According to the 2018 General Education Program, 10th grade students must study 8 compulsory subjects including: Literature; Mathematics; Foreign Language 1; Physical education; National defense and security education; Experiential activities, career guidance; Local education and History.
In addition to compulsory subjects, students will be able to choose 4 subjects out of 9 subjects including: Geography; Economic and Legal Education; Physics; Chemistry; Biology; Technology; Informatics; Music; Fine Arts. In addition, students also have to choose different study topics.
In Ho Chi Minh City, after confirming enrollment and completing procedures for entering 10th grade public schools in the 2026-2027 school year, students and parents are entering the stage of selecting subject combinations for high school years.
There was a time when she simply thought that choosing a subject she studied well and liked was enough, Nguyen Minh Ha, a 10th grade student in Ben Thanh ward, said that after being advised by the school, she realized that choosing a subject combination is also related to career orientation later.
Initially, I only intended to choose subjects that I liked and felt I studied well. After being asked by teachers about the career I wanted to pursue, I started to learn about related subjects and admission combinations. I think if I choose a subject without considering the future direction, I may have to change a lot," this student said.
At Phuoc Long High School, Ms. Vu Thi Hong Chau - Principal of the school said that counseling on choosing subject combinations is carried out during the process of students completing enrollment procedures.
Accordingly, after confirming enrollment, students register on the school's enrollment software and are arranged to meet with counseling teachers. Here, students are guided and surveyed on interests, abilities and orientation before finalizing subject combinations. After completing registration, the school proceeds to arrange classes according to the combinations chosen by students.
We don't just ask students which subjects they like. They will list the subjects they don't like. From there, the school gradually eliminates subjects that students are not suitable for, and then considers the subjects they like," Ms. Chau said.
According to the female principal, many students still tend to choose combinations based on their favorite subjects or good academic performance but have not thought about career orientation. Therefore, during counseling, teachers often ask questions about the careers students want to pursue so that they can review their choices.
Ms. Chau cited that some students said they wanted to pursue medical science but were choosing a social-oriented combination. When asked more deeply by teachers about career orientation, students realized they needed to learn more about the subjects and admission requirements related to the medical field.
Students must go home and study again, then consider further. Students need to coordinate between choosing their favorite subjects and orienting themselves on which university or college major they want to take the exam in later," Ms. Chau said.
According to Ms. Chau, the choice of subject combinations should not be decided in just one consultation. Students need time to learn, and the school will support them to consider between interests, abilities and future orientation.
She believes that parents also need to accompany their children in this process but should not impose personal wishes.
We request that when students come for counseling, parents should also come along to listen together. Parents need to understand what their children like, which direction is suitable and why the school gives those advices," Ms. Chau said.
To have a balanced perspective for counseling, each counseling group of Phuoc Long High School usually has teachers leaning towards natural sciences and teachers leaning towards social sciences.
Counseling teachers must be people who understand the subjects clearly. We arrange teachers who are naturalistic and teachers who are socialistic to advise together, avoiding just looking at the problem from one side," Ms. Chau shared.
This year, the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City took place in two days, June 1st and 2nd. The whole city has more than 151,000 registered candidates, while the total enrollment quota for public 10th grade is more than 118,000 students.
