For an international primary school in Ho Chi Minh City, families usually apply nine to eighteen months before the intended start, submit an online application with reports from the current preschool, pay an application fee, and bring the child for a short entry assessment. Places are offered in order of the school's priority rules, often siblings and returning families first, then by date of application and space in the year group. Popular year groups can have waiting lists, while many schools also admit mid-year when places open.
The process is not difficult, but it moves at the school's pace, and families who apply late to a full year group can end up with no place for September. The steps below show what usually happens, what the assessment of a five-year-old is really for, and how to manage offers from more than one school without losing a deposit unnecessarily.
The usual sequence
Schools differ in detail, but most international schools in the city follow a version of this order.
- Enquiry and visit. You contact admissions, attend a tour or open morning, and receive the application pack and fee schedule.
- Online application. You complete the form, upload passports, residence papers, the birth certificate, recent reports and a photo, and pay a non-refundable application fee.
- Reference from the current school. Many schools send a confidential form to your child's preschool teacher. Warn the preschool so it is not left unanswered.
- Entry assessment. Your child spends a short session with a teacher, sometimes with other children. For some year groups the school also screens English level.
- Parent meeting. Some schools meet parents to talk about the child and the family's expectations, particularly when the child has additional needs or limited English.
- Decision. The school offers a place, places your child on a waiting list or, rarely at this age, declines.
- Acceptance. You sign the contract and pay an enrolment fee and deposit by a deadline, often within one to three weeks of the offer.
The slowest step is usually the reference from the current school, especially near the end of the school year when teachers are busy. Asking the preschool in advance, and telling them roughly when the form will arrive, saves days.
When to apply
International schools generally accept applications all year, but the main intake is for the August or September start. The busiest application period is the autumn and winter before. For entry to Year 1 or Grade 1, which is often a significant intake year because some schools have a smaller early years section, applying in the previous autumn is comfortable. Applying in spring is often still fine, but places in popular year groups may by then be offered to waiting-list families.
Families relocating to the city with short notice should not assume they are too late. International schools are used to arrivals in any month, and pupils leave in every term as their parents' postings end. A year group that is full in May can have a place in August. The useful step is to apply to more than one school and ask each how the waiting list for your child's year group has moved in recent years.
Corporate arrangements are another factor. Some schools hold places for employees of partner companies or offer priority to families whose employer pays fees directly. If your employer has such an agreement, ask human resources before applying, because it can change where you sit on a waiting list.
How priority rules usually work
Each school publishes or will explain its own order of priority. The categories below are common; the order varies.
| Category | What it usually means | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Siblings | Brothers and sisters of current pupils | Does sibling priority apply if the older child is leaving this year? |
| Children of staff | Families of teachers and school employees | Does this category take places from the general list? |
| Returning pupils | Children who left the school and come back | How long after leaving does this priority last? |
| Passport or nationality | Some schools aim for a balance of nationalities or must follow rules on the share of Vietnamese pupils | Does my child's nationality affect where we sit on the list? |
| Corporate partners | Employees of companies with an agreement with the school | Is a letter from the employer needed, and by when? |
| Date of application | The rest of the list, in order of complete applications | Is the date the application was started or completed? |
Nationality rules deserve a word. Foreign-invested schools in Vietnam operate under Decree 86/2018/ND-CP, which sets conditions on enrolling Vietnamese pupils at some types of school. For a dual-national child, ask which nationality the school will record, because it can affect both priority and later paperwork.
What the entry assessment of a five-year-old involves
Parents often worry about the assessment more than they need to. For children entering Year 1 or Grade 1, most international schools use a short, play-based session: drawing a picture, talking about a story, sorting objects, counting, recognising letters or sounds, and perhaps writing their name. A teacher watches how the child listens, follows instructions, manages a new adult and joins in with other children.
The session is not usually a pass-or-fail test of knowledge. The school is trying to answer practical questions. Does the child have enough English to follow the class, or will they need support for English as an additional language? Are there signs of a learning, speech or developmental need the school should plan for? Is the child ready for the routines of a full school day?
Preparing a child for the assessment in the sense of drilling is not useful and can backfire, because a child who has been coached and then meets an unexpected task may freeze. What helps is ordinary: a good night's sleep, a snack beforehand, and a calm explanation that they will play and talk with a teacher for a while. If your child is shy with new adults, tell the school in advance; experienced early years teachers know how to adapt.
If your child has a diagnosed need or is being assessed by a specialist, share it. Schools that know in advance can tell you honestly whether they can support your child, which is better than discovering a mismatch after term starts.
Handling offers from more than one school
Know each deadline. Write down the date by which each school needs your acceptance and payment. Offers usually lapse if the deadline passes, and the place goes to the next family on the list.
Read the refund terms before paying. Application fees are almost never refundable. Enrolment fees often are not either. Deposits may be returned when your child leaves, or may be forfeited if you withdraw before the start date. The contract tells you which.
Ask about holding a place. If you are waiting for a decision from a preferred school, ask the first school whether it can extend the deadline by a week or two. Many will, if asked politely and early.
Be honest when declining. If you decide not to accept, tell the school promptly. It frees a place for another family, and international school communities in the city are small enough that goodwill matters if you reapply later.
If your child is on a waiting list
A place on a waiting list is not a refusal, and lists move. Ask the school three things: where your child currently sits on the list, how many places in that year group typically open between now and September, and whether the school will contact you or expects you to check in. Then make a backup plan, either a place at another school or an extra term at your child's current preschool if it can keep them.
Many preschools in Ho Chi Minh City will keep a child who has reached primary age for a few extra months while a primary place is found, though the final preschool year is designed for five-year-olds and a six-year-old may outgrow it quickly. If you think you might need this, raise it with the preschool before the end of the school year, not in August.
Finally, keep your application up to date. If your child's preschool report, address or residence card changes, send the new version. A complete, current file is easier for an admissions office to act on when a place opens at short notice, sometimes only days before term, when the family that can confirm fastest is usually the one offered the place.
Questions to ask admissions before you apply
An email to each admissions office before you pay any fee can save a wasted application. These questions are reasonable for any school to answer.
- How many places do you expect in my child's year group for the coming school year, and how many applications do you usually receive for them?
- Which cut-off date do you use, and which year group would my child join on that basis?
- What does the entry assessment involve for this age, how long does it last, and can a parent wait nearby?
- Do you charge separately for English as an additional language or learning support, and how do you decide who needs it?
- What is the full list of fees due on acceptance, and which of them are refundable if our plans change before the start date?
- Can you share the most recent inspection or accreditation report, or tell us when the next one is due?
The answers tell you whether to apply at all, and the tone of the reply tells you something too. A school that answers each point plainly is likely to communicate the same way once your child is enrolled.
Keeping your current preschool in the loop
Your child's preschool plays a bigger part in this process than many parents expect. It writes the reference, provides the reports the new school reads first, and is often the only adult perspective the admissions team has on how your child learns. Telling the preschool early which schools you are applying to, and when the forms will arrive, helps the teachers answer thoughtfully instead of in a rush at the end of term.
It also helps your child. Five-year-olds notice when adults talk about a new school, and the preschool can support the transition: reading stories about starting big school, practising longer periods of sitting and listening, and talking about the change without making it frightening. If your child will move to a school with a different main language, the preschool may be able to shift a little of the daily talk toward that language in the final months.
Finally, ask the preschool what it knows about other families' experience with the schools on your list. Teachers hear how former pupils settled and which schools kept in touch when a child struggled. Treat this as one view among several, but it is local knowledge you will not find elsewhere. Then thank the preschool once the process is over and tell it where your child is going, since teachers rarely hear how the children they prepared actually settled, and the information helps them advise the next family.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Is the entry assessment for Year 1 a test my child can fail?
At this age most schools use the session to understand your child's English, learning and social readiness rather than to rank them. A child may be offered a place with English support, or the school may say it cannot meet a particular need. Outright refusal on academic grounds at five is unusual.
Can we apply before we have moved to Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes. International schools routinely accept applications from abroad and can run the assessment online or on your first visit. Have scanned documents ready, and expect the school to ask for residence papers once you have them. Confirm when the school needs them for the place to be secured.
Do international schools charge an application fee?
Most do, and it is usually non-refundable whatever the outcome. Some schools also charge a separate assessment fee, an enrolment fee on acceptance and a refundable or partly refundable deposit. Ask for the full schedule in writing before applying so that you can compare schools fairly.
What if our child's English is limited?
Many international schools accept children with limited English in the early years, sometimes with a fee for English as an additional language support. Some cap the number of children needing support in each class, which can mean a waiting list. Ask how the school decides and what support looks like in practice.
How long does a decision usually take?
Once the file is complete and the assessment done, many schools decide within one to three weeks, faster for mid-year arrivals. The waiting period is often caused by a missing reference or document, so check that the school has everything it asked for.
Does applying early guarantee a place?
No. Early application usually puts you higher on the general list, but priority categories such as siblings can still be offered places first. Applying early does give you more time to secure a backup option if the preferred school cannot offer a place.