Education Ministry cancels exam results, orders retake in Tuyen Quang

The decision was announced by Huynh Van Chuong, director of the MOET's Quality Management Department, at a press briefing on August 5.

Under the ministry's decision, all examination results from the test site at Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted during the June 11-12 examination period have been canceled.

The retake is scheduled for August 14-15 and will be organised by provincial authorities in coordination with relevant agencies in accordance with examination regulations.

Violations affected the entire test site

According to the MOET, the decision was based on preliminary findings by the Ministry of Public Security, expert consultations and existing examination regulations.

Initial investigations found that the violations were not isolated incidents involving a few individuals but occurred throughout the entire examination site, making it impossible to ensure the honesty, objectivity and fairness of all examination results.

Investigators also identified preliminary evidence suggesting collusion between several parents and teachers. Some teachers admitted providing answers to students inside examination rooms, while some candidates acknowledged exchanging answers during the exam, although the ministry said the statements obtained so far do not yet fully reflect the scope of the violations.

The ministry has sufficient legal grounds under the examination regulations to annul all results and organise a full retake at the affected test site, Chuong said

Retake aims to protect legitimate candidates

The MOET said the retake is intended to safeguard the integrity and fairness of the national examination, ensuring that students with genuine academic ability are not unfairly disadvantaged in graduation or university admissions.

The canceled examination results will not be used for university or college admissions. Candidates from the affected test site will not be eligible for admission under any method until valid results from the retake become available.

The ministry expected to release the new examination results on August 19, after which the valid scores will be uploaded to the national admissions system and used according to candidates' previously registered university preferences.

The MOET emphasised that organising a retake does not replace legal action against those responsible. Once the investigation is completed, organisations and individuals found to have violated the law or examination regulations, including candidates where applicable, will be handled in accordance with relevant regulations.

Only retake at Tuyen Quang examination site

Responding to questions from reporters, Chuong explained why only the Tuyen Quang examination site was required to hold a full retake, while examination violations reported in Quang Tri province and several other localities did not lead to the same measure.

The nature of the cases differed significantly, he said, further explaining that in Quang Tri and other localities, authorities were able to identify specific individuals responsible and apply disciplinary measures on an individual basis.

In contrast, preliminary findings in Tuyen Quang indicated that violations had affected the entire examination site, undermining the credibility of all examination results.

Under the examination regulations, this provided the legal basis for canceling all results and organising a complete retake.

Investigation followed unusual score distribution

The case drew national attention after unusually high mathematics scores were recorded at Tuyen Quang High School for the Gifted.

According to official statistics, among 328 candidates with consecutive examination numbers, 147 received perfect scores in mathematics, while 299 scored at least nine out of ten. By comparison, only seven other perfect mathematics scores were recorded across all remaining examination sites in Tuyen Quang province.

The unusual score distribution prompted the Ministry of Public Security to launch an investigation.

On July 20, the ministry assumed direct control of the case. So far, investigators have filed criminal charges against 29 suspects, placed several of them in pre-trial detention, and are continuing to expand the investigation.

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