty-three candidates had completed registration, accounting for 98.48 percent of those eligible to sit the retake, by 3:40 p.m. on August 13. The Ministry of Education and Training said three independent candidates also completed registration and took part in the examination on August 14.
Two independent candidates, who are currently university students, had sat the original examination on June 11 and 12 for university admission purposes and did not participate in the retake.
Candidates took Literature on the morning of August 14 and Mathematics in the afternoon.
The retake was organized in 15 examination rooms, with Tuyen Quang mobilizing 175 personnel for various duties. Seventy people were stationed directly at the examination site, including examination officials, secretaries, invigilators, police officers, medical workers, and security guards.
The Ministry of Education and Training also established a supervisory delegation under the National Examination Steering Committee to oversee both examination administration and marking at the school.
Parents interviewed by SGGP said most candidates appeared relatively relaxed as they entered the retake. At the same time, families encouraged them to remain confident and perform to the best of their ability, so their results could be used for university admission.
Many parents expressed hope that the retake results would safeguard their children's rights and allow them to compete for university places in line with their previously registered preferences.
Retake results and score distribution to be made public
Mr. Huynh Van Chuong, Head of the Vietnam Education Quality Management Agency under the Ministry of Education and Training, said the retake was being conducted in accordance with the same regulations and procedures as the original national examination.
The ministry will publicly release the results, score distribution, and related information to ensure transparency and enable public scrutiny.
The ministry stressed that the retake was not a disciplinary measure against the candidates. Instead, it was intended to protect their educational rights while preserving the integrity, fairness, and credibility of the national examination.
Security and public-order measures were tightened at the examination site on August 14, with many parents bringing their children to school early.
While most candidates appeared confident, some remained under considerable pressure, fearing that their retake scores could be lower than their original results.
“My child is also under a lot of pressure. We hope they will score highly enough to secure admission to their preferred university, but they are worried that their retake score could be lower,” one parent said.
Another parent said their child had scored more than 26 points in the relevant admission combination in the original examination and had already been admitted to the human resources management program at the National Economics University.
"My child is confident this time as well. We hope that once the results are released, they will still be considered for admission to the program they want," the parent said, adding that the students should not be held responsible for the incident.
The Ministry of Education and Training said the application dossiers and university preferences registered by all 328 candidates at Tuyen Quang High School for Gifted Students would be preserved. Once the retake results are available, eligible candidates will be considered for admission separately based on valid results and their previously registered preferences.
The ministry has also worked with universities where the candidates applied to agree on a suitable mechanism for handling their admission. Universities will coordinate within the enrollment quotas and regulatory framework to protect the rights of retake candidates without affecting admission quotas, existing admission results or the rights of other applicants in the 2026 university admissions cycle.
33 suspects indicted in examination irregularities
The Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Security Agency has taken over the investigation into a case involving alleged "abuse of position and authority while performing official duties" at Tuyen Quang High School for Gifted Students.
Preliminary findings indicate that violations occurred across the entire examination site, undermining the integrity, objectivity, and fairness of the candidates' results and providing grounds for ordering a retake of all subjects at the venue.
An analysis of examination data found that scores in several subjects at the school were unusually high compared with those recorded at specialized high schools nationwide. Investigators also determined that teachers had entered examination rooms and provided answers or prompts to candidates, while some candidates initially admitted exchanging answers during the test.
According to Vietnam Television's 7 p.m. news bulletin on August 13, police had charged four additional suspects, bringing the total number of people prosecuted in connection with the case to 33.
Speaking to Vietnam Television, suspect Nguyen Ha Duy, a Mathematics teacher and examination-site secretary, admitted that during the original examination he had entered each room for about two to three minutes to prompt candidates with answers.
Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, a Literature teacher at Tuyen Quang High School for Gifted Students and also an examination-site secretary, acknowledged that she had given general prompts to candidates. She expressed regret, saying her actions had disadvantaged students who completed their papers without assistance. Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy had previously turned herself in to the police.
The Investigation Security Agency is continuing to investigate other individuals suspected of involvement in the examination violations.
