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An anxious expression on the face of a candidate in Ho Chi Minh City after he finished his physics test yesterday afternoonPhoto: Tuoi Tre |
TUOI TRE
HA NOI — Nearly 700,000 candidates nationwide yesterday began the first day of the university entrance examinations throughout Viet Nam.
This accounted for 77 per cent of the total applicants who had registered for the exam, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.
Nguyen Thai Tan, a candidate for the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, from Nam Dinh Province's Giao Thuy C High School, said the two exams he did, maths and physics, were not so difficult as last year.
"I hope that the chemistry exam tomorrow will be the same," he said, adding that he would possibly not take second phase exams (second sitting) although he had applied for another university because he was satisfied with what he did.
Tan's brother-in-law said that he took a day off from work to collect his brother on time and take him to the exam.
"We left our inn, which was about 15km away from the testing destination, at 5am to avoid traffic," he said.
Another candidate, Bui Cong Huan from Ha Noi's Thuong Tin High School, said that he did not have enough time to finish the maths test, but felt it easier to complete the physics exam.
Hundreds of candidates' relatives and friends sat or stood outside the exam centres nervous, worried – but always hopeful.
Doan Thi Loan from northern Vinh Phuc Province said her son sat for exams at the University of Construction.
She was a bit worried as her son said the maths test in the morning was difficult, but she kept encouraging him.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Ngoc Anh from Ha Noi Police said that during the exams, the city banned trucks and large coaches from travelling on inner streets around exam centres on Giai Phong, Truong Chinh, Nguyen Trai, and Pham Ngoc Thach.
Last Saturday and Sunday, more than 50,000 university candidates and their relatives went to Van Mieu (Literature Temple) to pray for good luck.
The 1,000-year-old temple is a Confucian symbol for study. It's believed that praying there and touching stone turtles' heads can bring candidates good luck. However, touching the turtles is now banned.
In HCM City, at the University of Finance and Marketing's venue at Le Quy Don High School in District 3, 83 per cent of the applicants appeared.
At Foreign Trade University No2 in HCM City, Nguyen Xuan Minh, head of the examination supervision board, said that 62.5 per cent of the candidates attended the exam's first day.
At least 83 per cent of the total applicants attended the exam's first day at the University of Pedagogy.
Do Quoc Anh, head of the ministry's HCM City-based representative office, said the exams went smoothly. The university entrance examination is divided into two stages, one from July 4-5 and the other from July 9-10.
Total applicants for university and college examinations are close to 2 million.
Truong Thi Thuong, a disabled candidate for Da Nang's University of Pedagogy from central Quang Nam Province's Dai Loc District, was told she would be considered to be admitted to the university without having to sit for the exam.
The Ministry of Education and Training's initial evaluation showed that authorities had kept secret the contents of the maths and physics tests.
In the physics test which took place yesterday afternoon, the number of candidates was reported to have been 0.58 per cent less than the maths test, which had taken place in the morning.
Officials said that some candidates might have been disappointed with their performance in the morning and decided not to sit the afternoon exam, while others might have been using the opportunity to practise ahead of their official university entrance examinations, which would take place over the next few days.
Invigilation was strictly tightened and violations of exam regulations were found and stamped out.
