More than 30-thousand Vietnamese have taken a Korean-language proficiency exam held in the Southeast Asian country.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea says 30-thousand-571 people took the exam in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and three other regions in Vietnam.

The service will choose the top 25-hundred scorers and register them on the candidate list for employment in Korea.

Foreigners must pass the exam if they seek employment in Korea under the work permit system.

The first test was held in Sri Lanka in August 2005. Since then, 530-thousand people have taken the exam and 270-thousand have passed.