Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training, authorities in Tuyen Quang Province and provincial police are investigating an unusual concentration of perfect mathematics scores in the 2026 national high school graduation examination after data showed that 147 candidates with closely numbered registration IDs all received perfect marks.

The case has attracted nationwide attention following an analysis of official examination results released by the ministry.

According to the data, Tuyen Quang recorded 154 perfect scores in the mathematics exam among more than 17,000 candidates who sat the test. Of those, 147 - more than 95% of all perfect scores in the province - were concentrated within a block of 328 candidates whose examination registration numbers ranged from 080163xx to 080166xx.

The province also recorded the country's second-highest proportion of perfect mathematics scores relative to total candidates, at 0.876%, behind only Ha Tinh Province at 0.913%.

An analysis of the province's mathematics score distribution also found an unusual pattern compared with other subjects. The number of perfect scores exceeded the number of candidates receiving several lower high-score bands, including 9.2, 9.4, 9.6 and 9.8.

Education ministry launches review

The Ministry of Education and Training said it had identified several issues requiring further clarification after reviewing the examination results.

On July 2, a ministry working delegation traveled to Tuyen Quang to work with provincial authorities and relevant agencies to examine the results in accordance with national examination regulations and established procedures.

The ministry said the review is being conducted urgently, objectively and comprehensively to determine the facts. It added that any violations, if identified, would be handled strictly in accordance with the law and existing examination regulations.

Officials said further information will be released once the review has been completed.

Police join investigation

Provincial police confirmed they are working alongside the provincial Department of Education and Training to verify the examination results.

According to a provincial source speaking to VietNamNet, investigators are reviewing unusually high mathematics scores and may conduct re-marking and formal appeals procedures where required under existing regulations.

Later, Tuyen Quang Provincial Police issued a public statement confirming that specialist units were coordinating with education authorities and other relevant agencies to conduct a thorough, objective and cautious review.

The police said findings would be announced after official conclusions are reached.

Provincial authorities order comprehensive inspection

On July 3, Chairman of the Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee Phan Huy Ngoc convened a meeting with the provincial examination steering committee after reports of the unusual results emerged.

He instructed the provincial examination council to review every stage of the examination process at testing sites where large numbers of high mathematics scores were recorded, including examination supervision, question paper security, answer sheet handling, anonymous coding procedures, marking, score entry and examination database management.

Authorities were also directed to compare examination data with information reported by the media and to provide timely and accurate official updates to prevent misinformation and public speculation.

The provincial government subsequently submitted a report to the Prime Minister, the National Examination Steering Committee and the provincial Party leadership outlining measures being taken.

All perfect-score papers to be rechecked

According to the provincial report, the 2026 examination in Tuyen Quang involved 18,218 registered candidates, including 17,017 Grade 12 students and 1,201 independent candidates, across 62 examination sites with 929 examination rooms.

A total of 71,416 examination papers were marked, including 17,896 essay papers and 53,520 multiple-choice papers.

Authorities ordered the withdrawal of every mathematics paper awarded a perfect score for re-examination to determine whether there were any signs of answer alteration or score manipulation.

Officials also instructed education authorities to review the academic records of every candidate receiving a perfect mathematics score in order to assess each student's mathematics performance over previous school years.

Meanwhile, provincial police have deployed 60 officers to review all stages of the examination process. Investigators have also been tasked with interviewing candidates and examination invigilators involved in mathematics examination rooms, while verifying whether any relationships existed between invigilators and candidates.

The provincial government said that any evidence of examination regulation violations or criminal conduct would be investigated promptly and handled strictly under Vietnamese law, with "no prohibited areas and no exceptions."

Initial review finds no procedural violations

The provincial government said an initial review of the examination site at the center of public attention found that 329 candidates had registered for the mathematics exam, with 328 actually sitting the test.

Among those candidates, 146 received perfect scores, while 150 scored nine points or higher, leaving only a small number below nine.

Officials also stated that the provincial examination steering committee's preliminary assessment found that all stages of the examination had been conducted in accordance with national regulations and that no procedural irregularities had yet been identified.

However, authorities emphasized that verification remains ongoing and that investigations by both education officials and police will continue until a final conclusion is reached.

Thanh Hung - Duc Phong