Vietnam’s biggest exam kicks off

The two-day exam begins with Literature, with a two-hour test starting 7:35 a.m.

In Hanoi, around 98,000 students woke up from 4-5 a.m. to have breakfast and prepare for the day ahead. Students need to be present at exam ground from 6:45 a.m., but many decided to go early anyway to be able to respond to any mishap on the road.

At the Yen Hoa Middle School in Cau Giay District, no student showed up late. Thanks to spacious sidewalks and police personnel directing the flow of traffic, there was no congestion at the school gates. Students’ family members were directed to the Yen Hoa Primary School and the Cau Giay District Cultural House to wait.

At the Nam Trung Yen Middle School, Hoang Viet, a 20-year-old army recruit, said he was present on the grounds from 6 a.m. His platoon is stationed around two kilometers from the examination site so it didn’t take him much time to get to the location.

He only brought with him necessities like documents required for the examination, as well as pens and rulers.

In Da Nang’s Tran Phu High School, students also arrived from early morning to review study materials. Over 40 volunteers were stationed at the location to help students go through procedures.

Outside the school gates, some parents ran back and forth to request volunteers to check the documents for the examination to see if there’s anything missing.

In Ho Chi Minh City, over 85,000 students went to around 158 examination grounds. At the Trung Vuong High School, parents gathering at the school gates caused a small traffic jam. Authorities were dispatched to direct the flow of traffic.

In Can Tho, over 12,000 students participated in the Literature exam Thursday morning.

After finishing their Literature exam, students will move onto Math in the afternoon starting 2:30 p.m. They will participate in the examination for either natural sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) or social sciences (History, Geography, Ethics) on Friday morning, and finally foreign language in the afternoon.

The exam results will decide if they can get into their desired universities.