# Academic achievement and exam narratives in Vietnam > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/academic-achievement-and-exam-narratives-in-vietnam > Updated: 2026-09-21T08:33:05.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2. Recent reports highlight academic achievements and historical exam narratives involving the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and the Vietnamese education system. In the 2026 graduation and university entrance season, HUST reported its highest number of perfect 4.0/4.0 GPA valedictorians in nearly 20 years, including students in Mechatronics, Control and Automation Engineering, and Computer Engineering. Nationally, high-achieving students have also been noted, such as a top scorer in the A00 subject group who achieved perfect scores in Mathematics and Chemistry. Separately, a historical report from a 1997 university entrance exam has gained viral attention on social media. The report details a candidate who achieved a high score of 25.5 but chose to study pedagogy in Thai Nguyen instead of his preferred university due to family financial constraints. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-21: Hanoi University of Science and Technology exam scores from 1997 go viral A viral story highlights a student's 1997 exam scores from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, revealing how he chose a tuition-free pedagogy path over his dream school due to family poverty. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/hanoi-university-of-science-and-technology-exam-scores-from-1997-go-viral ### 2026-09-10: Academic excellence reported in Vietnam graduation results Top students in Vietnam achieved record academic milestones, including three perfect 4.0 GPAs at Hanoi University of Science and Technology and a national runner-up score in the high school graduation exams. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/academic-excellence-reported-in-vietnam-graduation-results --- Cite as: Academic achievement and exam narratives in Vietnam. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/academic-achievement-and-exam-narratives-in-vietnam