Affordable accommodation is ready to welcome exam candidates.

(Baonghean)This year's university and college entrance exams in the Vinh cluster have 50 testing locations spread across 35 wards and communes in Vinh City and Nghi Loc District. For candidates from distant areas, accommodation is always a constant worry. To alleviate this burden, as the university entrance exams approach, local authorities have been preparing a "bank of lodging addresses" to serve students coming to the city to take the exams.

The Youth Union of Ben Thuy ward surveyed affordable guesthouses.

Walking around the Vinh University area (Ben Thuy ward - an area with many exam locations for this year's university entrance exam), many landlords have already prepared vacant rooms for candidates to rent during the exam days. Normally, each room costs 500,000 - 1,000,000 VND/month. During the exam days, landlords are registering an average price of 40-50 thousand VND/person/day. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam (Block 4, Ben Thuy ward) said: “My house has 6 rooms for rent to exam candidates. They are self-contained rooms with electricity, water, and fans, so the price is 40 thousand VND/person/day. This price remains the same as last year.” For safe and secure lodging areas with electricity and water, the volunteer youth team will list them in a "lodging address bank" to provide to exam candidates. To date, the Ben Thuy ward's address database for accommodation has updated 150 addresses to serve candidates and their parents. Candidates from distant areas who need accommodation will be advised and guided to suitable accommodations by volunteers.

Encouraging landlords to share the difficulties with exam candidates is one of the key areas that the Youth Union officials of Trung Do ward focus on promoting. As a result, some boarding houses have become reliable accommodations for exam candidates during the university entrance exams. It has become a tradition that every year, after the students finish their school year, Ms. Dam Thi Mai (Block 7, Trung Do ward, Vinh City) cleans up her rooms to prepare for welcoming university exam candidates. Her house has 12 rooms, rented out to exam candidates and their families during the exam period. For several years now, during the university exam season, a large number of candidates have come to her house to rent rooms at a price of 30,000 VND per person per day. “Many people who are well-off even provide free accommodation and meals for the students… since we don’t have the means, we try to ensure that each room is for only one family of exam candidates, rather than allowing shared occupancy. Our rooms are fully equipped with electricity and fans to help during the hot summer days. For students facing extreme difficulties, I charge half the price to encourage them and help them focus on their exams.”

Accommodation during exam days is always a major concern for candidates and their families from distant provinces and districts coming to the city to take the exam. During exam periods, the weather is often hot, so when surveying rental accommodations, the Trung Do Ward Youth Union always focuses on criteria such as electricity, water, and electric fans. According to Mr. Pham Thanh Binh, Secretary of the Trung Do Ward Youth Union, as of now, the ward's survey shows that there are approximately 300 rental houses in the ward offering affordable accommodation for university entrance exam candidates. During exam days, the ward's volunteer youth team will be present at the exam sites to advise candidates and their families on affordable accommodation (ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 VND per person per day). We also provide phone numbers for candidates and parents to contact when they need help with accommodation, ensuring suitable, safe, and affordable housing for the students during the exam.

To help alleviate the housing difficulties faced by students from distant areas during this year's university entrance exams, Vinh University's dormitory plans to provide 800 affordable accommodations for candidates and their families, at a price of 20,000-30,000 VND per person per day. Candidates will be accommodated in clean, self-contained dormitory rooms with full electricity and water supply; drinking water will be provided free of charge. Candidates and their families needing accommodation should contact the student volunteer team at the university gate from the beginning of the exam period to secure these affordable accommodations.

Besides affordable accommodations, some families offer free lodging for exam candidates and their families from distant areas. Mr. Pham Ngoc Tuan's family (Tan Nghia hamlet, Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district) provides free lodging for disadvantaged candidates during each university entrance exam season. He has done this noble deed for the past three exam seasons. Mr. Tuan shared: "My family lives near the exam location, making it convenient for candidates from far away to stay and take the exam. Therefore, in the upcoming exam days, my family will also share five free accommodations."

This year, Nghi Loc district has one examination location at Nghi Loc 3 High School (Nghi Xuan commune). To date, the Nghi Xuan Commune Youth Union has surveyed 125 guesthouses with 750 affordable accommodations and 10 free accommodations ready to serve candidates and their families from afar who need lodging during the upcoming exam.

To secure safe, affordable, and secure accommodation and avoid price gouging during the university entrance exams, candidates and their families from distant areas should seek assistance from youth and student volunteer teams supporting the exam season.

Dinh Nguyet