A young child who speaks neither Vietnamese nor English can still settle well in a bilingual preschool class. In the first weeks they rely on routine, gesture, tone of voice and watching other children; most then go through a quiet listening phase before they start using single words and set phrases, and fuller speech usually follows over months rather than weeks. The process is well described in research on young second-language learners, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong.
Families who move to Ho Chi Minh City from Korea, Japan, France, India or elsewhere often worry that their child will be lost in a room where two unfamiliar languages are in use. This guide explains what children understand before they understand words, the stages most of them pass through, the handful of words worth teaching before day one, and how to tell ordinary quietness from something that deserves a closer look.
What a child understands before understanding the words
Adults tend to think of language as the main channel of communication, but for a three-year-old in a preschool room, much of the meaning is carried by other things. The routine itself is a kind of language: when the teacher sits on the carpet and starts a song, it is circle time; when bowls appear, it is lunch; when the lights dim and mats come out, it is nap. Children learn these patterns within days, regardless of the words spoken.
Teachers of young children also communicate heavily through gesture, facial expression and objects. They hold up a cup when offering water, point to the door when it is time to go outside, and model actions instead of describing them. A child who does not understand “please wash your hands” in Vietnamese or English can still follow a teacher who walks to the sink and mimes washing.
The researcher Jim Cummins drew a well known distinction between language that is embedded in context, where gestures, objects and situations make the meaning clear, and language that is abstract and detached from the here and now. Preschool talk is overwhelmingly of the first kind, which is one reason young children can function in a new language long before they could explain a story in it.
Other children are teachers too. A newcomer watches classmates to see what to do next, copies them in line-ups and songs, and picks up the rhythm of the room. In a mixed class of Vietnamese and international children, there is often at least one child who becomes an informal guide.
The stages most young second-language learners go through
The American researcher Patton Tabors observed young children learning English in a preschool and described a common sequence in her book One Child, Two Languages. The stages overlap and their length varies a great deal, but they are a useful map for parents.
| Stage | What you may see | Typical length | What helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using the home language | Child speaks their own language to teachers and classmates as if they will understand | Often brief, a few days | Teachers who respond warmly to the attempt, even without understanding |
| Quiet or nonverbal period | Child stops talking at school, watches closely, communicates by pointing, nodding, crying or leading an adult by the hand | Weeks to several months | No pressure to speak; adults who narrate what is happening and accept gestures as answers |
| Single words and set phrases | Child uses chunks such as “bye bye”, “my turn”, “no”, a teacher's name or a phrase from a song | Overlaps with the next stage | Routines that repeat the same phrases daily, songs, simple games with turns |
| Building their own sentences | Child begins to combine words creatively, with many errors, and talks more in play | Develops over months to years | Plenty of play with peers, adults who expand what the child says rather than correcting it |
The quiet period surprises many parents, particularly if their child is chatty at home. It is better understood as active listening than as silence. Children in this stage are often absorbing a great deal and may later produce whole phrases that nobody heard them practise.
In a bilingual class, the sequence can run for two languages at once, at different speeds. A child may reach set phrases in English while still quiet in Vietnamese, or the other way round, depending on which language their teachers and classmates use most with them.
Survival words to teach before the first day
A handful of words in each classroom language gives a child a way to meet basic needs. Practise them as a game at home, not a lesson, and teach the teachers your child's own words for the same things. The Vietnamese below is the everyday form used with young children in the south.
| Need | English | Vietnamese | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet | toilet, potty, wee | đi vệ sinh, đi tè | The single most useful word; also teach a hand signal |
| Water, drink | water | nước, uống nước | Important in Saigon heat |
| No, stop | no, stop | không | A child should be able to refuse clearly |
| Yes (polite) | yes | dạ | Children use dạ to answer adults politely |
| Calling the teacher | teacher | cô ơi | Cô is used for a female teacher, thầy for a male teacher |
| Hurt | hurt, ouch | đau | Pointing to the place helps the teacher understand |
| Finished | finished, all done | xong rồi | Useful at meals and activities |
| Parents | mummy, daddy | mẹ, ba | Ba is the usual southern word for father |
Do not worry about pronunciation. The point is that your child knows a few sounds will bring help, and that the teachers know what your child's home-language words for toilet, water and hurt sound like. A short list written phonetically for the teachers is enough.
Keep the home language strong
When a child struggles with new languages at school, some parents are tempted to switch the language spoken at home to English, hoping to speed things up. Most research on young bilingual children points the other way. A child's first language is the foundation on which other languages are built, and it is the language in which they can be comforted, ask questions and make sense of a confusing day.
The American linguist Lily Wong Fillmore, in a widely cited 1991 study, described how young children from immigrant families in the United States who entered English-language preschools often lost fluency in their home language, sometimes to the point where communication with parents and grandparents suffered. The risk is real when the school language is high status and the home language gets little support.
For international families in Saigon the practical advice is simple. Keep talking, reading and singing with your child in the language you are most comfortable in. Ask your child about school in that language. If two parents speak two different languages, keep that pattern rather than abandoning it. Questions about raising children with three or more languages deserve a fuller discussion of their own, but for settling in, the key point is that the home language is a support, not a competitor.
Which language will your child pick up first?
Parents often ask whether their child will learn English or Vietnamese first. The answer depends less on the curriculum label than on who the child spends time with. In a bilingual class, both languages are used, but the balance between them varies by activity, by teacher and by time of day. A child who spends most of the day with a Vietnamese-speaking teacher and Vietnamese classmates may pick up Vietnamese phrases quickly, even if the family expected English to come first.
Peer language is especially powerful. Children learn the language of the playground because that is where the fun is. If most classmates are Vietnamese, the language of games and squabbles is likely to be Vietnamese, and your child may surprise you by bringing home words you do not know.
If your family has a preference, ask the campus how the two languages are distributed across a typical day for your child's age group, and which adults your child will spend most time with. Then watch with an open mind. A child who adds Vietnamese to their repertoire while living in Vietnam gains something valuable, and English input tends to grow as children move up through the classes.
Working with the teachers in the first month
The teachers cannot learn your child's language, but a little information goes a long way:
- Tell them how your child's name is pronounced at home and any nickname they respond to. Hearing their own name said the familiar way is calming.
- Give them the short phonetic list of your child's words for toilet, water, hurt, tired, hungry and the comfort object.
- Explain how your child usually signals distress or needs, such as pulling at clothes when they need the toilet or going quiet when they are tired.
- Share one or two songs or rhymes your child loves in the home language. Some teachers enjoy using these to welcome a new child, and classmates often find them fascinating.
- Ask the teachers which classroom phrases they use most often, such as tidy-up or line-up calls, so you can play with them at home.
- Agree how you will check in after the first and fourth weeks to talk specifically about communication, not only about tears and meals.
It also helps to tell the teachers what your child already understands. A four-year-old who knows colours and numbers in Korean, or can count to twenty in French, already has the concepts; they only need new labels. Teachers who know this can pitch activities at the right level instead of treating a newcomer as a beginner in everything.
Finally, ask the teachers to tell you about small breakthroughs: the first time your child answered “dạ”, joined a song or asked for water in words. These moments are easy to miss at a busy pick-up, and hearing about them gives you something specific to celebrate at home.
When quietness is worth a closer look
Most quiet periods are ordinary and resolve with time. It is worth asking for a professional view, starting with your paediatrician, if you notice any of the following:
- Your child is also unusually quiet or has stopped talking in the home language, not just at school.
- Your child does not communicate at school in any way, including pointing, nodding, eye contact or joining routines, after several weeks.
- There were already concerns about speech, hearing or understanding before the move.
- Your child seems very anxious about speaking in any setting, for example freezing completely when spoken to by familiar adults outside the home.
- The quiet period at school continues for many months with no sign of single words or set phrases in either classroom language.
A speech and language assessment for a multilingual child should consider all the languages the child knows, not only the school languages. Ask whoever assesses your child how they will take the home language into account.
If you are unsure, start by describing what you see to the teachers and asking what they see. Two sets of observations, one from home and one from school, usually make it clear whether the quietness belongs to the new setting or deserves a professional opinion.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Will my child fall behind by starting preschool in two unfamiliar languages?
At preschool age, the main aims are social, emotional and physical development through play and routine, and children can take part in these without fluent language. Most young children adapt and gradually join in. Keeping the home language strong at home supports their overall language development while they learn the classroom languages.
How long does the quiet period usually last?
It varies widely, from a few weeks to several months. Younger, more cautious children and those in a very new environment may stay quiet longer. What matters is that your child communicates in other ways at school and keeps speaking normally at home. If both stop, ask your paediatrician for advice.
Should we hire a tutor so our child learns English or Vietnamese faster?
For a preschooler in the first weeks of a new school, extra lessons usually add pressure rather than speed. Play, rest and time with you are more useful. If you want extra exposure later, playdates with classmates and relaxed activities in the language tend to work better than formal tutoring.
Is it confusing for a child to hear three languages every day?
Children in many parts of the world grow up with three or more languages. Mixing words from different languages is a normal part of the process, not a sign of confusion. Children gradually learn which language to use with which person, especially when the adults around them are consistent.
What if there are no other children in the class who speak our language?
This is common and children manage it. Without a shared language, they connect through play, imitation and routines, and they often learn classroom language faster because they need it. A classmate who speaks your language can be a comfort, but it is not essential for settling in.
Should I speak English or Vietnamese to my child at home to help?
Speak the language you are most fluent and comfortable in. Rich, warm conversation in your strongest language supports your child's development more than limited conversation in a language you speak less well. You can still play with a few classroom words and songs together as a light, fun extra.