Ho Chi Minh City is ready for the 10th grade entrance exam.

Ho Chi Minh City has basically completed preparations for the entrance exam to public high schools for the 2026-2027 school year, the first admissions exam after the merger, which will take place on June 1st and 2nd. The exam aims not only to select students for public high schools but also to contribute to guiding the educational pathways between public, private, international, and vocational schools.

Candidates participating in the 10th grade entrance exam last school year. Photo: D.Xá

Ho Chi Minh City has been conducting 10th grade entrance exams for decades, but the 2026-2027 school year marks a special milestone for the education sector. Besides having the largest number of candidates nationwide (151,269 registered candidates out of nearly 170,000 graduating junior high school students), the exam structure has also undergone significant adjustments to ensure harmony and suitability with the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau regions, while still maintaining competitiveness and differentiating between student groups and high-quality high schools.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, preparations for the exam are basically complete. Specifically, on June 1st, the Literature and Foreign Language (mainly English) exams will take place, followed by Mathematics and integrated specialized subjects on June 2nd.

“The 2026 exam will take place at 242 testing locations, including 226 locations for regular 10th grade exams and the rest for specialized 10th grade exams, with 6,443 examination rooms. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City has mobilized more than 17,700 teachers and staff to serve the exam. Prior to that, on May 31st, invigilators and candidates will go to the testing locations to check and verify information to ensure the exam proceeds as planned,” Mr. Phong added.

According to observations by reporters from Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, despite some changes aimed at reducing overall pressure, the 10th grade entrance exam is still considered highly competitive, especially for candidates applying to top-tier high schools in central areas. Candidates take a common exam; however, the cut-off scores at different high schools vary significantly – based on recent admissions cycles and the number of applicants in 2026.

Specifically, many high schools in central Ho Chi Minh City had admission scores in previous years ranging from 22 to 25 points (total of 3 exam subjects, plus priority points if any). This means that candidates had to achieve an average of 7.5 to 8 points per subject. Conversely, high schools in suburban areas and newly established schools had admission scores ranging from only 11 to 13 points. This disparity inadvertently increases pressure on candidates because, in addition to ability, they need to choose a suitable high school.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, a parent residing in Ba Diem commune (Ho Chi Minh City), whose son is taking the 10th grade entrance exam this school year, said that his family has set a goal and registered Ly Thuong Kiet High School as their first choice. “My son has good academic performance, especially in English, so we set his first choice quite high. In previous years, the school's admission score ranged from 18.5 to 19 points. Meanwhile, our second choice, Pham Van Sang High School, has a lower cutoff score of 3-4 points, just in case he doesn't perform well on the exam day,” Mr. Thang shared.

According to this parent, there are 4-5 public high schools in the area where their family lives. Last year, the schools had quite different admission scores, which made the family have to consider carefully before deciding on a school to ensure a balance between the quality of education, the child's abilities, and the school's location for convenient daily drop-off and pick-up.

Previously, in preparation for the 10th grade entrance exam, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training widely publicized necessary information to provide maximum support and transparency to parents and students. This included information on the enrollment quotas for all 176 high schools in the city, information on the cut-off scores from previous years, and especially information on the number of candidates registering for their first choice at each high school, while also allowing candidates to adjust their registered preferences (without adding new ones).

With approximately 118,000 candidates expected to be admitted (accounting for 78% of registered candidates), the upcoming 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City will help select and improve the quality of high school education, while also channeling students into vocational schools to create a future workforce. Furthermore, the exam will serve as a basis for the Ho Chi Minh City education sector to make adjustments and changes in subsequent years, aiming to expand admissions to areas where student demand matches the capacity of high schools.

Doan Xa

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tphcm-san-ready-for-the-10th-grade-admission-period.html