Some places have an excess, others a shortage.
For the 2026-2027 school year, Dong Vinh Secondary School in Thanh Vinh Ward planned to have 5 Grade 6 classes with 240 students. However, by the registration deadline, only 194 applications had been received, resulting in a reduction of one class compared to the initial plan. Previously, through the universal education program, 278 students from the former Dong Vinh Ward area were scheduled to enter Grade 6. Therefore, 84 students from the school have requested to transfer to other schools.
Regarding student enrollment, Ms. Dinh Thi Kim Chi, Principal of Dong Vinh Secondary School, shared some difficulties. Currently, the school only has 5 classrooms, but next school year there will be 9 classes (including grades 6 and 7). The school is still sharing facilities with Dong Vinh Primary School and lacks functional rooms for practical subjects. Therefore, the school has to organize classes in two shifts.
Because the school is newly established, the teaching conditions are not yet fully adequate. Therefore, it is understandable that some parents wish to transfer their children to other schools. However, when approving enrollment applications, the local authorities need to pay attention to schools in disadvantaged areas to balance the number of students among schools in the locality, avoiding overcrowding in some schools while others fail to meet their enrollment targets.
Ms. Dinh Thi Kim Chi - Principal of Dong Vinh Secondary School
Also in Thanh Vinh ward, while Dong Vinh Secondary School has not yet filled its enrollment quota, Le Loi Secondary School is having to process quite a number of applications from students outside the universal education program. According to the school's leadership, in addition to the students from the area enrolled based on the results of the universal education program , the school is also receiving and reviewing dozens of applications from students who have recently moved to the area but have not yet completed their residency procedures or who wish to study at the school because it is closer to their residence.
Regarding the enrollment process for the first grade, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Thanh Vinh Ward, stated that this year's enrollment is being conducted according to the guidelines of the Education sector, with each school's quota based on annual education enrollment figures. However, in reality, some students from outside the universal education area still wish to attend schools that offer more convenient travel distances or better learning conditions. For these cases, the local authorities and schools are conducting a thorough review to consider and resolve the issues in accordance with regulations, while also creating the most favorable conditions for students and parents.
A similar situation occurred at Hung Phuc Primary School because, according to the universal education target, the school has 4 classes with 142 students. However, currently, the number of students from outside the Hung Phuc ward (formerly) applying for out-of-district enrollment has exceeded 30.
Although we've determined that we can increase the enrollment quota but not the number of classes, the number of students applying to our school outside the universal education list is making class placement difficult: There are quite a few students from outside Hung Phuc ward who want to enroll in our school.
Among them, some students live along Nguyen Van Cu Street, which is the former Hung Binh ward. In addition, there are also students whose parents work near the school and want to send their children to school closer to their workplaces for convenience, said Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Lan, the school principal.
Hesitation when choosing a class
The enrollment process for the first grade always receives a lot of attention from parents. Among the most important concerns for parents remains choosing the right school and class for their children.
Following the Department's directive, since this is the first year of enrollment after the implementation of the two-tiered local government system, localities are not allowed to be rigid about administrative boundaries at the commune level, ensuring the goal of comprehensive education in the basic education stage.
In practice, although the previous separation between communes and wards has been eliminated, enrollment at the beginning of the school year is still carried out according to the universal education list implemented in previous years. Therefore, there is still a situation where parents "cross the line" to "request schools" or "classes" for their children, leading to overcrowding in some areas, surpluses in others, and shortages in still others.
Besides choosing schools, many parents are also concerned about enrolling their children in extracurricular classes, as most schools in the Vinh urban area currently offer classes such as enhanced English and STEM programs. Students enrolling in these classes have to pay over 2 million VND per semester for these extracurricular subjects. Nevertheless, these classes still attract many parents because they are implicitly understood to be "second or third-choice classes" (following the first-choice class, which is determined by entrance exam scores).
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, whose child is about to enter 6th grade at a school in Truong Vinh ward, said: "Personally, I'm quite worried about registering my child for the extra classes because in addition to school time, the children will have to attend two more afternoon classes at school."
However, since my child didn't get enough points to get into the advanced class, the supplementary class will be the second option. The purpose is to provide my child with a better learning environment because they will have priority teachers and students of similar academic quality.
.jpg)
According to data from schools, the number of applications for advanced classes is currently overwhelming. For example, at Le Loi Secondary School, this year the school only had a quota of 2 advanced English classes with 90 students, but the number of applicants has already exceeded 120; Hung Phuc Primary School only planned to enroll 1 advanced English class and 1 STEM class, but the number of applications has also exceeded the allocated quota.
To ensure the quality of incoming students, schools are also carefully considering the selection of students for supplementary classes, ensuring that they meet criteria that align with the curriculum.
.jpg)
At Hung Dung Secondary School, this year the school was assigned a target of enrolling nearly 200 students in 4 enhanced English classes. However, as of now, the number of applications has reached over 300.
According to Ms. Le Thi Thu Yen, the school principal, the quality of students enrolling in the enhanced English class in recent years has been quite consistent, while the enrollment quota is limited.
Therefore, the school must develop a suitable selection plan to ensure that only students with the abilities to meet the program's requirements are selected, while also ensuring fairness and transparency in the admission process: The "strict" criteria for registration are the grade 5 student assessment score and a foreign language certificate. This will ensure the quality of the incoming class – Ms. Yen added.
Because there are many different class models within a single school, the current enrollment process for the first grade, which seems "normal," is still a race for families.
Therefore, there are concerns that this is putting additional pressure on students from the primary school level onwards, as they have to compete for grades or race to obtain foreign language certificates or other preferential certifications.
Moreover, many families face increased financial and time constraints when enrolling in these classes, while the effectiveness of these enrichment programs remains uncertain...
Despite implementing a two-tiered local government system, schools in the Vinh urban area continue to conduct online enrollment this year, as before. After the enrollment results are approved, schools use the "class placement" function of the online enrollment software to assign students to grades 1 and 6. Specifically, admission to the gifted class (also known as the selective class 1) will be based on the grade 5 assessment scores and the entrance exam scores for Dang Thai Mai Secondary School.
Enrollment in advanced classes may follow the specific criteria of each school and will be arranged using admissions software.
Source: https://baonghean.vn/tuyen-sinh-dau-cap-chua-het-ap-luc-10341173.html
![[Photo] "Hanoi Lotus Festival" honors the lotus flower that has been associated with Vietnam for thousands of years.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/06/27/1782516943048_sen-ha-noi-2026-minh-duy-1-jpg.webp)
