Nguyen Hoai Nam - a 12th grade student in Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City - shared: "I study quite regularly, but if I only rely on the graduation exam, the risk is huge. If you are under pressure or your health is not good on the exam day, you will lose all your opportunities. Considering academic records at least helps us have a safe choice".
Similarly, Mai Hong - another 12th grade student - believes that considering her academic records will give her more opportunities to go to university without having to endure too much pressure, especially in rural areas and areas with difficult conditions.
"I moved from my hometown to Ho Chi Minh City to live and study since the beginning of grade 9. In fact, I find that the learning conditions in the city are much better than in the countryside. There are many centers for exam preparation and extra learning, which are very convenient for students if they want to participate in studying. In the countryside, there are not many exam preparation and extra study centers but they are often far away. If they abandon their transcripts, many students will have limited access to university. I feel a bit disadvantaged for students in remote areas," Mai Hong said.
This worry is also shared by many parents. Ms. Nguyen Hoang Lan, whose daughter is in grade 12, said that the family was very surprised to hear that her high school transcripts were planned to be dropped.
"The transcript reflects the entire 3-year study process, not just the results of an exam. Many students study regularly and hard, if they only consider admission based on exams, they will lose their opportunities. I think we need to consider carefully before deciding," said Ms. Lan.
Ms. Tran Thi Bich - another parent - said that it should not be completely abolished but should only be tightened, limiting the percentage of the quota based on transcripts.
"I think we should keep it as a secondary channel, but the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) needs to strictly control scoring in general education to avoid the situation where everywhere has only 9 or 10 points," Ms. Bich expressed.
On the other hand, many students support the removal of high school transcripts because they think that the scores in schools are not uniform.
Nguyen Hoang Long - a 12th grade student at a high school in Ho Chi Minh City - said that the results of reviewing transcripts will not be completely fair because each teacher and school will give different scores and assessments.
"High school admissions are a race, so I think students will participate in the exam together, so the results will be very fair. The exam results will more accurately demonstrate the abilities of each student," Hoang Long shared.
Mr. Doan Thanh (Binh Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has two daughters, one of whom is in grade 10, said that there is still a situation where the school scores lightly, while some places are very strict.
"Such as academic records cannot be a general measure. Removing high school transcripts will make children try harder, avoiding the situation of running for points and asking for points to have a good profile", Mr. Thanh expressed.
Statistics in 2025 show that more than 42% of candidates use their academic records for university admission, exceeding the rate of using graduation exam scores by 39.1%.
