With only a few weeks left, the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City will take place. While many students are sprinting to win a place in public schools, the group of candidates registering for specialized schools is facing even greater pressure due to increasing competition.
In the 2026-2027 school year, Ho Chi Minh City has 5 specialized schools including: 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 (under Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training) and High School for the Gifted (under Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City). All schools enroll students nationwide.
In which, Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted has a competition ratio of up to 1/7 - meaning that for every 7 registered candidates, only 1 is admitted, which makes the race to specialized schools more stressful.
Le Gia Khanh, a 9th grade student at Nguyen Du Secondary School, said that she registered both regular and specialized aspirations in this year's 10th grade entrance exam.
In the specialized system, Gia Khanh registered for English specialization at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted and Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted. In addition, Gia Khanh also registered to take the exam at the High School for the Gifted.
To prepare for the exam, the male student maintained a dense schedule from the beginning of the 9th grade school year.
I study at school from morning to afternoon, then go to extra classes until about 8 pm. On days without extra classes, I study at home, mainly for Math, Literature and English because these are subjects I want to improve further," Gia Khanh shared.
According to Gia Khanh, the busiest day of the week is Saturday with three consecutive classes. In the morning, I study Math from 8am to 11am, in the afternoon I study Literature from 1pm to 3pm and in the evening I study specialized English from 6pm to 9pm.
Despite a tight schedule, he still tries to arrange his own time to maintain a stable study schedule. The male student said that there were times when he felt tired and pressured, but always encouraged himself to try his best for the goal of entering a specialized school.
Outside of school hours, she almost temporarily stops sports activities such as basketball and badminton to focus on studying for exams. The rare relaxation time usually falls on Sunday afternoon.
Khanh said that family is the biggest source of encouragement in the final sprint when parents regularly encourage and share with him about the opportunities if he is admitted to the desired school.
Similarly, Nguyen Khanh Linh also registered her aspirations for a specialized Literature class at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted and High School for the Gifted.
Khanh Linh said that from the beginning of 9th grade, she has entered a stressful learning cycle to prepare for the 10th grade exam. Every day, she studies at school in the morning, then continues to study extra until about 9 pm before returning home.
After returning, I still continued to study on my own until about 0 am before going to bed," Khanh Linh said.
The female student is currently studying four more subjects, including three regular subjects and one specialized subject spanning days throughout the week.
According to Khanh Linh, a tight schedule is necessary in the final sprint. "I think everyone now has to try to study because this is an important time to prepare for the exam," Khanh Linh shared.
However, the high competition rate in this year's entrance exam still makes female students inevitably worried.
I almost don't dare to take time to rest because I always think other friends are trying harder than me," Khanh Linh said.
To prepare psychologically, the female student said that she often practices questions with a higher difficulty than usual, especially for Math - a subject that is not her forte.
This year, the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City has more than 151,000 registered candidates, the total target for public high schools is about more than 118,000 students.
The group of 4 specialized schools under the Department alone has more than 11,000 registered candidates, the total enrollment quota of these 4 schools is more than 2,310.
The High School for the Gifted enrolls 595 students through a separate exam, the school has not yet announced the number of registered candidates.
The entrance exam to 10th grade public schools in Ho Chi Minh City will take place in two days, June 1st and 2nd, with three compulsory subjects including Literature, Mathematics and Foreign Language. Candidates registering for specialized or integrated classes will take additional specialized or integrated subjects accordingly.
