If your family is leaving Vietnam around the time your child finishes preschool, start with where you will live, because in many countries the address decides the public school. Then gather the papers the next school will ask for: legalised civil documents, an English summary of the preschool record, a translated vaccination history and any specialist reports. Time the move around the destination's school year if you can, and give your child a clear, unhurried goodbye to the people and places of their Saigon years.
Families who move often know that most of the work is in the months before departure. A school abroad cannot answer an application until you can show an address or a residence status, a doctor cannot finish a vaccination review without the records, and documents issued in Vietnam are much easier to process while you are still here. This guide sets out what to do, roughly in the order you will need it.
Start with the address, not the school
In the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and many other countries, public school places are linked to where the family lives. Applications for a state primary school in England go through the local council, which generally needs a home address in its area, and places are allocated using criteria that often include distance from the school. Many American school districts enrol children who live within their boundaries and ask for proof of residence. Australian state schools commonly give priority to children living in a school's local area.
This means that the choice of neighbourhood is, in effect, the choice of school. Families who want a particular school often rent near it first and apply once they have the lease. Families who cannot secure housing before arriving may need a temporary school place, or a short gap, while the application goes through.
International and private schools abroad are different: they accept applications from overseas and do not usually depend on address. If you are moving to another expat posting, the process will look much like the one you went through in Ho Chi Minh City. Check early, because popular schools in some cities have long waiting lists for Year 1 or Grade 1.
What to take, and where to get it before you leave
The papers are easier to obtain in Vietnam than to request from abroad later. Collect them in the last term.
| Document | Where it comes from | What to do before leaving |
|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate, and Vietnamese birth registration if the child was born here | Civil registration authority | Get certified copies and ask the destination country's embassy whether legalisation is needed |
| Vaccination record | The child's vaccination book and clinic records | Ask the clinic for a printed summary with dates and vaccine names; arrange a certified translation |
| Preschool report and attendance letter | Your child's preschool | Ask for a signed letter in English with dates attended, class, languages used and a short development summary |
| Specialist reports | Speech therapist, paediatrician, psychologist or occupational therapist | Ask for a final summary in English, with recommendations for the next school |
| Medical history | Your family doctor or paediatric clinic | Request a copy of the child's file, including allergies and any medication |
| Samples of your child's work | Home and preschool | Keep a small, light selection of drawings and early writing in hand luggage |
Documents issued in Vietnam may need consular legalisation before authorities in another country accept them. The rules depend on the destination and change over time, so the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Vietnam is the place to ask. Doing it while you are still here is usually far simpler than dealing with it by post later.
Choosing the next school from a distance
Choosing a school in another country without visiting is easier than it used to be, but it still needs method. Start with what is published. In England, state schools are inspected by Ofsted, whose reports are public and describe teaching, behaviour and leadership in some detail. Many American states publish school report cards with test results and other measures. In Australia, the My School website run by the national curriculum authority lists information about each school. These sources do not tell you everything, but they help you narrow a long list.
Then ask for a conversation. Most schools, public and private, will arrange a video call with the head or an admissions officer, and many offer a recorded or live video tour. Ask the same questions you would ask in person: class sizes, how the school welcomes children arriving from abroad, support for children whose English or local language is still developing, and how the first weeks are handled.
Talk to people who live there. Families from your child's preschool who moved to the same city, colleagues at the destination, or local parent groups can tell you how a school feels from the inside. Weigh these views with care, since every family's experience is partial, but they often answer the questions an official report leaves open.
Health records and vaccinations
Schools and health services abroad will ask about your child's vaccinations, and the schedule in Vietnam does not always match the destination's. Some vaccines may have been given at different ages, under different brand names, or in combination products not used elsewhere; others common in the destination may not have been given at all. This is normal, and it is a medical question rather than a school one.
Bring a clear record: the original vaccination book, a printed list of every dose with dates and vaccine names, and a certified translation into the destination language. After arrival, a family doctor or school nurse can compare it with the local schedule and recommend any catch-up doses. Some school systems require proof of certain vaccinations for enrolment, or offer exemptions under local rules, so check what the destination asks for as soon as you know where you will live.
If your child has allergies, asthma, or another condition that needs care at school, ask your paediatrician in Ho Chi Minh City for a letter in English describing the diagnosis, the current treatment and what to do in an emergency. The new school will want its own health plan, but a doctor's letter makes it faster and more accurate.
Timing the move around school years
Northern hemisphere destinations such as the United Kingdom, much of Europe, the United States and Canada start the school year in August or September, which fits neatly with leaving Vietnam at the end of the preschool year in May or June.
Southern hemisphere destinations such as Australia and New Zealand run the school year roughly from late January or early February to December. A child finishing preschool in Saigon in May might join school mid-year there, or wait until the following year, depending on age and the state's rules.
Japan and Korea start the school year in spring, April and March respectively, and place children strictly by date of birth. Arriving in summer usually means joining a class part way through its year.
A mid-year move is common for families with postings that do not follow the school calendar. Young children usually adapt quickly, but tell the new school what the previous class covered, so the teacher can fill gaps in reading or number work. A short note listing the reading level, the sounds and letters your child knows, and the number work covered gives the teacher a starting point on the first day.
Helping your child say goodbye
For a five- or six-year-old, leaving preschool and leaving the country at once is a double change: friends, teachers, perhaps a nanny, the home, the food and often a language. Children this age understand more than they can express, and they cope better when the change is explained simply and early, rather than revealed in the last week.
Practical rituals help. Many preschools hold a goodbye circle or let the child bring something to share. A small book of photos of friends, teachers, the classroom and favourite places, made together with your child, gives them something to look at in the new home. Collecting a few contact details from other parents makes it possible for friendships to continue for a while, through calls or letters.
In their book Third Culture Kids, David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken describe the grief that internationally mobile children can feel for places and people they leave, and suggest that naming it openly helps. For young children, that might simply mean letting them say they will miss their teacher, or the street food on the way home, without rushing to point out what will be good about the new place. Adults who acknowledge the loss first usually find that children are readier, a little later, to talk about what lies ahead.
A working timeline for the last six months
Every move is different, but the order below keeps the slow tasks from bunching up at the end.
- Six months before: decide where you will live, or at least which area, and check how schools there admit children arriving from abroad.
- Five months before: apply to international or private schools if relevant; contact the education authority of the destination for public school rules.
- Four months before: request vaccination summaries, medical letters and specialist reports, and start translations and legalisation.
- Three months before: tell the preschool your leaving date and ask for its report and attendance letter.
- Two months before: begin talking with your child about the move; start the photo book.
- Last month: collect all originals, scan everything into one folder, and pack the essential papers in hand luggage.
- After arrival: register with a doctor, complete school enrolment, and share the preschool report with the new teacher.
If the move is sudden, as postings sometimes are, prioritise the documents that are hardest to get from abroad: the vaccination summary, the preschool letter and any legalised civil records. Everything else can usually be requested by email after you arrive.
The first weeks in the new school
Once your child starts, the most useful thing you can do is give the new teacher a short, honest picture of who your child is. A one-page note covering the languages your child speaks and with whom, what the Saigon preschool day looked like, what your child is proud of, what tends to upset them and how they calm down, is read and remembered in a way that a thick file is not.
Expect some unsettled behaviour at home: tiredness, tears at bedtime, clinginess or sudden anger. These reactions are common after a big move and usually ease within a few weeks as the new routine becomes familiar. If they persist or grow stronger, talk to the teacher and, if needed, a doctor.
Families returning to their home country sometimes find the adjustment harder than they expected. Relatives assume the child is coming home, while the child may feel they have left home behind. Allow your child to talk about Vietnam, keep a few of its foods and routines, and let them be the expert on a place their new classmates have never seen. Being known for something positive helps a newcomer find a place in the class.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can we apply for a state school abroad before we arrive?
It depends on the country and area. In England, applications for state primary schools go through the local council, which generally needs an address in its area. Many American school districts require proof of residence. International and private schools usually accept applications from overseas. Check the destination authority's rules early.
Do we need to legalise our child's Vietnamese birth registration?
Possibly, if you will use it officially abroad. Requirements depend on the country and the purpose. The embassy or consulate of the destination country in Vietnam can tell you what is needed, and the process is usually much easier to complete while you are still in Vietnam.
Will our child need extra vaccinations in the new country?
Possibly. Vaccination schedules differ between countries, so a doctor in the destination will compare your child's record with the local schedule and may recommend catch-up doses. Bring the original vaccination book, a printed summary and a translation, and ask a doctor rather than relying on general lists.
Should we keep up our child's Vietnamese after we leave?
If Vietnamese matters to your family, it is worth a plan, because a young child's second language can fade within months without regular use. Books, songs, video calls with friends and family, and community classes where available all help. Even partial understanding is valuable if you might return.
How do we explain the move to a five-year-old?
Simply and early, in terms of what will happen: where you will live, who will come, what will be the same and what will change. Repeat it, answer questions honestly, and let your child express sadness. Making a book of photos together and visiting favourite places before leaving both help.
Is it better to move before or after the preschool year ends?
Finishing the year lets your child complete the goodbye with classmates and gives the preschool time to write a full report. If the destination school year starts earlier, as in the southern hemisphere, or the posting forces an earlier move, a mid-year departure is common and children usually adapt.