A preschool in Ho Chi Minh City looks at your child's vaccination record to see which diseases the child is protected against and whether the doses are recent and complete for the child's age. It is not checking whether your home country's schedule matches Vietnam's exactly. Gaps that look alarming, such as no BCG or no Japanese encephalitis vaccine, are usually explained by differences between national programmes, and the decision on any catch-up dose belongs to a doctor, not the school.
This guide explains how Vietnam's national programme is organised, where foreign records commonly look different, how to present the record so a school nurse can read it in two minutes, and what to sort out with your own doctor before you leave. It gives no medical advice on which vaccines your child should have. For that, talk to a paediatrician, and for the schedule and vaccination centres in the city, see the guides on our sister site Trung Tam Tiem Chung.
Why a preschool asks for vaccination history
Young children in group care share toys, food, cups and air for nine or ten hours a day. A preschool that knows which children are protected against measles or chickenpox can act quickly when a case appears: inform families, check which classmates are not covered and follow health authority guidance on keeping unwell or unprotected children at home. Without records, the school can only guess.
Vietnamese schools are expected to keep basic health information for each child, and asking for immunisation history at enrolment is standard practice across public kindergartens and private preschools alike. International and bilingual preschools usually follow the same habit, often with their own form. The form exists so the nurse or administrator can answer a practical question on a bad day: if a case of measles is confirmed in this class, which children do we need to call first?
The request is also about the other children. A preschool class may include a baby brother who is too young for some vaccines, a classmate whose immune system is weakened by treatment, or a teacher who is pregnant. Protection in a group depends partly on how many people in it are covered, which is why schools take the question seriously even for diseases that seem rare in your home country.
For your family, a complete and readable record has another benefit. When your child gets a fever in the first month, which is common after a move to a new set of germs, the clinic doctor will ask what vaccines the child has had. Having one clear summary in English saves time in the waiting room and avoids repeating doses nobody can confirm.
How Vietnam's national programme is organised
Vietnam runs a national Expanded Programme on Immunisation, known locally by its Vietnamese abbreviation TCMR, under the Ministry of Health. It provides free vaccines through ward and commune health stations against a core set of diseases that includes tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, rubella and Japanese encephalitis. The exact list, the products used and the ages for each dose are updated by the ministry from time to time, so treat any printed schedule, including summaries online, as something to verify.
In practice, Vietnamese parents keep a small paper vaccination book for each child, and many health stations and centres now also record doses electronically. When you bring a foreign child for a dose under the national programme, the health station may open a local record for them. Keep the paper book or card you receive with your child's original record from home, because a school will often ask to see both.
Alongside the free programme, a large network of private and service vaccination centres offers vaccines outside it or in different combinations, such as six-in-one combined vaccines, rotavirus, pneumococcal, chickenpox, influenza, hepatitis A and meningococcal vaccines. Many Vietnamese families in the city use a mix of both systems, which means a Vietnamese classmate's record may look just as varied as yours.
For a foreign family, this matters in two ways. First, the school is used to seeing records that do not follow one fixed schedule, so a different-looking record is not unusual. Second, if your doctor recommends a catch-up dose or a vaccine your home country does not use, you can usually get it in the city, although availability of a particular product can vary and is worth checking before you rely on it.
Where foreign records often look different
The differences below come from how national programmes are designed, not from anything a family did wrong. They are the points a school nurse in Ho Chi Minh City is most likely to ask about.
| What the nurse may notice | Common reason | What to bring or ask |
|---|---|---|
| No BCG (tuberculosis) dose | Many countries with low tuberculosis rates, including the United States and, since 2005, the United Kingdom, do not give BCG to all babies | A line from your doctor saying BCG was not part of your national schedule; ask a paediatrician in Vietnam whether it is advised for your child |
| No Japanese encephalitis vaccine | The disease occurs in parts of Asia, so programmes in Europe, the Americas and Australia do not include it | Ask a doctor whether it is recommended for your child's age and your living and travel plans |
| No hepatitis B birth dose | Some countries start hepatitis B later in infancy or give it in a combined vaccine | Make sure combined vaccines are written out by component, not only by brand |
| Measles given only as part of a combined vaccine | Measles, mumps and rubella are often given together | List MMR clearly; staff may look for the word measles |
| Dates written in month-day-year order | American style dating | Rewrite dates as day month year, with the month in letters |
| Brand names instead of disease names | Clinic stickers show the product name | Add the diseases covered next to each brand |
None of these gaps automatically stops a child from enrolling. Some schools will ask you to discuss them with a doctor and note the outcome, and policies differ, so ask the school how it handles a record that does not match the Vietnamese schedule.
Turning your record into something a nurse can read in two minutes
Original booklets are often handwritten, multilingual and full of stickers. A one-page summary on top of the original solves most of the confusion.
- Ask your current doctor or clinic for a printed immunisation history before you leave. Many electronic health systems can produce one in minutes.
- Write the child's full passport name and date of birth at the top, so the summary matches the enrolment file.
- List one row per dose: date in day-month-year form with the month in letters, the disease or diseases covered, and the product name in brackets.
- Split combined vaccines into their components, for example diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib and hepatitis B rather than a single brand name.
- Add a short note on anything deliberately not given, for medical reasons or because it was not part of your national schedule, with a doctor's signature if possible.
- Translate the summary into English if the original is in another language, and keep the original booklet with it.
- Save a scan in the same cloud folder as the rest of the enrolment file.
A clear summary also helps you. After a few months in a new country, with doses given in two systems, it becomes the single place where the full history lives.
Catch-up doses: who decides and where they happen
If a school or clinic suggests your child is behind or missing a vaccine, the next step is a conversation with a paediatrician, not a decision at the admissions desk. A doctor will look at your child's age, previous doses, the minimum intervals between doses and the local disease picture, then propose a plan. Catch-up schedules for children who started on a different programme are routine work for clinics that see many foreign families.
In Ho Chi Minh City, catch-up doses can be given at public health stations for vaccines in the national programme, at service vaccination centres, or at private clinics and hospitals with paediatric departments. Families usually choose based on language, waiting time and whether the vaccine they need is in stock. Ask the clinic to record each new dose in your child's original booklet as well as on any local card, so the history stays in one place.
Two timing points are worth knowing. Some vaccines need several doses weeks apart, so starting soon after arrival keeps the plan short. And a child who has just had vaccines may run a mild fever for a day or two, which some preschools treat as a reason to stay home. If you can, avoid booking catch-up doses for the day before the first day of school.
If your family follows a delayed or alternative schedule
Some families have delayed vaccines for medical reasons, such as a period of illness, an allergy or a condition that affects the immune system. Others have made a personal choice to space or skip certain vaccines. Whatever the reason, the honest approach is to tell the school before enrolment, with a doctor's letter where there is a medical reason.
Schools respond differently. Many bilingual preschools will enrol the child, note the situation in the health file and explain their outbreak policy, which may mean the child is asked to stay home during a confirmed case of a disease they are not protected against. A few may decline. It is better to hear that during a video call from abroad than after you have signed a lease near the school.
Asking the school one direct question saves a lot of uncertainty: "If a case of measles or chickenpox is confirmed in my child's class, what happens to children who are not protected?" A clear, calm answer is a good sign that the school has thought about it. A vague answer is a reason to ask for the policy in writing.
Whatever you decide, keep the decision visible in the file. A teacher who joins the school mid-year, or a substitute nurse, should be able to see at a glance that your child is not covered against a particular disease and who to call. Ask the school where this note sits and who reads it, so the arrangement does not depend on one staff member remembering a conversation from months ago.
Before you leave: a short health checklist
The weeks before a move are crowded, but these items are much easier to handle with a doctor who already knows your child.
- Ask for the printed immunisation history and a short letter explaining any vaccines not given.
- Ask whether any doses due in the next three months can safely be given before you travel.
- Get a written allergy action plan, and a prescription in generic names for any regular medication.
- Ask your doctor whether travel vaccines are worth discussing for Vietnam, given your child's age.
- Collect a summary of any chronic condition, previous hospital stays and growth measurements.
- Put everything in hand luggage, together with the passport and birth certificate.
Once you arrive, register with a clinic that sees children before you need one. Finding a paediatrician on a calm weekday morning is much easier than at night with a feverish toddler, and the clinic can complete any school health form at the same visit.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Will a preschool refuse my child if the record does not match Vietnam's schedule?
Usually not. Schools in the city see many records from different programmes. Some will ask you to review gaps with a doctor and note the outcome; a few have stricter policies. Ask the school directly and in writing how it handles a record that differs from the Vietnamese schedule.
Is the Japanese encephalitis vaccine compulsory for school?
It is part of Vietnam's national programme for young children, but a preschool generally cannot require a specific vaccine on its own authority. Whether your child should have it depends on age, where you live and travel, and medical history, so ask a paediatrician.
Can I get vaccines in English in Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes, many private clinics and some vaccination centres serve foreign families and can explain the schedule in English. Public health stations work mainly in Vietnamese. Bring your summary sheet, and ask the clinic to record each dose in your child's original booklet as well as on the local card.
Do I need to translate a vaccination booklet that is in English?
Normally not for a bilingual or international preschool. What helps more is a clean summary that lists each dose by date and disease, because handwritten booklets with brand stickers are hard to read quickly. A booklet in another language should be translated into English or Vietnamese.
What if we have lost our child's vaccination record?
Contact the clinic or health service that gave the vaccines; many keep electronic records and can print a history. If nothing can be recovered, a doctor in Vietnam can advise whether to repeat doses or, for some diseases, check immunity with a blood test. Tell the school the situation honestly.
Should my child get vaccines right before starting preschool?
Doses can be given whenever a doctor advises, but a mild fever after vaccination is common and some schools ask feverish children to stay home. If the timing is flexible, booking catch-up doses a few days before the first day, rather than the day before, avoids an awkward start.