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The rising number of students working in different fields after graduation has prompted the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam to emphasize the establishment of school counselling focused on career orientation to help students make a right career choice and to enhance workforce quality in response to the labor market. Career orientation is crucial for providing guidance, information, and clarity to assist individuals in career decision-making. This research aims to identify factors influencing career decision-making among high school students in Vietnam. This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of grade 12 students from a public high school in Nghe An Province and a private high school in Dak Nong Province, Vietnam, to explore the factors influencing their career decision-making. This study identified how different factors influence the career choice of students, including individual, family, school, peers, and social trends. Two major influencing factors in career decision-making among the grade 12 students are: 1) academic performance and 2) family socioeconomic status. The results also show the differences among the factors between the public and private schooling, in which students in private school tend to have greater autonomy in their career decision-making, influenced by family aspirations, supportive educational resources and share openly with peers about career choices, while in public school students often prioritize job security and financial concerns due to limited exposure and guidance. This study contributed important information for students to make their career decisions seriously, stressing the role of school in career orientation in providing career information, career programs, and school counselling services to avoid the common situation of “too many chiefs, not enough Indians.