There are five levels of education: pre-primary, primary, intermediate, secondary and higher. Most students study a basic education which is 12 years. To enter secondary school, students have to take an entrance exam. A compulsory varied curriculum is followed including science and technology subjects, ‘civics’ (philosophy, politics), history, geography, sport and foreign languages. Secondary school students also complete a leaving exam in their last year of study.
To get in to university another entrance exam must be passed and only students with high scores in the secondary school exams will be admitted. Education is perceived as an important way out of poverty for children from poor backgrounds. However, the university entrance exam is very challenging and only 20% of applicants pass.
As well as state universities, community colleges, technical schools and private universities also exist. Several of the private universities are foreign, such as RMIT and the University of Hawaii which offer business degrees in Vietnam.
