Competition for a 6th grade spot at the hottest school in Ho Chi Minh City: Record-high competition, are parents nervous?

- Ảnh 1. — Parents pick up their children after the 6th grade test at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School

Double the pressure

In 2025, 4,851 students across Ho Chi Minh City participated in the aptitude test to compete for 350 sixth-grade places at Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School in District 1 (the secondary school system was separated from Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School last year). Thus, on average, only one out of 14 candidates was admitted, and this is also the highest competition rate ever at this school in more than two decades.

Ms. Hoang Yen, a parent of a student at Luong The Vinh Primary School (Go Vap District), admitted that she felt quite pressured when she learned that her child had to compete with 14 other students to win a place in the school. "The children themselves will feel pressured even if they don't say it, and as parents, of course, we feel double the pressure," the female parent who sent her child to extra classes at the center confided.

Understanding that feeling, Ms. Yen said she always tries to reduce the pressure on her child with positive encouragement. For her, her child's admission to school is the result of ability, effort and luck. "There are very good students, but sometimes due to their mentality or spirit, they cannot perform well. Failing the exam does not mean that they are bad, and passing the exam does not mean that they are better than their friends. The important thing is that the child must keep a comfortable spirit to do well on the test," she emphasized.

- Ảnh 2. — The "Tran Dai Nghia" brand has long been considered a top quality educational destination in Ho Chi Minh City, in both middle and high school.

The female parent added that her family also applied to several other schools that follow the same advanced, integrated model as Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School. "When one door closes, another will open. In this battle, if your child does not win in episode 1, there will still be episodes 2 and 3, and there is still a long way to go because 'failure is the mother of success'," Ms. Yen confided.

"But the kids joked that if I failed, my mom would hit me," she said with a laugh.

Ms. Anh Thu, a parent of a student at Dong Da Primary School (Binh Thanh District), shares the same sentiment. Ms. Thu added that because her child is still young, she does not yet feel the pressure of exams, and only participates with a relaxed mindset. "I do not force my child to pass the exam at all costs, I just see this as an opportunity for him to test himself. This test is really difficult," Ms. Thu confided.

Don't put too much emphasis on passing or failing.

On the other hand, many parents also shared that they did not care too much about whether their children passed or failed, because they only recently learned about and had their children review for this test.

After the year-end parent meeting, Ms. Anh Tuyet, who lives in Go Vap District, was encouraged by her homeroom teacher to let her child take the entrance exam to Tran Dai Nghia School for 6th grade because her child had good academic performance. So far, she and her child have only been studying for the exam for about 3 weeks. "I mainly use previous years' exam questions for my child to try and find some new math problems online for her to practice," the female parent shared.

Knowing that this year the competition rate for admission to the school is at a record high, Ms. Tuyet said she does not care about her child's passing or failing, she just wants her child to experience the exam. "Before entering the exam room, I told my child to do his best, I do not care about the score or result," she said.

- Ảnh 3. — Candidates happily chat before taking the aptitude test

Also choosing to have her child review at home with many documents found online, Ms. Truc Phuong, parent of a student at Thach My Tay Primary School (Binh Thanh District), said that her child focused on reviewing English, which accounts for a large proportion of the test because her child is studying the normal general education program and is not very outstanding in this subject.

Although she wants her child to go to a good school and is a bit worried about her child's ability, Ms. Phuong still keeps a light-hearted attitude. "My child is not really focused and is not very interested in participating in the survey to get into the school. I just encourage my child to take the test as an experience, not focusing too much on the results," she shared.

Ms. Nguyen Bich Van, living in Go Vap District, said that she had just decided to let her child take the entrance exam to Tran Dai Nghia Secondary School in the past month and a half. Recently, her child received extra tutoring from her uncle, who is also a secondary school teacher. "My child and I do not feel much pressure because we see this as a game. In general, I let my child go to every big competition to experience and know what the pressure of exams is," the female parent said.

- Ảnh 4. — The contestants were assisted and guided into line by volunteers from Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School.

The leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City informed that the results of the survey and the admission scores for grade 6 of Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School are expected to be announced on June 22. To know the results of their children's grade 6 survey, from June 22, according to the expected announcement time of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, parents can access and look up at https://thanhnien.vn/giao-duc/tra-cuu-diem-thi.htm and enter the registration number as shown in the candidate's exam notice.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tranh-suat-lop-6-truong-hot-nhat-tphcm-choi-cao-ky-luc-phu-huynh-co-cang-18525061620394217.htm