Colonel Nguyen Tuan Hung, Deputy Director of the Security Investigation Department (A09) under the Ministry of Public Security, announced this information at a press conference on 5/8 regarding the handling plan for students of Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted.

The identities of the two new defendants have not yet been released. However, Mr. Hung stated that all 29 individuals indicted face the same charge: "Abuse of position and power while performing official duties".

During the investigation, the agency faced numerous challenges due to the large number of suspects, the serious nature of the case, and its organized character. While 328 test-takers are legally adults, having reached 18 years of age and possessing full legal capacity and awareness, "their actual understanding remains limited," Mr. Hung noted. He added, "Therefore, for now, we are identifying the collective wrongdoing of the exam board," explaining that this serves as the basis for all test-takers to retake the exam.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Hung at the press conference, morning of 5/8. Photo: Thanh Hang

The current indictments follow earlier actions by Tuyen Quang Provincial Police, who had charged 27 individuals in July before the case was transferred to the Ministry of Public Security. Among those previously indicted, investigators identified Tran Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Principal of Nguyen Van Huyen High School and head of the exam site at Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted. She allegedly directed and instructed several supervisors to facilitate test-takers during the math exam. Subsequently, Mr. Duy entered the exam room and directly guided test-takers.

In addition to Ms. Hang and Mr. Duy, 25 other individuals were indicted for the same charge. These include Nguyen Thi Hang, Principal of Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted, and Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, a literature teacher at the same school. The identities of the remaining 23 individuals have not been disclosed.

The scandal came to light following the national high school graduation exam, which took place on 11-12/6 with over 1.2 million test-takers. After the Ministry announced the results, math scores of students from Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted were found to be unusual. Over 140 out of 154 perfect scores (10 points) in the province originated from this school. Furthermore, 299 out of 328 students achieved scores of 9 or higher, representing the highest ratio nationwide.

On 17/7, the Security Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security officially took over the case of "Abuse of position and power while performing official duties," which occurred at the exam site of Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted. This transfer from the Tuyen Quang Provincial Police's Security Investigation Agency aims to continue the investigation.

Thanh Hang - Duong Tam