On March 25, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved the plan to mobilize children to attend classes and enroll students in the first grades of the 2026-2027 school year.
In which, the content of public 10th grade enrollment has many notable points such as the enrollment method, 2-stage process and exam schedule at the beginning of June 2026.
According to the plan, the exam subjects are students who have completed the secondary school program in the 2026-2027 school year in Ho Chi Minh City, within the prescribed age.
Ho Chi Minh City applies two enrollment methods including admission consideration and entrance exams. Specifically, some specialized schools implement admission consideration such as Thanh An Secondary and High School (Thanh An commune), Vo Thi Sau High School (Con Dao special zone) and ethnic minority boarding schools, with students studying at these units themselves or according to separate regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.
For the remaining public high schools, students will participate in the entrance exam.
10th grade entrance exam divided into 2 phases
In phase 1, students register 3 nguyện vọng (priority 1, 2, 3) for public high schools, excluding specialized schools such as 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 and High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City).
Phase 2 is supplementary enrollment, which is considered for organization depending on the actual situation. The subjects are students who have taken the exam but were not admitted to all 3 previous aspirations.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training noted that secondary schools need to advise students to choose schools close to their residence, suitable for their abilities and family conditions. The city's enrollment system will support calculating the distance from the place of residence (according to VNeID) to the registered aspirations.
In case the distance exceeds regulations (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 consultation record.
Notably, after the deadline for adjusting aspirations or after having admission results, students are not allowed to change aspirations. If students are admitted but do not enroll on time without a valid reason, students will lose the right to be admitted and will not be allowed to participate in subsequent admissions in the same school year.
The 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year is expected to take place on June 1 and 2. 2026 with 3 essay exams including Math, Literature (120 minutes/subject) and Foreign Language (90 minutes). Candidates registering for specialized or integrated classes will take additional specialized subjects or integrated exams accordingly.
The exam score is calculated on a scale of 10, taking up to 0.25; all subjects have a coefficient of 1. The admission score is the total score of 3 exams plus priority and encouragement points (maximum 3.5 points).
Candidates who want to be admitted must take all 3 subjects and not have any exam papers with a score of 0.
Students register 3 aspirations in priority order; when admitted to any aspiration, they must enroll in that aspiration and cannot change it.
4 specialized high schools enroll students through entrance exams
For specialized grade 10 enrollment, students must meet additional conditions on academic ability and conduct. Specifically, candidates must have training and study results in grades 6, 7, 8 from "Good" or higher, especially grade 9 reaching "Good".
Specialized high schools include: Le Hong Phong Specialized High School, Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School, Hung Vuong Specialized High School and Le Quy Don Specialized High School are allowed to receive students from other provinces and cities if they fully meet the regulations.
The admission score for specialized classes is calculated according to the formula: Math + Literature + Foreign Language + (specialized subject x 2). In which, non-specialized subjects have a coefficient of 1, specialized subjects have a coefficient of 2.
Students are allowed to register a maximum of 2 aspirations for specialized classes and must be arranged in priority order. When admitted to any aspiration, candidates must study at that aspiration and must not change it.
Notably, if students are not admitted or not enrolled in specialized schools (including High Schools for the Gifted), they are still allowed to participate in the admission consideration for 10th grade public schools according to 3 common aspirations registered previously.
