According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (GDĐT), the whole city currently has more than 169,000 9th grade students studying in secondary schools.
According to the plan, the consideration of recognizing the completion of the secondary education program in the 2025-2026 school year must be completed in the period from May 10 to 15, 2026. People's Committees of wards and communes report the list of students recognizing the completion of the secondary education program, this is the only basis for taking the 10th grade exam.
The Department of Education and Training requests that educational institutions be responsible for fully and strictly checking student recognition dossiers, including: Academic transcripts (original or printed electronic transcripts certified by the educational institution where the student finished 9th grade) and birth certificates.
Ensure that information about full name, date of birth, place of birth is accurate and consistent; the contents in the dossier are fully and clearly recorded, not erased, not torn, and have full signatures of individuals and responsible departments as prescribed.
For special cases (students returning from abroad, students transferring schools many times or not having full transcripts), the head of the educational institution shall base on current regulations to consider and resolve; ensure that students meet the age conditions and complete the program according to regulations.
The 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year in Ho Chi Minh City will take place on June 1-2, earlier than in previous years to be consistent with the high school graduation exam schedule.
Candidates take 3 compulsory subjects including Literature, Mathematics and English. In case candidates register for specialized and integrated classes, they will take additional subjects accordingly.
In 2026, the Department of Education and Training expects that about 180,000 students who complete the secondary school program will continue to study in grade 10 at public high schools, equivalent to about 70%.
The 10th grade entrance exam is implemented in 2 phases. In phase 1, students register 3 aspirations (priority 1, 2, 3) for public high schools, excluding specialized schools such as Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted, Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted and High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City).
Phase 2 is supplementary enrollment, which is considered for organization depending on the actual situation. The subjects are students who have taken the exam but were not admitted to all 3 previous aspirations.
According to the practice of recent years, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training will announce the 10th grade enrollment targets for each high school around April; then 9th grade students register their aspirations and are allowed to adjust their aspirations once in early May before the exam takes place.
