When I realized I had spent VND168 million (US$6,477) just to raise my child's IELTS score from 4.0 to 6.5 to gain more university admission points, I began to question whether foreign language certification in Vietnam has become more expensive than university itself.

After checking airfares and other expenses, I decided I could not afford to return home for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Many universities in Vietnam now allow IELTS scores to be converted into admission points, a policy that has helped fuel the test’s growing popularity, raising the question of whether it truly promotes effective learning or simply pushes students into an expensive race for marginal advantages.