In the mountainous commune of Muong Lat in Thanh Hoa Province, Nguyen Nam Son, principal of Muong Lat High School, supports limiting the exam to mathematics and literature.

“Organizing examinations in three subjects not only costs the state and local authorities more money, but also places additional pressure on students,” Son said.

According to him, if the third subject is not part of the subject combination a student intends to pursue in high school, testing it may offer limited value.

While acknowledging that a two-subject exam would reduce pressure on students, the principal of a lower secondary school in Hanoi said removing the third subject, particularly English, could mean missing an opportunity to advance Vietnam’s goal of making English a second language in schools.

Tran Chau Giang, a parent in Hanoi, believes provincial education departments should be allowed to determine the number of entrance exam subjects according to local conditions.

In disadvantaged provinces and areas, he said, examinations in mathematics and literature alone may be appropriate. In major cities such as Hanoi, however, two subjects may not be enough.

Giang said students’ English proficiency has improved significantly over the years, while many families in major cities now have their children learn foreign languages from an early age because they regard such skills as essential for both education and future employment.

In his view, foreign languages are becoming increasingly important and should be treated alongside mathematics and literature.

“I think the three fixed subjects - mathematics, literature and English - should remain in the Grade 10 entrance examination, at least in major cities,” Giang said.

Fewer exams, but how to prevent students from neglecting other subjects?

Ho Tuan Anh, principal of Quynh Phuong Lower Secondary School in Quynh Mai Ward, Nghe An Province, said that before deciding whether students should take two or three subjects, the ministry needs to clearly define the purpose of the Grade 10 entrance examination.

“If the Grade 10 exam is intended both to assess the quality of lower secondary education and to select students for admission, then naturally more subjects need to be tested to provide a comprehensive assessment,” Tuan Anh said. “But if its sole purpose is Grade 10 admission and directing students into different educational pathways after lower secondary school, the number of exam subjects should be reduced as much as possible. The fewer, the better.”

He personally supports testing only mathematics and literature, arguing that they are two fundamental subjects and sufficient to assess students’ entry-level abilities. A two-subject exam would also ease pressure on students while reducing the financial burden on parents and public expenditure.

“In the past, many provinces and cities also used only two subjects for Grade 10 entrance exams. If the ministry could even devise a system that did not require an exam while still ensuring quality and fairness in admissions, that would be even better,” he said.

However, Tuan Anh cautioned that testing only mathematics and literature could affect teaching and learning, potentially encouraging students to concentrate disproportionately on those subjects unless schools maintain strong oversight.

“Even with three exam subjects, it is difficult to eliminate this problem completely. Promoting comprehensive education requires direction and responsibility from authorities at every level and from individual educational institutions,” he said.

Nguyen Tung Lam, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, said whether the third subject should remain in the Grade 10 entrance examination needs to be considered from several perspectives.

With the number of public high schools still limited relative to the student population, Lam said the Grade 10 entrance examination remains one way to assess applicants and select those most suited for available places.

Testing more subjects, however, requires students to spend more time preparing and can increase examination pressure.

Lam said another problem is the “if it isn’t tested, students won’t study it” mentality among some students and within society.

“If the examination focuses only on mathematics and literature, other subjects risk being neglected, while the objective of general education is comprehensive development,” he said. “Reducing the number of exam subjects must therefore be accompanied by measures ensuring students continue to study and are properly assessed across all subjects.”

Whether the entrance examination ultimately includes two or three subjects, Lam said the key requirement is to maintain consistent educational quality and rigorous assessment across the curriculum rather than allowing teaching and learning to revolve solely around subjects used for admission.

Thanh Hung