Vietnamese schools, including preschools, usually have a parents' representative board (ban đại diện cha mẹ học sinh): parents chosen at the start of the school year, class by class, to represent families, keep communication flowing between parents and teachers, and help organise activities. Its role is set out in a charter issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, which also limits what the board may collect money for.
For international families, the board can be confusing. It often meets in Vietnamese, its decisions may involve contributions to a class fund, and its role is not the same as a parent-teacher association in the United Kingdom or Australia. Yet it is also one of the easiest ways to understand how your child's class works and to get to know other families. This guide explains how the structure works in general terms, what to ask about money, and the many ways to be involved even if you do not join the board.
How the structure works
The legal basis is the Charter of the Parents' Representative Board, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training in Circular 55/2011/TT-BGDDT, which applies to preschools as well as general schools. Under it, parents of each class elect a small class-level board at the start of the school year, and representatives from the classes form a school-level board. Members serve for one school year, though they may be re-elected.
The board's role is to coordinate with the school in caring for and educating children, to help parents understand the school's plans, to pass parents' views and concerns to the school and to support activities. It is not part of the school's management. It does not hire or evaluate teachers, set the curriculum or decide fees, which are the responsibility of the school and, for private schools, the operator under the terms of the enrolment agreement.
The charter also gives the board a voice. It can put forward parents' proposals to the school, take part in discussions about matters affecting children, and contribute to the school's efforts to improve care and education. In practice the strength of that voice depends heavily on the people involved and on how open the school's leadership is to it.
Private and international schools vary in how they apply this structure. Some follow it closely, others have a parent committee under another name, and some schools with largely foreign intakes rely more on class representatives and parent events than on formal boards. Ask your campus how it works there, since the same title can describe quite different arrangements.
The start-of-year meeting and the election
The class board is usually formed at the first class meeting of the school year, often held in the first weeks after the year begins. The teacher introduces the year's plans, routines and rules, and then invites parents to propose or volunteer representatives. In many classes the process is informal: a few parents offer, others agree by a show of hands, and the meeting moves on. Parents who are not present can still be chosen, which occasionally surprises families who could not attend.
If you cannot follow the meeting in Vietnamese, ask the teacher beforehand whether an English summary will be available, or bring a friend who can interpret. It is also reasonable to ask afterwards who was chosen, how to contact them and whether there is a class message group for parents. Many international parents only discover the existence of the class board when the first request for a contribution arrives, by which point a short introduction to the representative would have made everything easier.
The meeting is also when the board may propose a class fund and a suggested contribution for the year. You do not need to decide on the spot. Asking what the fund covers and how it will be reported is a normal question, and other parents are often glad someone asked it.
What the board usually does in practice
Keeps parents informed. Class representatives often relay or explain notices, remind families of events and answer questions from new parents. For an international family, the class representative may be the most useful person to ask when something in a Vietnamese notice is unclear.
Organises class activities. Celebrations for the Mid-Autumn Festival, end-of-year events, Children's Day on 1 June and other occasions often involve the board, which may arrange decorations, small gifts for the children or help on the day.
Collects and passes on views. If several parents have the same concern, for example about pick-up congestion or the timing of an event, the board can raise it with the school as a group, which can be more effective and less personal than individual complaints.
Supports the school's plans. The board may help with activities the school proposes, such as volunteer days or visits, and can explain them to parents who were not at a meeting.
Welcomes new families. When a child joins mid-year, the class representative is often the person who adds the new parents to the class message group and explains how things work. For a family that has just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, that small gesture can be the first real connection with other parents at the school.
Manages a class fund, where there is one. This is the part that needs most care, and it is covered separately below.
Class funds and contributions: what to know
In many Vietnamese schools, the class board collects a voluntary contribution from families to pay for class activities, such as party food, small gifts for the children on festival days or materials for events. The charter states that board funding comes from voluntary contributions by parents and others, and it lists purposes for which the board must not collect money, including items that are the school's responsibility, such as facilities and the school's own operating costs. These rules exist because of public concern, over many years, about informal fees in schools.
For international parents, the key word is voluntary. You can ask how much is suggested, what it is for and how spending will be reported, and you can choose how much to contribute. A well-run board shares a simple account of income and spending with parents, usually at the end of the year or at each class meeting. If you are uncertain about a request, ask the class representative privately, and if you believe a request goes beyond what is permitted, raise it calmly with the campus manager.
Private schools add another layer, because their fees are set by contract and may already cover events and materials. Before contributing to a class fund, check whether the activity it pays for is already included in what you pay the school. In many cases the board fund covers extras, such as treats for a class party, rather than the event itself.
Ways to be involved, with or without a board role
Joining the board is only one form of involvement. The education researcher Joyce Epstein, whose framework of school, family and community partnership has been widely used since the 1990s, describes several types of involvement; most of them do not require a formal role or fluent Vietnamese.
| Type of involvement | What it can look like at a preschool | Time and language demands |
|---|---|---|
| Parenting | Routines at home that support school: sleep, meals, reading together | Low; any language |
| Communicating | Reading reports, attending meetings, sharing useful information with teachers | Moderate; interpretation helps |
| Volunteering | Helping at events, reading a story in your language, sharing a festival from your culture | Flexible; often welcome in English |
| Learning at home | Talking with your child about what they did at school, songs and stories at home | Low; your home language is fine |
| Decision making | Serving on the class board or a parent committee | Higher; meetings often in Vietnamese |
| Collaborating with the community | Connecting the class with a museum, a park or a skill you can share | Varies |
For many international families, volunteering and sharing their own culture are the most natural starting points. A parent who reads a story in Korean, cooks a simple dish from their country with the class or explains a festival from home gives children a real experience of the diversity the school talks about, and teachers often welcome the offer if it fits their plans.
If you would like to join the class board
International parents do sometimes serve on class boards, and their presence can help other foreign families. If you are interested:
- Ask the teacher before the start-of-year class meeting how representatives are chosen and how much time the role takes.
- Be honest about language. Offer to cover tasks you can do well, such as communicating with English-speaking families, while a Vietnamese-speaking member handles meetings.
- Understand the money side before accepting. If the board manages a fund, agree with other members how records will be kept and shared.
- Keep communication inclusive. If you write to class families, write in both languages where you can, or work with a member who can translate.
- Remember the role is to represent parents, not to manage teachers. Concerns about staff or care should go through the school's normal channels.
- Hand over well at the end of the year. Pass on contacts, a short account of the fund and notes on what worked, so the next board does not start from nothing.
A year on the board usually teaches an international family a great deal about how a Vietnamese school works, and it tends to bring friendships with other parents along the way.
If you prefer not to be involved formally
Many parents, Vietnamese and international, have neither the time nor the inclination for a board role, and that is entirely normal. You can still stay connected by reading class notices carefully, attending at least the start-of-year meeting and responding to requests from the class representative, even with a brief "Thank you, noted".
It also helps to make yourself known to the class representative early in the year. A short introduction, in English or with a few words of Vietnamese, means that when something comes up that affects international families, such as a notice that only makes sense if you know the festival behind it, there is someone who will think to explain it to you.
Small, reliable gestures count for more than occasional big ones. Returning forms on time, replying to a request for help with a yes or a no, and turning up to the one or two events each year that matter most to the class tell teachers and other parents that you are part of the community, even if you never attend a board meeting. For a child, seeing a parent at the Mid-Autumn celebration or the end-of-year show matters far more than anything that happens in a committee.
Finally, keep in mind that involvement looks different in different cultures. In some countries parents are expected in the classroom regularly; in many Vietnamese schools, parents are less present day to day but more involved at key moments in the year. Neither is better, and international parents do best by asking how things work at their school rather than assuming the norms of home. Teachers generally notice and appreciate interest, whatever form it takes.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Do I have to pay into the class fund?
Contributions to the parents' representative board are voluntary under the Ministry of Education and Training's charter. You can ask what the fund is for and how much is suggested, and decide what to contribute. If you feel pressured or believe a request is for something the school should provide, raise it politely with the campus manager.
Is the parents' representative board the same as a PTA?
Not exactly. A parent-teacher association in some countries is an independent organisation that may raise funds and run its own programmes. The Vietnamese board is a structure defined by Ministry regulations, elected class by class each year, with a coordinating role and clear limits on what it can collect money for.
Can a foreign parent be elected to the board?
Generally yes, since the role is for parents of children in the class, and some international schools have foreign parents in these roles. In practice, meetings may be in Vietnamese, so it helps to work alongside a Vietnamese-speaking member. Ask the teacher how representatives are chosen at your school.
What is a reasonable way to raise a concern through the board?
If several parents share the same concern about something affecting the whole class, such as event timing or pick-up arrangements, the class representative can raise it with the school on behalf of the group. Individual concerns about your own child are better raised directly with the teacher or the campus manager.
Are gifts for teachers organised by the board?
In some classes, the board organises a collective gift on occasions such as Vietnamese Teachers' Day, which can be simpler than each family giving something. Practices vary and school policies on gifts differ, so ask the class representative or teacher what is usual and follow the school's guidance.
How can I contribute if I do not speak Vietnamese?
There are many ways: helping at events, reading stories in your language, sharing a festival or a dish from your country, translating notices for other international families or simply supporting the class representative. Teachers often welcome such offers if they fit the class plan, so ask what would help.