Nguyen Xuan Tue Minh, an English specialized class student at Foreign Language Specialized High School (under the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), achieved outstanding results in the 2026 high school graduation exam. The scores, announced on the morning of 1/7, showed Minh earned 9 points in Literature, 10 in Math, and 10 in English. With a total score of 29, Minh became the national top scorer in the D01 combination.

"After the exam, I didn't check the answers, so I was surprised by the results," Minh said. "I'm very happy and think I achieved this result partly due to luck."

Nguyen Xuan Tue Minh. Photo: School provided

For the Literature exam, Minh particularly excelled in the social commentary question: "How to have Vietnamese Steve Jobs?". She believed the question aimed to explore the younger generation's thoughts on nurturing talent. Based on this analysis, Minh argued for solutions at individual, societal, and community levels, empowering Vietnamese people to have more opportunities to shine in an era of growth.

"I'm confident that what I wrote aligns with my thoughts and social knowledge. Therefore, I'm quite satisfied and wasn't swayed by external factors," Minh shared, though she didn't expect to score 9 in Literature.

Minh stated she doesn't have any special study methods. For Math, she primarily listened to lectures in class, focusing on understanding all the material immediately. At home, she spent time reviewing instead of relearning from scratch. Literature was not her strong suit, so Minh concentrated on developing effective exam-taking strategies.

English is her specialized subject, but Minh was not complacent. She maintained the habit of using the language daily, and if time permitted, she practiced exam questions and reviewed difficult types of exercises.

On the exam day, Minh assessed the Math paper had a familiar structure, so she "tried to relax" and paid close attention to "trap" signs to avoid regrettable loss of points. Conversely, Minh found the English paper quite challenging, with an increase in questions requiring critical thinking and reasoning. Having to take the exam in session 1 – early in the morning – also made Minh anxious, as she didn't usually practice exams during this time slot. Nevertheless, thanks to an early foundation in academic English, she "was quite confident in her predictions" for the difficult questions.

Ms. Le Thi Loan, Tue Minh's homeroom teacher, praised her academic excellence across all subjects. In both 11th and 12th grades, Minh consistently topped her class in overall scores. "All teachers love and praise Minh for her academic ability and character. She always demonstrates herself to be a very responsible, hardworking, and humble student," Ms. Loan said. Beyond academics, the teacher noted Tue Minh's good leadership and management skills; she is also an affectionate person who cares for her friends.

Before the graduation exam, Minh had already achieved 1,580/1,600 on the SAT and an 8.5 IELTS score. Minh shared that to achieve these accomplishments, she received family support, was given autonomy in her studies, and had understanding teachers who didn't create pressure.

Currently, Tue Minh has not yet decided whether to attend university domestically or study abroad, but she plans to pursue a field in economics, finance, or business.

Thanh Hang