I currently am a freshman in a Ho Chi Minh City university. Last year, I attended the high school graduation and university entrance exam. I find it strange that there is always something wrong every examination season: debate over the test’s subject, or changing the marking schemes, and this year the leak of a video showing students cheating during the test. A friend of mine who has studied in Australia since tenth grade told me about taking exams there and I felt like I was listening to a fairy tale. On the exam day, students take the test at their own school supervised by their own teachers. At a designated time, the teachers check their email, print out the tests, collect them back after 180 minutes and send them to a marking committee. Teachers do not tip off students, proctors do not watch strictly, and no one uses cheat sheets. Results from the exam will be used for high school graduation and university entrance. To get into college, the academic performance of 12 years is also considered so students cannot play for the whole year and then only study for the final exam. The Australian Ministry of Education would pick random schools and check exams during a whole school year to see if it is too easy for students and if the tests are marked properly. If everything goes well, the Ministry then approves the school’s results. Upon hearing the story, I wished I could study in Australia. It was not for their great libraries or laboratories, but the simple and honest testing system. It is something different between the education systems of a rich and poor country. Looking back at my 12 years at school, I feel upset. We were crammed with sample writing pieces and standard math solutions without any explanation. We were always obsessed with studying and taking exams. We always struggled to get into good schools but once we have entered college, we could just take it easy because everyone can graduate. Dear leaders at the Ministry of Education, hundreds of millions of dong would be saved if teachers did not need to move to supervise other schools and to mark exams, if students and families did not have to come to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to take university entrance exams. With such an amount of money, we would build several good schools.
More
3 Japanese investors join $1bn property project in Vietnam’s Binh Duong
Masuo Ono, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed that the support from local authorities and the partnership between Vietnamese and Japanese firms will contribute to sustainable development in the province
Read more
Tourists' inappropriate behavior proves offensive to both Vietnamese and expats
Taking a camera and recording extremist and inaccurate rhetoric is offensive to the true Vietnamese culture and an embarrassment to all the hard working expats who live in Vietnam and work tirelessly within the law for the betterment of the country
1 week agoWhat is it like for a foreigner to marry a Vietnamese in Vietnam?
'I have learned that marrying a Vietnamese woman is not simply joining with an individual, but connecting one's soul to an entire clan'
2 weeks agoAnime in Vietnam – Part 1: What’s it all about?
Up until around 1991, Vietnam only had one state-owned animation company – called, unsurprisingly, the Vietnam Animation Film Company
4 years agoThings you need to know for a great airport experience before leaving Ho Chi Minh City
'Something special that happens in Vietnam is the check-in staff will ask you to go to a door near the check-in counter to watch your bags go through the scanner'
1 year agoBlind massage in Vietnam: Not 'just a massage' service but a spirit of community
'One type of massage service goes a little beyond ‘just a massage’ and takes us to a whole new world of the true spirit of the Vietnamese culture and community'
1 year agoHighlights
Vietnam, UK sign agreement on illegal migration
The two sides are committed to preventing visa abuse, increasing intelligence sharing, and continuing the process of returning those with no right to remain in the UK
McLaren 750S makes debut in Vietnam
20 hours agoPhotos
Artist paints murals on house to raise awareness of COVID-19 prevention in Hanoi
He drew the virus, vaccine, and earth on the exterior walls of a house
Latest news
Vietnam, UK sign agreement on illegal migration
The two sides are committed to preventing visa abuse, increasing intelligence sharing, and continuing the process of returning those with no right to remain in the UK
American teacher excites TikTok audience with vlogs promoting Vietnamese food
From the end of March until now, Odom has produced many interesting vlogs in which she converses with food vendors in English, showcasing her interactions with local cuisine
Da Nang official hints at rewarding tipsters of stick-on ads
Widespread stick-on ads are a headache for not only Da Nang City but also other major cities in Vietnam
Apparel company fined $11,800 for unauthorized wastewater discharge in northern Vietnam
The company was also required to undertake corrective actions
Vietnamese athlete bags gold medal at Canoe Sprint Asian Championship
She managed to stage a good performance and cross the finish line in 2:18.178 minutes
‘Hoi An in flood season,’ unique product of green tourism in Vietnam’s Quang Nam
This special tour will give tourists experiences of sightseeing in the ancient town and reaching different destinations by boat on high-water days
Dubai faces massive clean up after deluge swamps glitzy desert city
Dubai International Airport, a major travel hub, struggled to clear a backlog of flights and many roads were still flooded in the aftermath of Tuesday's deluge
Taxi moves backward, almost hits another car on expressway in Hanoi
The taxi moved backward and narrowly avoided a collision with another car
Heatwave could expand across northern Vietnam from today
The rather cool weather accompanied by scattered showers in the northern region will probably give way to a heatwave
Vietnamese film wins top prize at Rome’s Asian Film Festival
This is the first Vietnamese film to secure the top prize at an Asian Film Festival in Italy