Vietnam's 2026 National High School Graduation Examination rankings saw significant changes compared with the previous year, with Ninh Binh rising to the top of the national table while Tuyen Quang and several other provinces recorded some of the strongest improvements.

New leader emerges

Based on the average scores across all examination subjects, Ninh Binh ranked first nationwide with an average score of 6.320, overtaking last year's top-performing province.

It was followed by Hanoi (6.177), Hai Phong (6.167), Nghe An (6.166) and Ha Tinh (6.149).

In 2025, Nghe An led the country with an average score of 6.52, followed by Ha Tinh (6.48), while Ninh Binh ranked third with 6.45.

Top 10 sees major changes

The composition of the top 10 remained largely familiar, but the order changed considerably.

Ninh Binh climbed from third to first, while Hanoi moved up two places from fourth to second.

The biggest mover among the leading provinces was Hai Phong, which rose four places from seventh to third.

Meanwhile, Nghe An, the 2025 champion, slipped to fourth, while Ha Tinh dropped from second to fifth. Phu Tho also fell one place to sixth.

Ho Chi Minh City remained among the country's top performers. After ranking sixth in 2025 with an average score of 6.27, the city placed seventh in 2026 with 6.040, slipping one position.

Both Hue and Hung Yen climbed two places to finish eighth and ninth, respectively, while Bac Ninh edged down from ninth to tenth.

Tuyen Quang among the biggest improvers

Outside the top 10, several provinces made notable advances.

Dong Thap climbed from 16th to 12th, while Quang Tri improved from 18th to 13th.

The largest improvement came from Lam Dong, which surged from 24th in 2025 to 15th in 2026, gaining nine places.

Tuyen Quang also recorded one of the strongest performances, jumping from 30th to 17th, an improvement of 13 places.

Other notable gains included Khanh Hoa, which rose from 28th to 20th, and Gia Lai, which advanced from 31st to 23rd.

According to the rankings, these provinces recorded substantial improvements across multiple subjects, particularly in the natural sciences and social sciences.

Several provinces fall sharply

While some provinces climbed the rankings, others experienced significant declines.

Tay Ninh dropped from 18th to 28th, falling 10 places.

Vinh Long slipped from 23rd to 33rd, while Dien Bien fell from 27th to 31st.

Dak Lak declined from 31st to 32nd, Thanh Hoa dropped from eighth to 11th, and Quang Ninh moved down from 12th to 14th.

Son La remains at the bottom

The five lowest-ranked localities in 2026 were Son La, Vinh Long, Dak Lak, Dien Bien and Cao Bang.

Son La remained at the bottom of the national rankings for the second consecutive year, recording an average score of 4.979, the lowest among Vietnam's 34 provinces and centrally governed cities following the country's administrative restructuring.

In 2025, the bottom five consisted of Son La, Cao Bang, Lai Chau, Dak Lak and Tuyen Quang.

Lai Chau showed significant improvement this year, climbing to 26th, while Vinh Long dropped sharply from the middle of the table to second from last.

Northern provinces continue to dominate

The 2026 rankings show that northern Vietnam and the North Central region continued to dominate the country's educational performance.

Eight of the top 10 localities were from those regions: Ninh Binh, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Phu Tho, Hung Yen and Bac Ninh.

Ho Chi Minh City was the only southern locality to secure a place in the top 10.

The rankings also suggest that competition among the leading provinces has become increasingly close.

The gap between first-placed Ninh Binh (6.320) and Bac Ninh, ranked tenth (5.909), was only about 0.41 points, indicating relatively even performance among the country's highest-performing localities.

By contrast, the gap between the highest- and lowest-ranked provinces remained substantial.

With an average score of 4.979, Son La trailed national leader Ninh Binh by approximately 1.34 points.

Le Huyen