According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (GDĐT), the entrance exam to 10th grade in 2026 is expected to be held on two days, January and February. 6. This time is about a week earlier than some previous years to be consistent with the general plan of the education sector and the high school graduation exam schedule expected to take place on June 11-12.
Candidates registering for public 10th grade will take three compulsory subjects including: Literature, Mathematics and Foreign Language (mainly English). Students registering for specialized or integrated classes will take additional specialized or integrated subjects corresponding to their registered aspirations.
Regarding the exam structure, the Department of Education and Training said that it is basically stable compared to recent years. It is expected that in each exam subject, about 60% of questions are at the level of recognition and understanding and 40% at the level of application and high application.
The exam questions continue to be built according to the orientation of assessing students' ability to apply knowledge, linking subject knowledge with practical issues in life, in line with the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program.
In Mathematics, the scope of assessment belongs to the secondary school math program according to the 2018 General Education Program, including knowledge circuits: Geometry and measurement; Numbers and algebra; Statistics and probability.
For Literature, the materials in the exam will not be taken directly from textbooks but will use essays or information documents. The total length of materials in the exam is expected to be no more than 1,300 words.
The paragraph writing part (about 200 words) has one of two requirements to be met: Write a paragraph recording feelings about a poem or a paragraph of poetry. Write a paragraph analyzing the content of the topic, the unique features of the art form of the work and its aesthetic effect.
Writing essays requires meeting one of two requirements: Writing an argumentative essay on a problem of life, clearly presenting the problem and opinions (consent or objection) of the writer on that issue; stating convincing reasons and evidence.
Write an essay on an issue that needs to be resolved; present a feasible and persuasive solution.
In English, language proficiency assessment is not only based on students' memorized knowledge of grammar and vocabulary; it is required to assess the ability to understand and apply language knowledge to appropriate contexts, especially real-life situations.
It is expected that the English exam will have 2 new questions about writing appropriate phrases according to available information. This question tests the ability to read notes in dictionaries to search for language information and apply knowledge.
Exam sample for 10th grade entrance exam in 2026, see Here
2026 is forecast to be a large-scale 10th grade entrance exam when the whole city currently has about 170,000 9th grade students studying in secondary schools.
It is expected that about 70% of secondary school graduates will continue to study at public high schools.
In addition to the main form of competitive examination, in special areas such as Thanh An island commune and Con Dao special zone, the admission method can be applied.
