9th grade students increase sharply
Data from the education sector, in 2026, Ho Chi Minh City had more than 169,000 9th grade graduates, an increase of about 43,000 students compared to the previous year. This is a fairly large increase in recent years, creating no small pressure on 10th grade enrollment.
Meanwhile, the total reception capacity of public high schools is currently about 103,700 places, equivalent to about 61% of secondary school graduates. If the school scale is maintained as it is now, nearly 51,000 students will not have a place in the 10th grade public school, and will have to choose other directions such as non-public schools, continuing education centers or vocational training.
Faced with this reality, the city's education sector is considering many solutions to increase learning opportunities for students.
According to the orientation of the Department of Education and Training, the 10th grade enrollment target for the 2026-2027 school year will be built on the basis of re-evaluating the reception capacity of each high school. The factors considered include the number of classrooms, facilities, teaching staff as well as the ability to organize two sessions per day. On that basis, some schools with conditions can increase the number of classes or increase the number of students reasonably, in order to receive more students.
Through preliminary calculations, if the adjustment is implemented synchronously, the total public 10th grade enrollment target in Ho Chi Minh City may reach about 118,356 students, equivalent to nearly 70% of secondary school graduates.
Increasing the proportion of students studying in public schools is considered an important solution to reduce pressure for the 10th grade entrance exam - which is always considered one of the most competitive exams in a populous city like Ho Chi Minh City.
10th grade exam may be held earlier
Along with increasing targets, the time for organizing the 10th grade exam is also being calculated and adjusted by the education sector.
In previous years, the exam usually took place on July 6-7 with three exam subjects including Mathematics, Literature and Foreign Language. However, in the context of the high school graduation exam schedule expected to be held on June 11-12, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to organize the 10th grade exam earlier, on June 1-2, to facilitate the organization as well as arranging personnel for invigilation and grading.
The rearrangement of the exam schedule is expected to help the enrollment process take place more proactively, while creating conditions for high schools to prepare for the new school year.
Another notable point is that the city's education sector is also considering supplementary admissions based on the number of students admitted but not enrolled and the needs of schools.
This mechanism helps schools maximize their reception capacity, avoiding the situation where there are still places to study but they cannot recruit more students.
Besides the public high school system, junior high school graduates in Ho Chi Minh City still have many other choices such as non-public high schools, continuing education centers or vocational education institutions, suitable to the capacity and orientation of each student.
In addition to the entrance exam form, Ho Chi Minh City will consider admission in some special localities, including: Thanh An Secondary and High School (Thanh An commune); Vo Thi Sau High School (Con Dao Special Zone) and at the Ethnic Minority Boarding School.
Ho Chi Minh City enrolls first-grade students online, prioritizing studying near home
Not only finding solutions for students entering 10th grade, in the 2026 - 2027 school year, Ho Chi Minh City continues to implement first-grade enrollment in the online form on the city's common enrollment portal, combining population data and digital maps to flexibly allocate places of study, prioritizing students studying near their residence.
2026 is the first year Ho Chi Minh City organizes entrance exams after rearranging administrative units. All parents and students in area 1 (old Ho Chi Minh City), area 2 (old Binh Duong) and area 3 (old Ba Ria - Vung Tau) whose children participate in entrance exams for grades 1 and 6 this year use students' personal identification codes to access the enrollment registration system.
Information on the current residence of the student, including the residence address and relationship with the guardian, is determined through the electronic identification application (VNeID) of the parent or legal guardian. In case the data on the system does not reflect the reality correctly, the local primary enrollment steering committee will base on the dossier and legal evidence to consider and resolve, on the principle of ensuring the student's right to study and fairness in enrollment.
The allocation of learning places is built flexibly based on the coordination between the Department of Education and Training and the People's Committee at the commune level, based on three factors: School network in the locality and border areas, the scale of children of age and the actual distance. The city continues to use digital maps (GIS) to support initial enrollment. This system allows determining the distance from the student's residence to neighboring schools, thereby providing a basis for allocating appropriate learning places. Thanks to this, students are prioritized to study at the school closest to their residence, instead of being zoned according to their residential area as before.
