Ho Chi Minh City plans specialized school expansion

Ho Chi Minh City's specialized school system is expected to expand by building new schools or opening branch campuses in densely populated areas.

Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, announced this on 11/9 at the city's ceremony honoring outstanding students and teachers.

The current distribution of specialized schools in Ho Chi Minh City is considered uneven. The city presently has four specialized high schools: Le Hong Phong, Tran Dai Nghia (located in Ho Chi Minh City); Hung Vuong (former Binh Duong), and Le Quy Don (former Ba Ria - Vung Tau), serving about 6,000 students.

According to Mr. Quoc, the department plans to build new specialized schools or expand existing branch campuses in areas with high population density and strong academic performance.

The expansion plans also include gifted schools, particularly those focused on sports. This initiative is being considered due to their limited number, with initial efforts targeting the Cu Chi district. The city currently has three such schools, serving about 3,000 students. These students follow a regular academic curriculum in addition to their talent training.

Enhancing the quality of education is a key objective of the expansion. Department leaders require schools to maintain their core leading role in specialized subjects and sports activities. Schools need to proactively invite leading experts, scientists, coaches, and outstanding lecturers to participate in student training and development.

To support this, the department will continue advising management to implement incentive policies, attracting and honoring teachers who train talented students and athletes.

Nationwide, there are 78 specialized high schools, with 71 under the Department of Education and Training. The total number of specialized students is 110,000, accounting for 0,8% of all high school students.

As a leading educational hub, Ho Chi Minh City consistently celebrates its students' academic success. The city is home to 2,6 million students. This morning, city leaders honored 712 students who achieved high awards in various gifted student competitions. Among them, one student won a gold medal at the Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO 2026) and a silver medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO); another won a bronze medal at the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (VOAI).