Vietnam specialist high schools admission cuts

In late July 2026, Vietnamese provincial specialist high schools began admitting students with unusually low specialist‑subject scores. The first report detailed Dak Lak province schools, where cut‑off totals corresponded to roughly 2–4 points per subject, a result of low applicant numbers for newly offered tracks. The school principal and the provincial Department of Education and Training confirmed the process complied with regulations, but public concern was raised about educational quality.

A few days later, similar low‑scoring admissions were reported at Ben Tre Specialized High School in Vĩnh Long province, echoing the Dak Lak situation. Officials again cited insufficient applicant pools as the reason for filling seats with students scoring as low as 2.25 points in history or geography. Provincial education departments in both regions verified the admissions procedures, indicating a broader pattern of low cut‑offs across specialist high schools when enrollment targets cannot be met.