Ahead of the national high school exam thousands of candidates visited a sacred temple in Hanoi to pray for good scores.

A long line of students and parents waited outside the Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam, or the Temple of Literature, Sunday morning to buy tickets to enter the temple and pray for luck ahead of the national high school examination.

Inside the temple, a large number of students and family members offer prayers and wish for luck. The Temple of Literature was the first university in Vietnam, dating back to 1070. Locals treat it as a sanctuary of knowledge with vibes that can impart luck in present-day exams.

A student sneaks into a prohibited area to rub stone turtles' heads. The stone turtles carry stelae with the names of doctorate students from 1442 to 1779. Many believe touching the head of the turtles will bring them good luck.

Some students use their fingers to write their name and wishes on the wall.

Some parents bring a copy of the examination form with their child’s name and registration numbers to pray at the temple.

Vuong Minh Tuan, a student from Tay Ho District, holds his school supplies including pencils, pens and calculators while praying for luck. He will use the implements to write the national high school exam, which will start on Tuesday.

"This year I hope to get into the National Economics University, majoring in business administration," he said.

Nguyen Hoang Kim, student from Yen Lang District, visits the temple to offer incense so as to have a calm mind before the important exams begin.

This year, over 880,000 candidates will take the national high school examination, including nearly 71,000 from Ho Chi Minh City.

Math, literature and a foreign language are compulsory, while students can choose between natural sciences (physics, chemistry and biology), and social sciences (history, geography and civics.)

Their test scores and high school grades will be used by colleges and universities to screen students for their courses. The examinations will be held from June 25 to 27.