Alleged data leak of 10th-grade exam results in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education suspects that student data has been leaked, resulting in many students receiving text messages inviting them to enroll even though the Department has not yet announced the admission scores.

Bao Chau, a student at Qui Duc Secondary School in Binh Chanh District, said that after learning her 10th-grade entrance exam results, she received three consecutive text messages notifying her of her acceptance and inviting her to enroll from Hoa Lu High School, Viet Nhat High School, and the Continuing Education Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry.

"I didn't register or submit any applications to these schools, I don't know why they have my information," Bao Chau said. Some other candidates received text messages from vocational colleges and schools.

Mr. Ho Tan Minh, Chief of the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, stated on the evening of June 22nd that the Department has received numerous complaints about fake text messages announcing admission to public high schools. Students are being invited to enroll by private schools, colleges, and vocational schools even though the admission scores have not yet been announced.

According to Mr. Minh, it's not wrong for private schools to send out text messages inviting students to enroll, and it happens every year. The problem is how these schools obtain students' information, phone numbers, names, and scores. Therefore, it's highly likely that the data of students taking the 10th grade entrance exam has been leaked.

Mr. Minh stated that student data is information that the education sector keeps very strictly confidential. All data specialists at the Department must sign confidentiality agreements. Education departments and schools are required not to provide student information or data to partner organizations, and not to disclose student information, to avoid being exploited by malicious individuals for fraud.

When the results of the 10th grade entrance exam are announced, the exam scores and other student information are transferred by the Department of Education to the district education offices and schools to assist students in looking up and compiling statistics.

"The data has passed through multiple channels, so it's impossible to pinpoint the source of the leak. The Department has forwarded the information to the police for coordinated investigation to determine where and how the student data was leaked," the Chief of the Department's Office said. He advised parents to be vigilant and carefully verify information when receiving messages or calls announcing admissions.

Candidates receive admission invitation messages from Viễn Đông College. Photo: Lệ Nguyễn — Candidates receive admission invitation messages from Viễn Đông College. Photo: *Lệ Nguyễn*

On June 20th, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training announced the results of the 10th grade entrance exam. Candidates wishing to appeal their results can submit their applications at their junior high school until 11:00 AM on June 23rd. This year, out of nearly 96,000 candidates, approximately 77,300 will be admitted to public high schools (80%).

On July 4th, the Department will announce the cutoff scores for specialized and integrated 10th-grade classes, as well as the list of candidates admitted directly. The cutoff scores for regular (mass) 10th-grade classes and the list of admitted candidates will be announced on July 10th.

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