Primary and secondary education

Primary education in Vietnam is called giáo dục tiểu học. It lasts 5 years and is intended for pupils aged 6 to 11.

Secondary education lasts 7 years and consists of 2 phases:

• lower secondary education, concluded with exams for a Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học cơ sở;
• upper secondary education, concluded with the national exams for a Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học pho thông.

This is the diploma for lower secondary education (trung học cơ sở). Lower secondary education is for students aged 11 to 15. After this, compulsory education ends.

• Duration: 4 years (grade 6-9).
• Content: general education subjects.
• Function of the diploma: access to upper secondary education.
• Diploma: Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học cơ sở.

This is the diploma for upper secondary education (trung học phổ thông). Upper secondary education is for students aged 15 to 18.

Students can get secondary education at a secondary school. There are special secondary schools for students who complete lower secondary education with high grades: the high schools for the gifted (trường THPT chuyên). Sometimes students have to take an entrance exam.

• Duration: 3 years (grade 10-12).
• Content: students have to pass the national exams (Kỳ thi tốt nghiệp trung học phổ thông). These consist of 4 exam subjects. There are 3 compulsory exam subjects: literature, mathematics and a foreign language. For the 4th exam subject, students can choose from 2 streams:
  • natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics); or
  • social sciences (civics, geography and history).
• Admission requirements:
  • for a regular secondary school: a Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học cơ sở.
  • for a high school for the gifted: a Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học cơ sở with high grades and sometimes an entrance exam.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education or secondary vocational education.
• Diploma: Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học phổ thông.

Please note: 'at least a HAVO diploma' means that the diploma has a higher level than a HAVO diploma, but a lower level than a VWO diploma. The level of the diploma lies between a HAVO diploma and a VWO diploma.