VietNamNet Bridge – Students throughout the country who must take high school graduation exams at various venues are finding free accommodations through the Facebook page of HCM City's Exam Season Assistance's Student Assistance Centre.

A man from Dong Nai Province's Bien Hoa City, for example, whose son will take the exam on July 1-4 at Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in HCM City's Tan Binh District, has found a free room via Facebook.

Under a decision by the Ministry of Education and Training, the university entrance exam and the high school exam will be combined into one this year.

The exam's results will determine if students can graduate from high school and qualify for admission to universities, colleges or vocational training schools.

In the combined exam, students will sit for tests of eight subjects: maths, literature, foreign language, physics, chemistry, biology, history and geography.

Students can also call a hotline at HCM City's Student Assistance Centre.

People who want to offer free accommodations can post their offer on the Facebook page.

Quach Hai Dat, head of the Student Assistance Centre of HCM City, said that 35,000 accommodations, including more than 6,000 free rooms, would be provided.

As many as 60,000 bus tickets and 200,000 bus and city maps as well as 200,000 booklets about the exams are available for students.

At a launching ceremony held last Sunday in Ha Noi, Le Quoc Phong, chairman of the Viet Nam Students Association, said the programme this year would be held in 23 provinces and cities.

As of last Sunday, as many as 3,312 voluntary teams with 53,000 volunteers had been established in the country.

The programme targets providing 22,277 free accommodations, 102,850 rooms at cheap prices and 57,856 free meals nationwide.

The volunteer program-me over the last 13 years has attracted a large number of students from universities, colleges and vocational schools.

Traffic safety

The Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union and the National Committee for Traffic Safety have introduced 38 voluntary teams who will work to ensure traffic safety during the national high school graduation exam 2015.

Secretary of the committee and President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Nguyen Phi Long said the volunteers will be arranged at cities and provinces nationwide where the exams will take place.

They are responsible for working with relevant agencies to raise public awareness of obeying traffic laws, regulating flow and handling accidents.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Khuat Viet Hung said a number of measures had been enacted to ensure traffic safety and support means of transport for candidates and their family members during the exam.

The volunteer teams will commence their duties on June 21.

VNS