Beginning December 1, Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training will require local departments to supply unified final examination papers for all grade 5, 9, and 12 students, replacing decentralized school-by-school testing under a newly issued circular.
The Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular No. 89/2026 on October 20. It overhauls student assessment regulations across primary, middle, and high schools to drive digital transformation in educational management and curb widespread grade inflation. Under the incoming rules, provincial education departments will take charge of creating, appraising, and distributing common exams for terminal-year students.
Provincial Exam Papers Replace Individual School Testing for Grades 5, 9, and 12
Previously, individual schools designed their own semester tests, creating wide disparities in grading standards across districts. The reform alters that approach for key transition grades by mandating standardized papers created directly by local education departments for subjects evaluated through numerical scores.
For grade 5 students, the unified exams take place at the end of the first semester and the conclusion of the academic year. For grades 9 and 12, the standardized testing occurs at the end of both the first and second semesters. Individual schools retain responsibility for proctoring, grading, and compiling results locally, while also designing their own assessments for non-terminal grades and remaining subjects.
Schools May Use Computers for Exams and Records
Middle and high schools that meet necessary requirements for IT infrastructure, software, and hardware may conduct periodic exams on computers, provided they notify parents and students in advance about technical specifications. Electronic test submissions carry legal equivalence to paper tests provided they adhere to electronic transaction laws regarding integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and storage.
The circular also formalizes digital student records across school levels. In primary schools, official assessment files now combine digital transcripts with class summary result sheets. Subject teachers apply digital signatures to verify academic data, while homeroom teachers sign off on the complete class record.
Authorities Target Authentic Evaluation to Combat Uneven Standards
The policy arrives amid concern over uneven evaluation standards between institutions. Education authorities have designated a strict focus on genuine instruction as a core target. Authentic evaluation forms another core target for the academic year under the guiding principle of real teaching, real learning, real exams, and real assessment.
Several areas, including Hanoi, have already piloted targeted surveys across upper primary and secondary grades to establish reliable baseline measurements and build fair evaluation benchmarks that can inform future high school entrance admissions.
Support Frameworks for Students With Disabilities and Transition Rules
To maintain fairness, the circular establishes unified evaluation principles for disabled students centered around individual progress rather than comparative grading. Students exempted from specific subjects through individualized education plans receive Miễn
designations in their digital transcripts.
Physical paper records will continue to operate during an interim transitional period alongside the new digital databases. The transitional period allows traditional ink corrections and stamped signatures only for legacy paper documents while terminal classes transition fully to departmental oversight.