Vietnamese province beats Ho Chi Minh City in high school English score

Tuyen Quang Province in northern Vietnam ranked second in the country on average English score in this year's high school graduation exam, after Hanoi and ahead of Ho Chi Minh City.

Just over 2,000 of the province's students sat English. In Ho Chi Minh City, nearly 64,400 did.

Tuyen Quang rose from 19th a year ago to second in results the Ministry of Education and Training released on July 1, its average climbing from 5.17 to 5.397 out of 10. Hanoi led at 5.549, and Ho Chi Minh City fell to third at 5.369.

Ho Chi Minh City students this year include those of the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, which were merged into the city on July 1, 2025 as part of an overhaul that cut Vietnam's cities and provinces from 63 to 34.

The old city had led the country's English average for eight straight years before fallin to second last year.

A student at the 2026 high school graduation exam in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Giang

The national average English score was 5.07, down from last year's 5.38. About half of candidates scored below 5, a four-year high.

English produced 311 perfect scores, more than double last year's 141, with Hanoi taking the largest share.

About 7,650 of Hanoi's candidates, or 13%, scored at least 8, against roughly 5,870, or 9%, in Ho Chi Minh City.

25 of the 34 provinces and cities averaged below 5 in English. The weakest were Tay Ninh, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, An Giang and Gia Lai, each with fewer than 10,000 students taking the subject.

More than 1.2 million students sat the exam on June 11 and 12, taking four subjects: math, literature, and two electives chosen from a range of options, including English, natural sciences, and social sciences.

The results are used for university admissions, alongside other criteria such as universities' own entrance assessments and internationally recognized qualifications, including IELTS scores.