Nearly 10,000 Vietnamese candidates took the Chinese test at one location, leading the world, why?

Người Việt thi tiếng Trung đông nhất thế giới ở một điểm thi, vì sao? - Ảnh 1. — Confucius Institute exam score at Hanoi University

Thousands of Chinese language tests in one place

Data from the Chinese Test International Co., Ltd. of the China-Foreign Language Exchange Cooperation Center (CLEC) under the Chinese Ministry of Education showed that the number of Vietnamese candidates registering for the HSK and HSK oral exams at the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University reached 9,941 in the first quarter of this year (including two exam sessions), the highest among the testing centers of this exam globally.

This is a remarkable number because since the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University organized this exam until now, a total of about 70,000 Vietnamese candidates have registered to take the HSK and HSK spoken exam with more than 50 exam sessions, according to the People's Daily . Thus, the number of exam participants in the first quarter of 2025 alone accounts for 1/7 of the total number of exams in the past 10 years. There are no specific figures on the number of exams in previous years at this exam site as well as at other exam sites.

The reason why the Confucius Institute exam site at Hanoi University has a large number of candidates is not difficult to explain because this is a rare unit that allows taking exams on computers, and also provides recommendation letters for candidates to apply for international Chinese teacher scholarships to study abroad in China, according to Mr. Lang Quang Du, Deputy Director of the FIOH Center for International Study Abroad and Phuong Phuong in Hanoi.

It is known that the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University is a unit established by a cooperation agreement between Hanoi University and the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Ministry of Education of China) and Guangxi Normal University (China) from 2014 to present. By 2020, the Confucius Institute Headquarters changed its name to CLEC as it is now but still retains its functions, including organizing HSK and HSK spoken exams globally.

Mr. Du added that the first quarter of each year is always the time that attracts the most Vietnamese people to take the HSK exam because this is when students rush to prepare their documents, including supplementing their Chinese language certificates to apply for scholarships to study abroad in China. Therefore, not only at Hanoi University, candidates registering at other exam locations across the country also have to face the tension of competing for exam spots in the first months of the year.

Finding a spot for the Chinese proficiency test (HSK, HSK spoken) is especially difficult in the South in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, when the whole region currently has only Ho Chi Minh City University of Education organizing the exam, according to Mr. Truong Quang Nhat Dang, founder of Zhang Laoshi Chinese School in Ho Chi Minh City. Students who need to take the exam urgently, therefore, have to choose to move to the Central region or even the North because these two regions have more exam centers.

This is also the reason why these testing sites, including the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University, are quickly running out of exam slots.

Beware of exam registration scams

Mr. Dang noted that a new form of fraud, HSK proxy testing, is emerging and candidates should avoid these services to avoid losing money. Meanwhile, Mr. Du said that many testing sites have recently improved their registration procedures, helping to limit services such as proxy testing registration and unfair competition for registration spots. "I hope that in the future there will be more testing sites for you to choose from, especially in the South," Mr. Dang added.

Người Việt thi tiếng Trung đông nhất thế giới ở một điểm thi, vì sao? - Ảnh 2. — A building at Beijing Language University (China), a familiar school to many Vietnamese international students

The number of students increased by 40% in some places.

A notable trend, according to Mr. Du, is that the demand for learning and taking exams in Chinese continues to increase in the current context. In his unit alone, the number of students has increased by 25-40% compared to the previous year depending on the time, partly due to the company expanding its training scale. Among them, many students are aiming for HSK3 - a level that is considered to be able to communicate in basic Chinese as well as being used to exempt the high school graduation foreign language exam.

The same trend of increase has occurred in Mr. Dang's unit, where the center has steadily increased its student population by about 20% each year over the past 10 years. In addition, the unit has also recorded a remarkable shift of students from introductory classes to higher level classes "because the number of students in introductory classes has gradually reached its peak".

"In today's harsh job market, having Chinese language skills will ensure you have a relatively solid opportunity, especially for those who have just graduated and do not have much experience," said Mr. Dang.

HSK is the third largest exam in the world.

The Chinese Proficiency Test consists of two tests: HSK (listening, reading, writing) and HSKK (speaking test, also known as HSK oral). Candidates can take the test in one of two forms: paper-based test (PBT) or computer-based test (iBT). From 2021, this test has been adjusted from 6 to 9 levels, including elementary (HSK 1-3), intermediate (4-6) and advanced (7-9). Every month (except February), there is an HSK test, HSK oral test held simultaneously at the test sites.

HSK exam fees range from 630,000 to 2,250,000 VND, depending on the level. Level 2 does not require a speaking test, levels 3-9 require all 4 skills, and level 1 does not have an exam. Candidates will register for the level they want to achieve, which applies to levels 3-6, while levels 7-9 candidates only register for the general exam and will receive exam results corresponding to their ability (similar to IELTS). However, HSK levels 7-9 are not yet widely tested in Vietnam, according to experts.

In Vietnam, there are currently 11 HSK and HSK oral test sites nationwide, all located at universities including: Hanoi University, University of Foreign Languages (Hanoi National University), Phenikaa University (Hanoi), Hanoi Pedagogical University, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 (Phu Tho), Thanh Dong University (Hai Phong), Thai Nguyen University, Hue University, Dong A University (Da Nang), Duy Tan University (Da Nang) and Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

According to CLEC, HSK is the third largest exam in the world after IELTS and TOEFL, and can be used for multiple purposes such as university admission, graduation requirements or scholarship applications in China. Every year, about 800,000 candidates worldwide take the HSK and this exam is being held at 1,396 test sites in 165 countries and territories.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gan-10000-thi-sinh-viet-thi-tieng-trung-o-mot-diem-dan-dau-toan-cau-vi-sao-185250910134003916.htm