Hanoi: People are holding their breath awaiting the announcement of the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam at public schools.

To date, Hanoi has not announced the third subject for the 2026 entrance exam for public high schools. Students, parents, and schools are quite worried, as a remaining subject that is a combined subject would be disadvantageous for students.

Which is more beneficial for students: a combined subject or a foreign language?

Nguyen Bao Anh, a 9th-grade student at Nguyen Van Huyen Secondary School ( Hanoi ), shared: While waiting for Hanoi to choose the third exam subject, the school and students are still studying according to the school year plan. For Math and Literature, Bao Anh allocates more study time, and reviews the remaining subjects equally, avoiding focusing on only certain topics or memorizing specific ones.

From a parent's perspective, Ms. Tran Bich Ngoc from Long Bien, Hanoi, said: "Every year, the city only announces the remaining exam subjects in March. If this year, the Department of Education and Training chooses the combined subjects and only announces them at the end of March, students will feel immense pressure. The vast amount of knowledge required, coupled with the limited time for revision, will leave them feeling overwhelmed."

In addition, Ms. Bich Ngoc expressed her wish for the city to soon announce the third exam subject, and if the Foreign Language subject remains unchanged, it would somewhat reduce pressure on students and align with the aspirations of many families.

Speaking with a reporter from Vietnam Women's Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha, Principal of Trung Vuong Secondary School (Hanoi), said that both parents and students want the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam to be announced as early as possible to proactively prepare for the exam and avoid putting pressure on students at the end of the school year. Knowing the information early allows both students and the school to develop appropriate plans, making the process less stressful.

"If Hanoi chooses a combined subject exam for the third subject, it would have certain advantages, such as helping students study all subjects evenly and aiming for holistic education . However, given the immense pressure to get into public schools in Hanoi, a combined subject exam could cause students more stress, especially in the first year of implementation."

However, she believes that every approach has two sides, and the level of stress depends greatly on how the questions are formulated. If the exam mainly tests basic knowledge and avoids tricky questions, the pressure will be significantly reduced.

Ms. Thu Ha noted that a clear advantage for students in large cities like Hanoi is their foreign language proficiency. "Parents often have long-term goals and invest heavily in their children's foreign language learning, both to allow them to demonstrate their abilities and to motivate them to learn and use foreign languages, aligning with the policy of making English the second language in schools," the Principal of Trung Vuong Secondary School explained.

Regarding the timing of the exam subject announcement, Ms. Ha stated: "Whether announced early or late, in principle, students in the same area have the same amount of time to prepare, so there is no unfairness. However, the psychological factor cannot be ignored, as most parents still want to know early to be more proactive and avoid feeling pressured at the last minute," Ms. Thu Ha expressed.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Duy Tuan, Principal of Tay Tuu Secondary School in Hanoi, said that the school has not yet implemented specialized exam preparation for the 10th grade entrance exam. "Currently, it's only the first semester, so teaching mainly follows the regular curriculum; we haven't organized much exam preparation for the 10th grade yet. In particular, Hanoi has not yet announced the third exam subject, so it's very difficult for schools to develop specific review plans."

According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Tuan, this also does not create any disadvantage for students. "Because when the Department of Education and Training announces the third exam subject, all students in schools across the city will have the same timeframe to prepare for the exam. Announcing it early or late does not create any difference in opportunities among students in the same locality."

However, the principal of Tay Tuu Secondary School believes that if the local authorities announce the third exam subject, the exam structure, the time allotted for the exam, etc., early, it will help students and parents feel more at ease.

According to Ms. Thu Ha, what is more worrying is the timing of the exam. If the 10th grade entrance exam is postponed until the end of June, after the high school graduation exam, the psychological pressure on students will be immense, especially in hot weather. Schools will then be almost forced to organize review sessions for students, while only 9th graders will be attending school, making the learning atmosphere even more stressful.

Students, parents, and schools hope that the 10th grade entrance exam will still be held in early June, or even at the end of May, so that students have time to rest and recover after a year of schooling and a stressful exam.

Furthermore, she also expressed concerns about the financial aspect. If the requirement to provide free tutoring for students is extended by another month, schools will face significant difficulties in balancing their budgets to pay teachers.

Based on that situation, Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha stated: While waiting for the announcement of the third exam subject, schools are still teaching normally according to the timetable and the 2018 General Education Program. Students are studying all subjects equally, and it is not yet possible to organize in-depth review for the exam subject that has not yet been determined.

Hanoi students face difficulties in the entrance exam for public high schools. Photo: Hien Nguyen

The third exam subject will be announced before March 31st.

According to a representative from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, the Department has not yet announced the schedule for the third subject in the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year. The delay in announcement is not due to "forgetting" or weak preparation, but rather because they are carefully researching and considering the matter to ensure it aligns with the educational reform direction and to prevent unbalanced learning or rote memorization.

In addition, education leaders in Hanoi emphasized that announcing the third exam subject too early could lead to students focusing too much on one subject, potentially affecting their overall learning. Therefore, they encouraged students to review all subjects that could potentially become the third exam subject evenly.

According to regulations from the Ministry of Education and Training , localities can announce the third exam subject before March 31st, so Hanoi still has legal time until that deadline.

From 2025, the 10th grade entrance examination nationwide will be conducted according to the new regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training. Localities can choose to use entrance exams, selection based on academic records, or a combination of both. For the entrance exam method, the exam will consist of two compulsory subjects: Mathematics and Literature, and a third subject/test chosen by the locality, ensuring that the same third subject is not chosen for more than three consecutive years.

In previous years' entrance exams (2024 and 2025), Hanoi chose a foreign language as the third subject.

List of provinces that have announced the third subject for the 2026 10th grade entrance exam:

Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nghe An , and Hue have announced that the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam in public schools will be a foreign language.

Tuyen Quang has officially included Natural Sciences as a subject in this year's exam, in addition to Mathematics and Literature.

Son La province has announced its plan to select a combination of three subjects: History and Geography, Natural Sciences, and English.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/ha-noi-nin-tho-cho-cong-bo-mon-thi-thu-3-tuyen-sinh-lop-10-cong-lap-238260112125810114.htm