You can choose and secure a preschool place in Ho Chi Minh City entirely from abroad: research schools online, hold a video call and a virtual tour with two or three of them, send the enrolment documents as scans, and pay a deposit or registration fee to hold a place. What you cannot judge from a distance is the feel of the classroom, the noise and heat of the day, and the real school run, so plan to visit in your first week and confirm the place in person before your child starts.
Families moving for work often have to commit before they can visit. That is fine, as long as the process is designed for it: written answers, clear terms on deposits and refunds, and a plan for the first visit after landing. This guide walks through each step from the other side of the world, with the questions to ask on camera, the terms to read before paying, and the signs that a school is handling a remote application well.
What you can do remotely, and what has to wait
Most of the admissions process now works by email and video call. A few things still need you in the city.
| Task | Remotely? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read the school's published information and fee schedule | Yes | Ask for anything not published, in writing |
| Meet the admissions team and a teacher | Yes, by video call | Ask for a teacher, not only an admissions officer |
| See the classrooms and outdoor areas | Partly, by live video tour | Recorded videos show the best angles; a live tour is more revealing |
| Send documents and complete forms | Yes, as scans | Originals are usually checked on the first visit |
| Pay a deposit or registration fee | Usually, by bank transfer | Check the exact terms and keep the receipt |
| Judge noise, heat, smell and atmosphere | No | Only a visit at a normal hour of the day shows this |
| Test the school route | No, unless someone does it for you | A relocation agent or friend can time it at drop-off hour |
| Let your child meet the teacher | Partly, by a short video hello | Many schools are happy to arrange this before the start |
The pattern is clear: everything that can be written down works remotely, and everything that must be felt has to wait. Plan your decision so that the written part is complete before you fly and the felt part happens in the first week.
Building a shortlist from a distance
Start with geography rather than reputation. Mark the workplace and the areas where you are considering living, then list preschools within a reasonable trip of those points. A highly praised school forty-five minutes across the city in morning traffic is rarely the right choice for a two-year-old, however good it is.
Then read what each school publishes: the age groups, the length of the day, the languages used in the classroom, how many children and adults are in each group, the calendar and the fee schedule. A school that publishes this clearly is easier to deal with from abroad, because you start your first conversation already knowing the basics. If something important is missing, ask for it by email and note how quickly and clearly the school replies.
Parent groups online and colleagues already in the city are useful for one kind of information: what daily life at the school is like, from the gate in the morning to the messages parents receive. Treat individual opinions as one family's experience rather than a verdict, and ask practical questions, not "is it good?". The guides in this site's section on choosing a preschool in Saigon go further into reading terms such as international and bilingual.
Keep the shortlist small. Reading five schools carefully is more useful than skimming fifteen, and it leaves you energy for the conversations that follow. Drop any school that does not answer a clear email within a week or so; responsiveness from a distance is a fair preview of how communication will work once your child is enrolled.
The live video tour: what to ask to see
Recorded tours show a school at its best. A live tour on a normal school day, led by a staff member walking with a phone, shows much more. Ask to see these places in particular:
- The classroom your child would join, during an activity rather than empty, with the camera held at child height for a moment.
- The nap room: how mats or beds are arranged, how the room is cooled and darkened, where the teachers sit.
- Toilets and nappy-changing areas, which say a lot about hygiene and how the school supports toilet training.
- The kitchen or meal area, and how food reaches the classroom.
- Outdoor and indoor play spaces, including shade and what happens on very hot or rainy days.
- The gate and drop-off area, to see how children are handed over and who checks the adults collecting them.
- The route a child takes from the gate to the classroom, which shows whether the building is easy for small children to move around.
Pay attention to the moments the guide did not plan. How do teachers react when a child cries or needs help? Do children look comfortable approaching adults? A school that lets you watch ordinary moments on camera is usually confident about them.
Questions that matter more when you apply from abroad
How do you keep in touch with families before they arrive? A school used to remote applications will name a contact person, say how quickly they reply and tell you which channel to use. Vague answers here often mean slow answers later.
Can my child meet the teacher on video before the first day? A five-minute hello, with the teacher showing the classroom or a toy, gives a young child a familiar face to look for on the first morning.
What do you need from us before we land, and what can wait? Separating the two avoids paying for translations or medical forms you could have completed in the city.
What happens if our arrival date moves? Relocations slip, often by weeks. Ask how long the place can be held and whether a delay changes the fee or the age group.
Who will meet us on our first visit? Ideally the class teacher as well as the admissions team, so the first visit becomes part of your child's settling in rather than a separate step.
How many families in the class arrived from abroad? The answer tells you how familiar the teachers are with children who do not yet speak the classroom languages and with parents learning a new city.
Time zones, language and keeping it in writing
Applying from abroad usually means working across a time difference of several hours, sometimes twelve or more. Agree early on a channel and a rough rhythm: email for anything about terms, money and documents, and a video call for the conversation about your child. Messaging apps are convenient for quick questions, but important answers should end up in an email you can find again.
Language deserves a moment of thought. In a bilingual preschool, the admissions team usually works in English, but some teachers may be more comfortable in Vietnamese. If a call with a Vietnamese-speaking teacher is offered, accept it, and ask whether a colleague can help translate. You learn far more from the person who would care for your child than from a fluent intermediary.
Finally, summarise each call in a short email: "Thank you for the call today. As we understood it, a place in the two-to-three group is available from 10 March, the deposit holds it until 1 March, and the medical form can be completed in Ho Chi Minh City." If anything in your summary is wrong, the school will correct it, and you will both work from the same understanding when the start date arrives.
Holding a place: deposits, confirmations and refunds
Most private preschools hold a place for a family moving from abroad once a registration fee or deposit has been paid, sometimes together with the first month's fee. This site does not quote amounts. Ask each school for its published fee schedule and, separately, for the written terms that apply to the deposit.
Before you pay, find out four things. Is the payment a deposit, which may be returned, or a fee, which is usually not? If your move is cancelled or delayed, what happens to it? How long does it hold the place, and in which age group? And does it count towards later fees? Relocations change for reasons outside a family's control, so the refund terms matter as much as the amount.
Pay by a method that leaves a clear record, usually an international bank transfer to the school's official account, and ask for a receipt or confirmation letter naming your child, the age group and the start date. Keep it with the rest of your relocation papers. If your employer reimburses fees, check in advance what kind of invoice it accepts, because a school can usually issue the right document if it knows from the start.
The first visit after landing: confirm in person
However good the remote process was, visit the school in your first week before your child starts. A short checklist for that visit:
- Go at a normal hour, ideally mid-morning, to see the school as it really is rather than at a quiet moment.
- Walk the spaces you saw on camera and notice what video could not show: temperature, noise, smell, light, how crowded it feels.
- Meet the class teacher and, if possible, let your child see the classroom for a few minutes.
- Bring the original documents so the school can check them against the scans.
- Agree the first day: time of arrival, what to bring, whether the first days are shorter, and how you will hear how it went.
- Time the trip there and back at drop-off and pick-up hours if you have not done so already.
If the visit leaves you uneasy, say so honestly and ask for time to think. It is far better to change your mind in the first week, before your child has bonded with a teacher, than after a month. A school that handled your remote application well will understand.
Signs a school is handling a remote application well
You cannot judge everything from abroad, but the way a school runs the process is visible from the first email.
- Replies are clear, in writing, and arrive within a reasonable time for the time difference.
- Fees, deposit terms and refund rules are sent as documents rather than explained only on a call.
- The school offers a live tour on a normal day, and lets you see ordinary moments.
- You can speak with a teacher, not only with admissions staff.
- There is no pressure to pay immediately to avoid losing a place, without time to read the terms.
- The school asks questions about your child, not only about dates and documents.
The opposite of each sign is worth noticing too. Pressure to pay before you have the terms in writing, or reluctance to show the classroom during the day, are reasons to slow down and ask more.
None of these signs guarantees a good experience, and a school that is slow by email may still be warm and careful in the classroom. Use them as a reason to ask another question, not as a final judgement.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can we enrol our child in a Saigon preschool without visiting first?
Yes, many families secure a place from abroad through video calls, scanned documents and a deposit. It is still wise to visit in your first week and confirm the place before your child starts, because some things, such as the atmosphere and the school run, can only be judged in person.
Is a recorded video tour enough?
It helps, but a live tour on a normal school day shows much more: how teachers respond to children, how busy the rooms are, what happens at nap or meal time. Ask for a live tour of the classroom your child would join, at child height, during an activity.
Should we pay a deposit before we have a home?
Often, yes. Choosing the school first lets you look for a home near it. Before paying, read the written terms on refunds and delays, and choose a school within reach of the areas you are considering, so the place stays useful whatever home you find.
What if our move is delayed after we have paid?
Contact the school as soon as you know. Many schools can hold a place for a few extra weeks or move the start date, depending on their terms and demand in that age group. This is why the delay and refund terms should be in writing before you pay.
How many schools should we talk to from abroad?
Two or three serious conversations are usually enough, after a wider reading of five or so schools. More than that becomes hard to compare from a distance. Tell the schools you are not choosing, so they can offer the places to other families.
Can our child talk to the teacher before arriving?
Many preschools are happy to arrange a short video hello. For a young child, seeing the teacher's face and a glimpse of the classroom makes the first morning less strange. Keep it short and friendly, and let your child watch rather than expecting them to talk.