JLPT N1 Teacher Guide

🇻🇳How to Register for the JLPT in Vietnam

Đăng ký JLPT

Vietnam does not register through a national website. Each city's host university handles its own applications, and in Hanoi the university you apply to depends on which level you are sitting. Getting that wrong costs you the window.

JLPT N1 Certified Teacher
Written and reviewed by a Japanese language teacher (JLPT N1) with experience teaching learners from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mongolia.

At a Glance

How registration works

Handled by the host university for each city, not by a national portal

Test sites

5 listed on the official JLPT site. See the full list

Sittings

Both July and December. The December 2026 exam falls on Sunday 6 December

Fee

Widely reported at around 710,000 VND covering the application and exam for any level. Because this is set locally and revised periodically, confirm the current figure with your host university rather than relying on a published number.

Registration window

Deadlines are set per city and centres may close early once capacity is reached, so the published closing date is a ceiling rather than a promise. Check with your host university as the window approaches.

Official sources

Fees and dates on this page were checked against these sources on 2026-07-31. Both change between sittings, so confirm on the official site before you pay.

Before you register

Applications go to the host university, and submission has commonly been in person or by post with payment made directly or by bank transfer rather than through a national online system. Hanoi is split by level: N1 and N2 are administered by Hanoi University, while N3, N4 and N5 go through Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Confirm the current procedure with your own university before the window opens, because the details have shifted between cycles.

Test Sites in Vietnam

CityHost institution
HanoiN1 and N2 onlyHanoi University
HanoiN3, N4 and N5 onlyVietnam National University, Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City
Da NangCollege of Foreign Languages, University of Da Nang
HueUniversity of Foreign Languages, Hue University

Source: the official list of overseas test sites on jlpt.jp, checked 2026-07-31. Sites are occasionally added or withdrawn between sittings.

Registration Steps

1

In Hanoi, check your level before your city

N1 and N2 candidates apply to Hanoi University. N3, N4 and N5 candidates apply to Vietnam National University, Hanoi. These are different institutions with different counters, and turning up at the wrong one wastes days you do not have.

2

Confirm how your university is accepting applications this cycle

Submission has typically been in person or by post rather than through a national online portal, and payment directly or by bank transfer. Assuming it works the way a blog described two years ago is how people miss it.

3

Have your documents ready before the window opens

CCCD or passport and a passport-style photo, prepared in advance. In Ho Chi Minh City the twenty minutes spent hunting for a document is genuinely enough to cost you the seat.

4

Đăng ký as early in the window as you can

This is the step that decides everything in Vietnam. Centres close early once they fill, so the published deadline is not the real one. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your ID while you are moving quickly, because that is when mistakes happen.

5

Pay the lệ phí thi and keep the receipt

An unpaid application is not a held seat. Keep the proof of payment until the admission ticket is physically in your hand.

6

Collect your admission ticket

The admission ticket (受験票 / juken-hyō) is issued a few weeks before the exam and may need collecting in person from the university. Confirm which applies to you early so a collection trip does not surprise you.

Key Terms You Will See

TermWhat it means
Đăng kýTo register / registration
Lệ phí thiExam fee
Địa điểm thiTest venue
Đậu / ĐỗTo pass the exam

Teacher's Tips

  • The Hanoi level split is the mistake I see most often from Vietnamese students. Check it before anything else.
  • Da Nang and Hue are realistic alternatives if travelling is possible. Students who insist on Ho Chi Minh City sometimes end up not sitting at all.
  • Treat the published deadline as the latest possible date, not the actual one. Centres that fill early stop accepting applications.

JLPT Registration FAQ — Vietnam

How do I register for the JLPT in Vietnam?+
You apply to the host university for your city rather than through a national website. Submission has commonly been in person or by post, with the fee paid directly or by bank transfer. In Hanoi, N1 and N2 go through Hanoi University and N3 to N5 through Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Confirm the current procedure with your university before the window opens.
Which universities run the JLPT in Vietnam?+
Hanoi University (N1 and N2) and Vietnam National University, Hanoi (N3 to N5) in Hanoi; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; the College of Foreign Languages at the University of Da Nang; and the University of Foreign Languages at Hue University.
Why do JLPT seats in Vietnam run out so quickly?+
Vietnam has one of the largest JLPT candidate populations in the world, driven by work and study pathways to Japan, and demand in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City exceeds capacity. Centres close registration early when they fill, and there is no waiting list. Applying early in the window is the only approach that reliably works.
When is the JLPT held in Vietnam?+
Twice a year, on the first Sunday of July and of December. The December 2026 exam falls on Sunday 6 December. There are no extensions or late registrations anywhere in the JLPT system, so a missed window costs about six months.

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JLPT Registration Vietnam — How to Register (Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang, Hue) | Nihongo Pass