Eight students from a Chinese-language class at a Vietnamese high school have been admitted to Tsinghua and Peking universities, two of China’s most prestigious institutions.
Figures from the Foreign Language Specialized School, affiliated with the University of Languages and International Studies under Vietnam National University, Hanoi, show that eight students from its 2024-2026 Chinese-language class, known as E55, have secured places at the two universities.
Six will continue their studies at Tsinghua University, while two will attend Peking University.
Students from the 2024-2026 Chinese-language class, E55, at the Foreign Language Specialized School pose with homeroom teacher Chu Minh Ngoc, wearing a red ao dai. Photo: Courtesy of the class
Several other members of the class have also gained admission to leading Chinese institutions, including Renmin University of China, Nanjing University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and Nanjing University of the Arts.
Another 16 students won scholarships to study abroad, including three who received financial aid packages worth a combined VND8 billion (US$304,000) from US universities.
In Vietnam, members of the class have also secured places at leading institutions including Foreign Trade University, National Economics University and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.
One student, Hoang Bao Anh, was the top-scoring incoming student at Foreign Trade University in 2026. She achieved an IELTS score of 8.5 and a perfect SAT score of 1600, giving her the maximum converted admission score of 30 out of 30. She was admitted to the university’s Advanced Program in Business Administration.
Over their three years of high school, students in the class won 13 prizes in Vietnam’s national competition for outstanding students in Chinese. Most have achieved HSK Level 6, the highest level in the standard Chinese-language proficiency examination, while many have IELTS scores of between 8.0 and 8.5.
Speaking to VietNamNet, homeroom teacher Chu Minh Ngoc said she was delighted with what the class had accomplished.
Behind the results, she said, were the sustained efforts and perseverance of each student, along with close support from their families and teachers.
“As their homeroom teacher, what makes me happiest is being able to watch them grow, become more confident and reach the goals and dreams they have set for themselves,” Ngoc said.
She described E55 as a lively, colorful and energetic group.
“They are not only strong academically but also multi-talented and highly active in extracurricular activities. Each has their own strengths and personality,” she said.
“What impressed me most is that the class has, to some extent, broken with the traditional image of the school’s previous Chinese-language classes, which tended to be quieter and less expressive.
“In E55, the students are more dynamic and proactive. They are willing to express themselves and are always full of surprises. That difference has created a class with a character all its own - academically strong, talented, energetic and full of life.”
Ngoc said one of her most memorable experiences during her three years with the class came as the students prepared for a school program in which literary works were adapted for the stage. Their performance was titled “Bac Le Sacred Temple.”
“It was an exhausting period, but also an incredibly memorable one,” she said. “What impressed me most was that the students organized almost everything themselves, from assigning tasks and drawing up plans to preparing costumes, props and logistics, as well as managing the budget.
“They did not simply rehearse. They actively researched elements of traditional culture and worked out how to incorporate them appropriately, making the performance as authentic and vivid as possible.
“On the day of the performance, I could feel the entire auditorium almost fall silent as everyone was drawn into the world they had created. Everything the students had put into the process was rewarded by the audience’s attention and emotion. It was truly one of the moments when I felt most proud of them,” she added.
More importantly, Ngoc said, the experience helped the students mature and brought them closer together.
They learned how to work as a team, take responsibility for their individual roles, support one another and overcome challenges together.
Ngoc said she believed the experiences and skills they had accumulated would help the students continue to make progress and achieve even greater things in the future.
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