10th grade entrance exam, parents spend millions of VND for their children to take extra classes each month

In Ho Chi Minh City, only about 70% of students completing the secondary school program each year have the opportunity to enter public 10th grade. High competition rates make many parents choose to send their children to extra classes and exam preparation early.

Surveys at some centers and extra classes show that the cost level is quite diverse, from 500,000 to 2 million VND/subject/month, depending on the number of study sessions/week.

With home tutoring, tuition fees range from 2-5 million VND/month, depending on the number of classes.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong (Xuan Hoa ward) said that her child is in 9th grade and takes many extra subjects at the center.

Each month, Ms. Phuong's family spends about 1.5 million VND on Literature (2 sessions/week, class of about 10 students), 1.1 million VND for English (2 sessions/week), 1 million VND for Mathematics. In addition, her child also studies specialized History at a rate of 1.2 million VND/month (1 session/week, 3 hours each session).

My child sets a goal to take the entrance exam to a specialized school, so extra classes are necessary, because the competition is very high. The total cost is nearly 5 million VND per month," Ms. Phuong shared.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Van Manh, a parent of a 9th grade student at Phu Loi Secondary School (Binh Dong ward) chose a selective learning plan.

My child is quite good at Math and English, so he only registered for extra Literature classes. The total cost is about 1 million VND/month," Mr. Manh shared.

According to Mr. Manh, in fact, the choice of which subject to study extra is decided by the child, the family only advises and takes the child to school.

Ms. Le Thu Suong, who also has a child studying at Phu Loi Secondary School (Binh Dong ward), said that her child is taking extra classes directly at the center and online at home.

Ms. Suong said that the total cost for her child's extra classes outside is about 2.5 million VND per month.

Some teachers at secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City believe that extra classes are only effective when they are suitable for students' abilities. If students register for too many classes, they are easily overloaded and do not have time to self-study and systemize knowledge.

According to Mr. Cao Duc Khoa - Principal of Nguyen Du Secondary School (Ben Thanh ward), extra classes are a need of students and parents. Especially for students with the goal of taking the entrance exam to specialized schools and selected classes.

However, Mr. Khoa recommends that parents should not let their children take extra classes indiscriminately. "The most important thing is that students master basic knowledge and know how to apply it in practice. Taking too much extra classes is not only ineffective but also makes children tired and easily overloaded," Mr. Khoa emphasized.

This school year, Ho Chi Minh City has more than 169,000 9th grade students in secondary schools. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training aims to enroll more than 118,000 students in public high schools. The rest can choose other directions such as private schools, continuing education or vocational training.

The 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year takes place in two days 1-2. 6. Candidates take three compulsory subjects including Literature, Mathematics and Foreign Language; in cases of registering for specialized or integrated classes, they will take additional subjects accordingly.