Admissions to primary and secondary schools are becoming 'easier'.

This year's primary school enrollment process in Ho Chi Minh City is considered "easier." The main reason is the digitalization efforts of the education sector over the past few years, with systematic student placement through GIS maps (based on actual residence) and VNeID data. This simplifies the process and reduces pressure on parents.

First-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: D. Xa

Although the official start of the 2025-2026 school year's entrance exam (usually in June each year, after the school year ends) has not yet begun, the Ho Chi Minh City education sector has already started preparing for the exam.

The enrollment process for the 2025-2026 school year in Ho Chi Minh City will be organized with adjustments tailored to each educational level. Enrollment in the city is expected to be completed earlier than in previous years, although the 10th grade entrance exam will still take place in early June 2025. In addition, some secondary schools will apply an aptitude test for 6th grade enrollment, while most other schools will base their admissions on residency information (GIS and VneID). This method will also apply to preschool and 1st grade, ensuring accuracy and convenience. Parents in Ho Chi Minh City will log in and update enrollment information for the 2025-2026 school year via smartphone on the official portal: https://tuyensinhdaucap.hcm.edu.vn

This is the third consecutive year that Ho Chi Minh City's education sector has implemented online enrollment, replacing the previous method of submitting applications at schools in communes and wards. With the advantage of being based on GIS maps and VNeID data, this method makes the enrollment process more rational and flexible, while ensuring fairness and transparency. The city also prioritizes student placement based on "current residence," creating favorable conditions for students to attend the school closest to their home.

Mr. Dinh Van Quyet (34 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District) - whose child is about to enter first grade - shared that his family received a notification from ward officials regarding updating information for their 6-year-old child preparing for first grade. This includes information such as birth certificate, place of residence, parents' phone numbers, etc., along with classifying whether the child has attended preschool in the area (or not) to send to ward officials. In addition, Mr. Quyet's family also received similar instructions from his child's preschool teacher. The teacher said she would assist in updating the information if parents are unfamiliar with using the online enrollment system.

Due to the specific characteristics of different levels, enrollment in preschool and primary school (grade 1) in Ho Chi Minh City largely depends on the parents' residency registration. Therefore, for families who have registered permanent residency and have lived long-term in a particular locality, school placement is quite convenient and easy. Based on residency information, education department officials will assign children to the primary school closest to their actual residence. If a school exceeds its capacity, the next closest school will be chosen… The biggest advantage of this enrollment method is that children will attend the school closest to their residence, instead of schools in the ward or commune where they are registered as permanent residents. In reality, in bordering wards and communes, it's possible for a child to live near a school in another ward or commune. For children whose parents are temporary residents, the enrollment method is similar, with the same priority order as above. Furthermore, this approach also makes primary school enrollment easier and less affected or disrupted by changes in administrative boundaries of communes, wards, or even cities, because the selection is based solely on actual residence.

According to Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, with the aforementioned criteria, the enrollment process for primary and secondary schools will meet the diverse needs of the people. The enrollment process will also facilitate special cases such as children of workers and students residing in border areas. This will allow for flexible student allocation, avoiding rigid adherence to administrative boundaries. Simultaneously, it will balance class sizes across schools, ensuring the quality of education.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-tuyen-sinh-dau-cap-de-tho-hon-10302504.html