On February 25, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City said that as of the deadline for registering for the first phase of the 2026 capacity assessment exam of VNU-HCM on February 24, there were 137.376 registered candidates, an increase of 5.14% compared to 2025.
Of which, 134,737 candidates have completed paying fees, an increase of 4.99% compared to the previous year.
In 2026, VNU-HCM will organize 2 competency assessment exams.
Phase 1 of the V-ACT exam will be held on Sunday morning, April 5th at 54 units in 15 provinces and cities (according to administrative units after merger), including: Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, An Giang, Can Tho and Ca Mau.
From March 28, candidates access their accounts to print exam notification forms. The results of the first phase of the exam are expected to be announced on April 17.
Phase 2 starts receiving registrations from April 18 to the end of April 25. The exam will take place on May 24 at 36 units in 9 provinces and cities including: Hue, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Dong Thap and An Giang.
The results of the second phase of the exam are expected to be announced on June 6.
The structure and content of the V-ACT exam in 2026 are built on the basis of the exam structure that has been adjusted and applied since 2025, in accordance with the 2018 General Education Program.
The V-ACT exam in 2026 includes 120 objective multiple-choice questions with many choices, a test time of 150 minutes, and is organized in the form of paper exams.
The exam structure includes three parts: Language use: 60 questions (30 Vietnamese questions and 30 English questions); Mathematics: 30 questions; Scientific thinking: 30 questions.
For exam papers, candidates are required to present the original validity of the ID card, citizen identification card or passport used for registration.
In case the original personal identification papers are lost due to force majeure reasons, candidates can use the electronic ID card on the VNeID application to complete exam procedures, and must also carry out authentication procedures at the exam council in accordance with regulations.
In 2025, the exam attracted 152,000 candidates with more than 223,000 registrations at 55 exam sites in 25 provinces and cities. At the same time, there are 111 higher education institutions using V-ACT exam results for admission; especially the VNU-HCM system, this method accounts for more than 56% of the total enrollment quota.
