Hundreds of parents lined up overnight and pushed each other out of the way to get their children a spot in a coveted public school in Hanoi.

Van Bao Primary School, the only high-quality elementary school in Ha Dong District, was packed with parents overnight on Monday.

Among them was a man named Tuan, 34.

"Way too exhausted!" Tuan said after spending a night waiting in line in the Hanoi summer heat and then spending the morning trying to elbow other parents out of the way to submit an enrollment file for his child on Tuesday morning.

Tuan said when he drove past the school around 7 p.m. on Monday, there were lines of parents already queuing on the street in front of the school, many of whom had brought their own plastic stools and other supplies.

He knew they were there to submit first-grade applications for their children the next morning.

Tuan also wanted his child to have a chance at Van Bao, so he rushed home to grab his completed application and other provisions before returning to camp out at the school with his wife.