The Ministry of Public Security warns of cheating in the high school graduation exam using highly sophisticated devices.

Colonel Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Internal Political Security (Ministry of Public Security), stated that the high school graduation exam always carries potential risks of negative practices, cheating, and even violations of the law because the exam results assess the quality of teaching and learning, determine graduation eligibility, and serve as an important basis for admission to universities and colleges.

According to Mr. Tuan, there are still some parents and candidates with negative attitudes, seeking to cheat to achieve high scores in order to get admitted to university. Some officials and teachers involved in organizing the exam are still complacent and irresponsible, leading to errors in performing their duties.

Mr. Tuan stated that during the 2025 high school graduation exam, the police identified five candidates who used their phones to photograph the exam questions and sent them to AI applications like ChatGPT for solving. The A03 Department, in coordination with the Hanoi Police, verified two cases and prosecuted one candidate for unintentionally disclosing state secrets. The Lam Dong Police also prosecuted a candidate for intentionally disclosing state secrets by photographing the exam questions and sending them to relatives for solving.

Furthermore, according to Mr. Tuan, in recent years, public opinion has also raised suspicions that some localities have unusually high exam scores compared to the general average, suggesting the possibility of laxity in the grading process.

In 2026, the high school graduation exam is expected to have approximately 1 million candidates at nearly 2,500 testing locations, with around 120,000 officials and teachers participating. This large scale poses many difficulties and challenges in ensuring sufficient personnel and resources to supervise and prevent negative incidents and cheating.

According to Mr. Tuan, the risk of cheating using high-tech devices continues to exist, especially the use of artificial intelligence tools. On the internet and social networks like Zalo, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc., the buying and selling of high-tech devices is still widespread and open, easily accessible to candidates. These devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect, such as miniature earphones the size of a grain of rice, operating using magnetic fields, and even capable of being inserted deep into the eardrum requiring a magnet to remove.

Mr. Tuan warned that recording devices are now cleverly disguised as buttons, eyeglass frames, rings, watch faces, or pocket calculators. Notably, many devices can automatically connect without any physical interaction from the user; transmitting exam images and receiving answers via voice in just seconds over high-speed mobile networks.

Furthermore, the use of artificial intelligence software increases the risk of cheating and makes it more difficult for authorities to track and prosecute offenders, as the servers are often located abroad. Instead of needing a large team to solve the exam questions as before, candidates only need to use a miniature device or phone to scan the exam questions into an application; AI tools will automatically solve and read the answers, making it harder to detect cheating through verification and supervision.

A representative from the Department of Internal Political Security emphasized the role of propaganda and education in raising awareness. According to Mr. Tuan, not only students but also parents play a crucial role, because students themselves are unlikely to be able to purchase the equipment without support from family, friends, or relatives.