You can usually start preschool in Ho Chi Minh City at any point in the year. The Vietnamese school year formally runs from early September to late May, but most private and bilingual preschools take children year-round, because places open up whenever a family moves on and very young children join as soon as they are ready. The real constraints are whether there is a place in your child's age group, how close you arrive to the Tết holiday, and how the school handles fees for a part-year.
Mid-year moves are common among expat families, who relocate when a job starts rather than when a term begins. This guide explains the shape of the year, compares the arrival windows that tend to be easy and the ones that are awkward, and lists what to ask about age groups and contracts. It does not cover how a child settles into the classroom in the first weeks; that has its own section on this site.
How the school year runs in Vietnam
Each year the Ministry of Education and Training issues a framework for the school year that local education departments then apply. In broad terms, classes begin in early September, there is a break around the Lunar New Year, known as Tết, and the year ends in late May. Public kindergartens follow that framework closely, and the opening ceremony in early September is a real event in Vietnamese family life, with new clothes, flowers for the teacher and plenty of photographs.
Private preschools, including bilingual ones, often keep the same September start for their age groups and reports, but run all year in practice. Working parents need care in June, July and August, so many schools offer a summer programme with the same teachers and routine, sometimes with themed activities. International schools that follow a foreign curriculum may use their own calendar, often starting in August.
The dates that matter most to a moving family are the closures. Tết falls between late January and mid-February, depending on the lunar calendar, and schools typically close for about a week or more around it. There are also public holidays at the end of April, on 1 May and on 2 September, National Day. Check the school's published calendar for the exact days, because a family that lands three days before Tết may find the school closed for most of its first fortnight.
Why joining mid-year is more normal at preschool than later
In primary school, joining in March means catching up on months of a structured programme. At preschool age, the curriculum is built around routines, play, language and relationships that repeat through the year, so there is far less to catch up on. A two-year-old who arrives in February joins the same morning circle, snack, outdoor play and nap as children who started in September.
Places also open up through the year in a way they rarely do in older grades. Families in a city like Ho Chi Minh City move in and out for work, children age into the next group, and some parents take a place in September but switch schools after a few months. Many preschools therefore work with rolling admissions: they keep a list by age group and offer places as they appear, rather than accepting a single intake.
This is good news for a relocating family, but it has a flip side. The age groups with the most demand, often the youngest groups and the final year before primary school, can fill up, and a school that had space when you first enquired may not have it by the time you arrive. If a particular school matters to you, ask how it holds places for families moving from abroad, and what deposit or confirmation it needs.
Being on a waiting list from abroad is normal, and it is fine to be on two lists at once while you decide. Tell each school honestly when you have accepted a place elsewhere, so the place can go to another family. Schools remember families who do this, and the city's preschool community is smaller than it looks.
Arrival windows compared
Every month works, but some arrival windows are easier than others. The table assumes a private or bilingual preschool that runs year-round; a public kindergarten may only take children at the start of the year.
| When you arrive | What is happening at school | What it means for your family |
|---|---|---|
| Late August to September | New year starts, age groups are rearranged, many new children join | Easiest social start, but busiest admissions period; book early |
| October to November | Routines are settled, classes are stable | A calm time to join; teachers have time for one new child |
| December to the weeks before Tết | Year-end events, then preparations for Tết | Possible, but expect a long holiday soon after starting; some families wait |
| After Tết, February to March | A second fresh start after the holiday, often with new joiners | A good window; children return to routines at the same time |
| April to May | End-of-year performances, graduation for the oldest group | Fine for younger children; for a five-year-old, ask about the move to primary |
| June to August | Summer programme, mixed groups, some staff on leave | A gentle introduction, but the September group may differ |
If you have any choice of dates, the calmest arrivals tend to be October, November and the weeks right after Tết. If you have no choice, the table tells you what to ask, rather than what to avoid.
Which age group your child will join
Age groups are where mid-year starts can get confusing. Vietnamese kindergartens traditionally group children by birth year: everyone born in the same calendar year is in the same group, regardless of birth month. Many international systems use a cut-off date instead, such as 1 September or 31 August, and some bilingual preschools use their own age bands in months, for example twelve to twenty-four months, two to three years, and so on.
A child born in, say, November can therefore look like the youngest in one system and the oldest in another. When you arrive mid-year, the school will place your child according to its own rule, and that placement decides who the classmates are, what the daily routine looks like and when your child moves up. Ask which rule the school uses and where your child would sit in September of the following year, because a move up shortly after arrival means two transitions in a few months.
For the youngest children, placement also depends on readiness. A toddler who is still taking two naps a day, or who has just started walking, may do better in the younger group even if the birth date points the other way. Good schools are flexible within reason and will explain their thinking. For a five-year-old, the question becomes which primary school route you expect to take, because the final preschool year often prepares children for the start of primary school in the following September.
It is worth asking the school how many children are in the group you are offered and how many adults work with them. A group that is already full until September may still take one more child, but that is a different experience from joining a group with space. Ask to see the room at the time of day your child would arrive, so you can picture the group as it really is.
Fees, deposits and contracts for a part-year
Mid-year starts raise money questions that September families never face. Is the fee for the month you join charged in full or pro-rated? Is there a registration or development fee charged once a year, and is it reduced if you join in March? If you paid annually at a previous school, is a monthly option available? This site does not quote fees. Ask each school for its published fee schedule and read the part that covers joining and leaving.
The leaving terms matter as much as the joining terms for expat families, whose plans can change at short notice. Look for the notice period required before withdrawing, whether deposits are refundable, what happens to fees paid in advance, and whether there is a summer charge to keep a place over June to August. A contract that is fair to both sides states all of this in writing, in a language you read.
Holidays are worth checking too. If the school closes for a week or two at Tết, find out whether that month is charged in full. The answer is often yes, because staff are paid through the holiday, but knowing it in advance avoids an awkward conversation in your second month.
If your employer pays school fees as part of a relocation package, find out early what paperwork it needs. Some companies want an official invoice from the school, a contract in the child's name or proof of payment in a particular format, and a school that issues these routinely will tell you how it works. Sorting this out before the first invoice saves weeks of back-and-forth with a human resources team in another time zone.
Questions to ask a school about a mid-year start
Send these by email so you can compare answers from two or three schools side by side.
- Do you have a place in my child's age group now, and how long can you hold it?
- Which rule decides the age group: birth year, a cut-off date or age in months?
- When would my child move up to the next group?
- Can the first week be shorter days, and is that included in the fee?
- How are fees for the first month and the yearly fees calculated for a mid-year start?
- What are the notice period and refund terms if we leave early?
- What are the closure dates for the rest of the year, including Tết?
- Is the summer programme run by the same teachers, and is it optional?
One more question is worth asking in person rather than by email: how many other children have joined this class since September? The answer tells you how used the teacher is to welcoming newcomers, which says more than any brochure.
Planning around your start date
Once you know the school calendar, you can plan the move around it. If your flight lands just before a long closure, consider using that time for the practical setting up described elsewhere in this section, such as finding a clinic and testing the school route, and start school when classes resume. A child who starts on a normal Monday with a full week ahead tends to find the rhythm faster than one who has two days and then a holiday.
If you arrive in the middle of a busy period, such as the weeks of end-of-year performances, ask the school whether it would rather have your child start straight away or wait a week. Teachers are honest about this when asked. Some children love joining in rehearsals, while others find them overwhelming on top of a new country.
Finally, keep a little slack in your plans. Paperwork, residence cards and shipped belongings rarely arrive on the exact day promised, and a start date with a few days of margin is much less stressful than one tied to the day after you land.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Can my child start preschool in Vietnam in January?
Yes, many private and bilingual preschools take children in January. The main thing to check is the date of Tết that year. If the holiday falls in late January or early February, your child may have only a week or two of school before a closure, so some families choose to start right after Tết instead.
Do public kindergartens accept children mid-year?
Public kindergartens mostly enrol children at the start of the school year and give priority by residence, so mid-year places are limited and depend on the individual school. Private and bilingual preschools are generally more flexible. Ask the kindergarten directly and expect the conversation to be in Vietnamese.
Will my child be behind if they join in March?
At preschool age there is little to be behind on. The day is built around routines, play and language that repeat through the year, and teachers are used to newcomers. A child joining late may take a few weeks to learn the songs and routines, which is normal for any new child at any point in the year.
Is it better to wait until September?
Waiting makes sense if your child would otherwise start only weeks before a long holiday or a move up to a new group. Otherwise, starting soon after arrival gives your child friends, routine and language exposure sooner, which often helps the whole family settle. There is no academic reason to wait.
Do preschools charge for the summer months?
It depends on the school. Some run a summer programme with its own fee, some charge a reduced fee to keep a place, and others close for part of the summer. Check the published fee schedule and contract, and ask whether attending in summer is optional.
What happens to my child's group in September?
Most schools reorganise groups at the start of each school year, moving children up by age. If your child joins in spring, ask which group they will be in from September and whether the teacher will change, so you can prepare your child for that second transition.