On Wednesday morning, around 95,000 students in Hanoi started the high school exam which will end on June 10. It is seen quite tough due to the sharp rise in the number of candidates compared to the total target of the city’s high school in the year is just 63,050. 

Despite the scorching hot weather, thousands of students came to the Temple of Literature after finishing procedures to attend the exam on June 6. Many went there along with their parents. 

Many tried to touch the flamingo statue when they are banned from touching the doctoral steles which sit on the backs of stone turtles, hoping this would bring them luck. 

Nguyen Kim Ngan in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, said her child had to study very hard for the exam, so she took her the temple as a way to help her to be more relaxed. 

Lots of students used bare hands to write what they prayed for the exam on the wall.