Vietnam Tightens Penalties for Leaking High School Graduation Exam Papers

Vietnam classifies the official and backup high‑school graduation (THPT) exam papers as state secrets. Under Decision 531/QD‑TTg (2023) and Decree 282/2025/ND‑CP, any unauthorized copying, distribution or publishing of these papers can result in administrative fines of VND 20‑30 million for individuals and double that for organizations, and criminal sentences of up to ten years in prison. The regulations also outline circumstances that lead to the cancellation of a student’s results, such as multiple zero scores, cheating, or using another’s work.

The country has faced recurring exam‑fraud scandals over the past two decades. Notable cases include the 2006 Phú Xuyên A incident where teachers accepted bribes to facilitate cheating, the 2012 Đồi Ngô scandal with widespread video evidence of students sharing answers, the 2013 Quang Trung episode, and the 2018 anomalies detected in Hà Giang, Hòa Bình and Sơn La provinces that prompted large‑scale investigations and score adjustments. These events have driven tighter oversight, disciplinary actions against educators and officials, and the current harsher penalties for any breach of exam confidentiality.