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Thousands of applications and a high competition rate have left most candidates applying to the General Department of Taxation feeling anxious, leading many to organize intensive exam preparation courses costing millions of dong.
Many candidates share the sentiment that it's costly, tiring, time-consuming, and the outcome is uncertain.
Le Thi Thanh Huyen, originally from Ha Tinh province, graduated with honors from the National Economics University. Determined to build a career in Hanoi, she had worked in the capital for several years, but with a meager salary and frequent delays, she applied to the General Department of Taxation. Huyen shared: "I was shocked when I submitted my application because I didn't expect so many candidates."
Seeing the slim chances due to the high competition rate, Huyen considered giving up. However, her family and boyfriend encouraged her, saying it was a golden opportunity in these difficult job-seeking times, so Huyen decided to pursue it. Huyen said, "I was somewhat confident because my academic results weren't bad, and I was quite good at English, but since submitting my application, I've been feeling restless and anxious."
Although the General Department of Taxation had issued a document to all localities prohibiting tax officials from attending exam preparation courses, Huyen became increasingly anxious when she learned that many people were taking courses taught by long-time tax officials. After researching many places, Huyen decided to spend 2 million VND to attend a course taught by a former high-ranking tax official, a place whispered on forums as "the training center that shares the most exam secrets."
While it's understandable that candidates in Hanoi are attending exam preparation courses, many candidates from neighboring provinces like Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho are also getting restless upon learning about these courses. One candidate from Hoa Binh province (who has a fairly stable but low-paying and monotonous job) wanted to try her luck at the General Department of Taxation and registered for an evening exam preparation course.
Afraid to quit her job, she left work in Hoa Binh at 5 pm and rode her motorbike over 50km back to Hanoi to prepare for the exam. After finishing classes at 9 pm, she made the same journey back to her hometown to go to work the next day. "I've wasted money, effort, and energy, and I don't know what the results will be," she worried.
Into the "training ground"
On online forums, candidates are spreading the word about exam preparation classes with reputable instructors who share valuable tips for passing the tax entrance exam. Following up on these advertisements, our reporter visited the exam preparation center, a large hall rented from the Vietnam Women's Museum on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street (Hanoi).
The class was scheduled to officially start at 6 a.m., but a large number of applicants arrived early and were waiting. Most of them were unemployed. They registered for the course on the website tanet.vn and transferred the payment in advance to the organizer.
Before the class started, the exam preparation center set up two tables in front of the entrance to collect payment directly from those who hadn't paid yet and to distribute study vouchers. Each candidate who paid received a voucher and a study guide.
Despite the large crowd, there were guards at the main entrance, carefully checking everyone's tickets. The reporter had a very difficult time posing as a candidate wanting to pay for a trial lesson.
At 7 PM, the auditorium, with a capacity of over 300 people, was completely full. Without being told, everyone was attentively listening to the lecture on "Value Added Tax" given by Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation), who was introduced as a reputable and experienced lecturer in the field of taxation.
According to the curriculum, candidates will receive instruction from Ms. Cúc for 7 sessions, corresponding to 7 specialized lessons on taxation.
Reportedly, since the General Department of Taxation announced the recruitment of civil servants, the unit has organized three exam preparation courses. Each course consists of seven sessions for candidates at a cost of 2 million VND, yet the halls are always packed.
I leaned over and whispered to the person next to me, "Was the lecturer easy to understand?" The male candidate replied, "Nothing special yet, just textbook material." The other person reassured me, "Just keep studying, who knows, you might find something more interesting towards the end."
Diligently taking notes from the beginning of the class, Nguyen Thi T., from Vinh Phuc province, said that her family wasn't well-off, so she thought carefully before enrolling. But having committed to it, her family decided to invest in her attending these training centers to gain knowledge and experience. T. revealed that this was the second center she had attended, costing her 5 million VND in tuition fees, not including the cost of renting accommodation and living in Hanoi for almost a month.
With the exam approaching, the results of the preparation are still unknown, but everyone sees this as a lucrative opportunity for these "cram schools." It is estimated that each exam preparation class, like the one taught by lecturer Nguyen Thi Cuc mentioned above, has an average of 300 students. At a price of 2 million VND per person, this would generate 600 million VND per course.
According to the TPO
Le Thi Thanh Huyen, originally from Ha Tinh province, graduated with honors from the National Economics University. Determined to build a career in Hanoi, she had worked in the capital for several years, but with a meager salary and frequent delays, she applied to the General Department of Taxation. Huyen shared: "I was shocked when I submitted my application because I didn't expect so many candidates."
Seeing the slim chances due to the high competition rate, Huyen considered giving up. However, her family and boyfriend encouraged her, saying it was a golden opportunity in these difficult job-seeking times, so Huyen decided to pursue it. Huyen said, "I was somewhat confident because my academic results weren't bad, and I was quite good at English, but since submitting my application, I've been feeling restless and anxious."
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| Candidates study attentively in the exam preparation room. |
Although the General Department of Taxation had issued a document to all localities prohibiting tax officials from attending exam preparation courses, Huyen became increasingly anxious when she learned that many people were taking courses taught by long-time tax officials. After researching many places, Huyen decided to spend 2 million VND to attend a course taught by a former high-ranking tax official, a place whispered on forums as "the training center that shares the most exam secrets."
While it's understandable that candidates in Hanoi are attending exam preparation courses, many candidates from neighboring provinces like Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho are also getting restless upon learning about these courses. One candidate from Hoa Binh province (who has a fairly stable but low-paying and monotonous job) wanted to try her luck at the General Department of Taxation and registered for an evening exam preparation course.
Afraid to quit her job, she left work in Hoa Binh at 5 pm and rode her motorbike over 50km back to Hanoi to prepare for the exam. After finishing classes at 9 pm, she made the same journey back to her hometown to go to work the next day. "I've wasted money, effort, and energy, and I don't know what the results will be," she worried.
Into the "training ground"
On online forums, candidates are spreading the word about exam preparation classes with reputable instructors who share valuable tips for passing the tax entrance exam. Following up on these advertisements, our reporter visited the exam preparation center, a large hall rented from the Vietnam Women's Museum on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street (Hanoi).
The class was scheduled to officially start at 6 a.m., but a large number of applicants arrived early and were waiting. Most of them were unemployed. They registered for the course on the website tanet.vn and transferred the payment in advance to the organizer.
Before the class started, the exam preparation center set up two tables in front of the entrance to collect payment directly from those who hadn't paid yet and to distribute study vouchers. Each candidate who paid received a voucher and a study guide.
Despite the large crowd, there were guards at the main entrance, carefully checking everyone's tickets. The reporter had a very difficult time posing as a candidate wanting to pay for a trial lesson.
At 7 PM, the auditorium, with a capacity of over 300 people, was completely full. Without being told, everyone was attentively listening to the lecture on "Value Added Tax" given by Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (former Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation), who was introduced as a reputable and experienced lecturer in the field of taxation.
According to the curriculum, candidates will receive instruction from Ms. Cúc for 7 sessions, corresponding to 7 specialized lessons on taxation.
Reportedly, since the General Department of Taxation announced the recruitment of civil servants, the unit has organized three exam preparation courses. Each course consists of seven sessions for candidates at a cost of 2 million VND, yet the halls are always packed.
I leaned over and whispered to the person next to me, "Was the lecturer easy to understand?" The male candidate replied, "Nothing special yet, just textbook material." The other person reassured me, "Just keep studying, who knows, you might find something more interesting towards the end."
Diligently taking notes from the beginning of the class, Nguyen Thi T., from Vinh Phuc province, said that her family wasn't well-off, so she thought carefully before enrolling. But having committed to it, her family decided to invest in her attending these training centers to gain knowledge and experience. T. revealed that this was the second center she had attended, costing her 5 million VND in tuition fees, not including the cost of renting accommodation and living in Hanoi for almost a month.
With the exam approaching, the results of the preparation are still unknown, but everyone sees this as a lucrative opportunity for these "cram schools." It is estimated that each exam preparation class, like the one taught by lecturer Nguyen Thi Cuc mentioned above, has an average of 300 students. At a price of 2 million VND per person, this would generate 600 million VND per course.
According to the TPO
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