Candidates taking exams are the number 1 priority
For more than 1 year, Ms. Huong has put aside all work, spending all her time taking care of her child's every meal, closely following her child's final exam schedule. During the day, in addition to work, Ms. Huong is busy cooking, picking up and dropping off her child from school. Late at night, when her child sits doing the Math mock exam, she continues to sit next to her to check the answers, reminding her child to drink milk...
Ms. Huong's child placed the first wish at Nhan Chinh High School (Nhan Chinh ward). Last year, this school took a benchmark score of 24 points, so to be sure of passing, Ms. Huong estimated that her child must achieve an average of 8.5 points per subject. Through surveys, tests, and the advice of the homeroom teacher, Ms. Huong assessed that this level her child can achieve, but at a precarious level, it is necessary to try and maintain calm psychology when taking the exam. Therefore, in this final stage, her child's studies must be prioritized number 1.
It feels like it's not my child taking the 10th grade exam, but the whole family taking the exam together" - Ms. Huong said with a smile.
Ms. Le Thi Ha's family (Cau Giay ward) is also in a situation of "going to the exam with candidates". Her child finishes class at 5 pm and then has an extra class at 7 pm, evenly distributed 3 subjects: Math, Literature, Foreign Language. The distance from school to extra classes is not far, but if Ms. Ha picks up her child to go home to rest, have dinner and then go to extra classes, it will not be convenient because it is rush hour, traffic jams. Therefore, to save time and effort, every day, after school, Ms. Ha's son will move with friends to a coffee shop near the school, taking advantage of studying for the exam. Ms. Ha will stay home to prepare meals, pack them in lunch boxes, and move there.
“My child has a close friend studying together for the exam. The two mothers take turns asking for early leave from work in the afternoon to bring rice and water to the two children. It's a bit hard, but the children have more time to study and rest. The most important thing is to eat rice that the mother prepares herself to ensure nutrition” - Ms. Ha said.
Finding ways to reduce pressure for children
The story of Ms. Huong and Ms. Ha is not an isolated case. In the days leading up to the 10th grade public school entrance exam, the pressure of extra classes, tutoring and choosing schools is becoming a constant concern for many families in Hanoi. In the context of the high competition rate for public high schools for many consecutive years, many parents accept to manage time, finance and even family rhythm to accompany their children to overcome the important exam.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Hoai (Kim Ma ward, Hanoi) understands these pressures and stresses best because she accompanied her child through the 10th grade public school entrance exam in Hanoi last year.
Although her daughter excellently passed the Vu Mon exam and was admitted according to her wishes to Le Quy Don High School - Dong Da, Ms. Hoai still cannot forget the time when the whole family "followed" her child's schedule.
“My child is studying for the exam all week, outside the center, there are also tutors coming to the house. My child lives in the same room with her younger sister, so for convenience, the large, spacious living room is given as a study space for my child. All activities must be light to have a quiet space for my child to study. Costly is one thing, but the atmosphere of the whole family at that time was very tense” - Ms. Hoai said.
After "overcoming the Vu Mon gate" with her eldest daughter, not wanting her younger daughter to continue the journey like that, Ms. Hoai and her husband discussed and changed their thinking and orientation for the second child because the child's academic performance is not outstanding, but he is outward-looking and has a talent for music and fine arts.
Next year, when I go to 8th grade, I will still take the 10th grade public school entrance exam, but my mother has oriented me that if I am not admitted, I will go to a private school near my house, so my studies are light and fun. I have more time to study aptitude subjects instead of studying Math, Literature, and English in rush like my peers. I don't want my child and the whole family to go through a stressful period like with their eldest daughter" - Ms. Hoai shared.
Students need to train to grow up
Dr. Vu Thu Huong - former lecturer of the Faculty of Primary Education, Hanoi National University of Education, said that the 10th grade entrance exam is an important exam, helping students learn how to overcome challenges. Students must face learning pressure, manage time, overcome knowledge gaps, and know how to self-assess their abilities to choose suitable aspirations. The exam is also an opportunity for them to understand themselves better, and at the same time prove their learning process and supplement missing knowledge.
However, Ms. Huong also understands the pressure of parents and students and believes that the pressure of the exam largely comes from the media because when the whole society focuses too much on exams, students will feel even more stressed.
She believes that to reduce the pressure of the exam, the fundamental solution is to do a good job of classifying students after secondary school. At that time, the competition rate will naturally decrease, and the pressure will also decrease accordingly.
22,000 students proactively do not take the 10th grade exam in Hanoi
According to data from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, in the 2025 - 2026 school year, the whole city has about 147,000 secondary school graduates, an increase of more than 20,000 students compared to the previous year. However, the public school system meets about 55% of students.
Also according to data from the Department, this year, about 22,000 9th grade students have proactively not registered for the 10th grade entrance exam. This number is a welcome sign, reflecting a clear change in the thinking of parents and students, when they do not consider going to public schools as their sole goal. And the group of students registering for the 10th grade entrance exam also breathed a sigh of relief because when the number of students taking the exam decreased, the competition rate also decreased accordingly.
One of the reasons for this change is the new points in enrollment work. When Hanoi abolished regulations on enrollment areas and allowed students to register for enrollment according to their place of residence (permanent residence or temporary residence), many parents put the criteria of "choosing schools near home, suitable for their abilities" first, carefully considering based on their children's actual academic performance, family conditions and travel ability to make a decision to choose a school.
