Candidates at Lý Bôn High School test site, Thư Trì commune, Hưng Yên province. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — More than 1.2 million pupils nationwide sat the first day of the 2026 national high school graduation exams yesterday, taking compulsory literature in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon.

Literature, a 120‑minute written exam and the only essay paper, drew 1,208,356 registered candidates. Mathematics was a 90‑minute multiple‑choice test with 1,204,180 registered.

Candidates must also sit a combined test made up of two subjects chosen from: physics, chemistry, biology, industry technology, agricultural technology, informatics, foreign language, history, geography, economics and law. Candidates may take a foreign language different from the one taught at their school.

Mobile phones, smartwatches, communication devices, recording equipment, notes and any other devices that could facilitate cheating are banned from exam sites. Violations may lead to suspension and other penalties.

A delegation led by a deputy director of Ninh Bình provincial police inspects exam arrangements at Phủ Lý B High School and A Duy Tiên High School.

Huỳnh Văn Chương, director general of the Department of Quality Management under the Ministry of Education and Training, said the structure and format of the 2026 papers follow the 2025 exam and previously released sample papers. Content is drawn from the national high‑school curriculum, mainly grade 12, with some questions from grades 10 and 11. Questions are designed across cognitive levels: knowledge, understanding and application.

The 2026 exam continues to assess students’ competencies and qualities and includes application questions that require solving real‑life problems, according to Chương.

Multiple‑choice papers will include several formats, single best answer, true/false and short answers, with varying point values per question.

The ministry has continued using source texts outside the textbook for literature, a change introduced in 2025 to encourage teaching and learning that develop skills rather than rote memorisation.

Yesterday, the ministry teams inspected exam operations in Hưng Yên province and Cần Thơ City.

Pupils outside Đoàn Kết-Hai Bà Trưng High School ahead of the Mathematics paper, the second test of the 2026 graduation exams.

Education Minister Hoàng Minh Sơn visited Kim Động High School in Hưng Yên Province, where he commended thorough preparations including facilities, security, contingency plans and briefings for proctors and candidates.

“Organisers must remain highly responsible and focused to ensure the exam is safe, objective and compliant,” the minister said, urging police, volunteers and utility workers to support candidates.

Hưng Yên registered more than 43,000 candidates across 70 sites, with over 1,800 exam rooms and some 7,400 staff and teachers mobilised, officials said.

Deputy Minister Nguyễn Thị Quyên Thanh inspected Ô Môn High School in Cần Thơ City, commending contingency planning and inter‑agency coordination.

More than 34,000 candidates in Cần Thơ sat the Literature paper on Thursday morning.

Officials highlighted support for disadvantaged and special‑needs students, and a city 'Exam support' campaign that raised about VNĐ2.6 billion to provide meals, supplies, accommodation and transport at some 80 sites.

Relatives wait outside an exam site in Ngô Sĩ Liên Secondary School, Hà Nội, as candidates finish the first paper.

Students leaving the Literature paper yesterday morning said the test was manageable and topical, with themes of contribution and technological development.

"At first glance, the reading was long but not difficult," said Đồng Lê Hưng, a student at Việt Đức High School, Hà Nội.

Some called the combination of poetry analysis and argumentative writing novel but fair. They said the paper followed the structure the ministry had released and suited young people’s thinking.

Lê Minh Quân, a candidate in Hà Nội, said his preparation in reading and argumentation paid off, but that some tasks required broader social reasoning.

Teachers praised the paper as aligned with the 2018 curriculum and said it tested appropriate reading and writing skills while allowing differentiation among students.

Twelve candidates were suspended from yesterday morning’s Literature exam, 11 for using mobile phones and one for possessing unauthorised materials. They will be barred from further sessions.

In HCM City, nearly 143,000 candidates also began the 2026 national high‑school graduation exams yesterday, the country’s largest cohort.

Tests were held at 246 sites with nearly 6,000 rooms and more than 25,000 staff mobilised.

Eight candidates received special assistance for hand injuries or disabilities and sat in separate rooms under invigilators and camera monitoring.

Thirty students from Thạnh An Island commune were transferred to mainland sites and housed at a local school.

Local authorities in the Côn Đảo special zone also planned air transport for exam materials.

The Ministry of Education and Training said over 1.22 million students registered, a record, up 61,642 from 2025 and about 156,000 from 2024. Nearly 2,500 test sites and close to 50,000 rooms were arranged nationwide. — VNS

Volunteer youths assist candidates outside Đoàn Kết-Hai Bà Trưng High School, Hà Nội, before the Mathematics paper.