This information is part of the 2025-2026 academic year plan from the Ministry of Education and Training, released on 11/8.
According to the plan, the opening ceremony will be held at all schools on September 5, as usual. First, 9th, and 12th graders can start school two weeks before the opening ceremony, on August 22. Other grades can begin a week earlier, on August 29.
The first semester will end before 18/1/2026, and the second semester before 31/5/2026, similar to previous years.
The 2026 high school graduation exam is scheduled for June 11-12. In recent years, the exam has typically been held during the last two days of the month.
Schools must complete the recognition of elementary school completion and lower secondary school graduation before 30/6/2026, and complete lower secondary school admissions before 31/7 of the same year.
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Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam in TP HCM. Photo: Quynh Tran |
Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam in TP HCM. Photo: Quynh Tran
Based on the Ministry's framework, provinces and cities will develop their own academic year plans, ensuring a full 35 weeks (18 weeks for semester one and 17 for semester two), and observing public holidays and Tet as regulated.
In the event of natural disasters or extreme weather, the Director of the Department of Education and Training will decide on school closures and arrange make-up classes, ensuring teachers' vacation time during the school year.
The academic year framework issued by the Ministry of Education and Training applies to public schools. Private schools can start four weeks earlier, according to Circular 13/2011 of the Ministry. As a result, many private schools welcomed students and began teaching the main curriculum from early August.
The 2025 high school graduation exam had over 1.16 million candidates, including 1.12 million 12th graders. The graduation rate was 99.2%, with only 8,800 students failing.
Nearly 850,000 candidates registered for university admissions with a total of 7.6 million applications. Universities conducted virtual screening and admissions from August 13 to 20, announcing benchmarks before 5 p.m. on August 22.
Successful candidates had to confirm their enrollment on the system before 5 p.m. on August 30. Skipping this step meant forfeiting admission.
Thanh Hang
