In 2026, the 10th grade entrance exam will continue to apply two admission methods including entrance exams and admission based on selection. In which, most students take the exam to public high schools in the form of entrance exams; some specialized schools implement admission based on their own regulations.
Candidates take 3 compulsory subjects including Mathematics, Literature and Foreign Language. In which, Mathematics and Literature take essay exams for 120 minutes each subject, Foreign Language takes exams for 90 minutes. Candidates registering for specialized or integrated classes will take additional subjects accordingly.
The admission score is the total score of 3 subjects on a scale of 10, plus priority and encouragement points (if any); the condition is that no exam paper is scored 0.
The enrollment process is divided into two phases. In the first phase, students register 3 aspirations for public high schools. After that, the city can organize additional enrollment for candidates who are not admitted to all 3 aspirations.
One of the notable points of this year is the tightening of regulations on registration of aspirations, especially regarding the distance from accommodation to school. The admissions system will automatically calculate and warn if the registration distance exceeds the permissible limit.
In case students still register for schools too far away, exceeding the prescribed distance (over 10 km for Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong before the merger; over 13 km for Ba Ria - Vung Tau before the merger), the school must work directly with parents and make a written consultation.
This adjustment was made when in recent years, there have been about 2,000-4,000 students admitted each year but not enrolled, mainly due to choosing schools that are not suitable or the distance traveled too far. This situation has caused many schools to have to recruit additional students, affecting the overall plan of the entire system.
The admission results are implemented according to the order of aspirations. Each student is only admitted to one school and cannot be changed after the results are announced. In case of admission but not enrollment on time, they will lose the right to admission.
For 10th grade specialized classes, candidates must meet the conditions on academic ability and conduct, and also take the specialized subject exam. The admission score is calculated according to the formula of the total score of 3 common subjects plus the specialized subject score multiplied by a coefficient of 2. Students are allowed to register a maximum of 2 aspirations for specialized classes and are still considered for regular 10th grade if they are not admitted.
At the same time, the entire registration process is carried out online. Students are not required to have a level 2 electronic identification account, as long as they have full data on the education sector's system. Each student is given a separate account to register and look up enrollment information.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has more than 169,000 9th grade students studying at secondary schools. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training aims to enroll more than 118,000 students into public high schools, equivalent to about 70%. The rest will study at continuing education centers, vocational schools, private schools or other directions.
It is expected that in the next few days, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training will announce the enrollment targets for 10th grade public schools of each high school.
