A Vietnamese primary school teaches the national General Education Programme 2018 in Vietnamese over five grades, from the year a child turns six. For a foreign or dual-national child it offers full immersion in Vietnamese literacy, classmates from the neighbourhood and, at public schools, free tuition. In return it asks the family to follow homework, notices and parent meetings in Vietnamese, accept larger classes than at most international schools, and adapt to a school culture that values neat handwriting, discipline and steady practice.
For children who have spent three or four years in a bilingual preschool and follow Vietnamese comfortably, this can be a natural next step, particularly in families that expect to stay in Vietnam. For children with little Vietnamese it is a much steeper climb. This guide explains how the system works from a parent's point of view, so you can judge whether it fits your child and your household. Admission by place of residence is set locally and is covered in the area guides on this network; here the focus is on what life inside the school looks like.
What your child studies, grade by grade
The 2018 programme sets the subjects for every Vietnamese primary school. Schools choose among several approved textbook series, so the books may differ between neighbouring schools, but the subjects are the same.
| Grades | Subjects | Notes for international families |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Vietnamese, mathematics, ethics, nature and society, physical education, arts, experiential activities | English is an optional subject in these grades; many city schools offer it |
| 3 | As above, plus English, and information technology and technology | English becomes compulsory from grade 3 |
| 4 and 5 | Vietnamese, mathematics, English, ethics, science, history and geography, IT and technology, physical education, arts, experiential activities | Science and history-geography replace nature and society |
Vietnamese language takes the largest share of the timetable, especially in grade 1, where children learn letters, sounds and tone marks, and then read and write short texts. Mathematics follows a steady sequence with a strong emphasis on calculation practice. For a child whose stronger language is English, mathematics often feels easier than Vietnamese at first, because the numbers are familiar even if the words are not.
Ethics, nature and society, and experiential activities are where much of the Vietnamese social world enters the classroom: family relationships, respect for teachers and elders, local festivals, safety at home and on the road. For an international child these lessons are a gentle introduction to Vietnamese ways of doing things, and they are worth talking about at home.
The school day and the semi-boarding model
Many primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City run two sessions a day, morning and afternoon, with children staying for lunch and a nap in the middle. This arrangement, called semi-boarding, is popular with working parents and is organised by the school, usually with a separate charge for meals and supervision even at public schools. Other schools or classes run a shorter day. Ask which pattern your child's class will follow, since it changes your pick-up time and childcare needs considerably.
The day usually begins early, with children arriving before the first lesson and lining up in the yard. There is typically a weekly assembly at the start of the week. Lessons are teacher-led for much of the day, with the class working through the textbook together, and there is less free movement around the room than many children from play-based preschools are used to. This is a real adjustment for a child coming from a bilingual preschool with learning corners and outdoor time, and it is worth preparing your child for it.
Lunch is Vietnamese food served in the classroom or a canteen, followed by a nap on mats or folding beds. Children who have attended a Vietnamese or bilingual preschool are used to this rhythm. Children from international preschools may find the nap and the food the biggest change of all in the first weeks.
Homework, reports and how progress is judged
Homework is regular from grade 1. Expect reading and writing practice in Vietnamese most evenings, and short maths exercises. The aim at this stage is fluency and neat, correctly formed handwriting, which Vietnamese teachers take seriously. A parent or another adult sitting with the child for twenty to thirty minutes is the usual expectation.
Assessment combines comments and levels. Under the ministry's rules for primary assessment, teachers give ongoing comments and record a level for each subject at the end of a term, such as completed well, completed or not yet completed, with periodic tests in core subjects. Some tests carry scores, but the overall result is expressed as levels and comments.
Reports come in Vietnamese. If you do not read Vietnamese, ask a Vietnamese-speaking relative, colleague or tutor to go through the report with you. A short meeting with the class teacher, with someone to interpret, is often more useful than a translation, because it lets you ask what the comments mean in practice.
Extra classes have rules. Paid extra tutoring for primary pupils was restricted by ministry rules introduced in 2025, with exceptions for areas such as arts, sport and life skills. Check the current position with the school before agreeing to any extra classes, and be cautious about paid classes run by your child's own teacher.
Language: who supports your child at home
The deciding question for most international families is not whether the child can cope with Vietnamese at school, but who supports them in Vietnamese at home. In a mixed family where one parent is Vietnamese, the answer is usually clear. In a family where neither parent reads Vietnamese, it takes planning. Common solutions include a Vietnamese tutor for homework a few evenings a week, a nanny or relative who reads with the child, or an after-school homework club.
Communication with the school also runs in Vietnamese. Notices, timetable changes and requests from the teacher usually arrive through a messaging app group and paper notes in the child's bag. Many messages are short and practical, about a uniform day, a fee to pay or a school event, and a translation app handles most of them, but some, especially about your child's progress or behaviour, deserve a proper conversation. Decide in advance who in the household will read and answer them.
English does not disappear. City schools teach it as a subject and many offer more through extra programmes, and the family can keep reading in English at home. Families who also have a third language at home often find that a Vietnamese school, English at home or with one parent, and the third language with the other parent works well, as long as each language has a clear place.
Dual-national children: being treated as Vietnamese
A child who holds Vietnamese nationality as well as another is treated as a Vietnamese citizen in Vietnam. At school, that usually means enrolment on the same terms as other Vietnamese children: a Vietnamese birth registration, the child's personal identification number and the family's residence registration. Foreign passports are not normally needed for enrolment, though you may wish to give the school a copy for emergencies and trips.
If your dual-national child was born abroad and has not yet been registered in Vietnam, this step comes first, and it can take time. The local civil registration office or the relevant authority will tell you what is needed. It is far easier to do this before the enrolment window than during it.
For a child who holds only a foreign nationality, admission to a public school is possible under the ministry's rules for foreign learners but depends on the school and available places. Some families find a private Vietnamese school, which teaches the same programme, more flexible about foreign pupils. Ask the school how it records foreign pupils and what papers it needs each year. Keep the foreign child's passport and residence card valid throughout, because the school may need current copies whenever it updates its records.
Signs that a Vietnamese school suits your child
No checklist decides this for you, but the families who are happiest with a Vietnamese primary school tend to share several of these conditions.
- Your child understands classroom Vietnamese and uses it with friends, usually after time in a Vietnamese or bilingual preschool.
- Someone at home or nearby can read Vietnamese homework with your child several evenings a week.
- You expect to stay in Vietnam for several years, or Vietnamese literacy matters to your family whatever happens.
- Your child copes well with routine, longer periods of sitting and listening, and a larger class.
- You are comfortable communicating with the school in Vietnamese, directly or with help.
- You have a plan for English, whether through school, home reading or an extra programme.
If several of these do not apply, a bilingual school, or an international school with strong Vietnamese teaching, may give your child Vietnamese without making it the language of every subject. It is also possible to start in one type and change later, and children do it often, but it is easier to choose carefully at the start.
Preparing your child in the final preschool months
The jump from a play-based bilingual preschool to a Vietnamese grade 1 class is mostly a jump in routine, not in ability. Children who are told what to expect, and who have practised a few habits, settle faster. In the last months of preschool you can help without turning home into school.
Read Vietnamese picture books together, or ask someone who reads Vietnamese to do it, so that the sound of written Vietnamese is familiar. Practise holding a pencil comfortably and drawing lines and shapes, since Vietnamese grade 1 places a lot of weight on handwriting from the first weeks. Avoid teaching letters formally in a way that might clash with how the school will teach them; Vietnam's rules discourage preschools from teaching grade 1 content early for that reason.
Visit the school with your child before term if you can, walk the route, look at the yard, and talk about lining up, the uniform, lunch and the nap. Let your child try on the uniform at home a few times. Small, concrete preparations like these do more for a five-year-old's confidence than any amount of reassurance that school will be fun.
Questions to ask a Vietnamese primary school before enrolling
Whether the school is public or private, a short meeting with the head or the grade 1 coordinator is worth requesting. These questions cover what matters most to international families.
- Have you taught foreign or dual-national children before, and how did the teachers support those who were still learning Vietnamese?
- Does my child's class follow the two-session day with lunch and a nap, and what are the charges for it?
- Which textbook series does the school use for grade 1, so we can look at the books at home?
- How much English does grade 1 have, and is there an extra programme with more hours?
- How do teachers contact parents, and is anyone at the school able to communicate in English if needed?
- What papers do you need from us each year for a foreign pupil, and when?
Listen for whether the school has thought about children like yours. A head teacher who can describe how a previous foreign pupil was helped through the first term is giving you more useful information than a general promise that every child is welcome.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Is tuition free at Vietnamese public primary schools?
Tuition at public primary schools is free under Vietnam's education law. Families still pay for items such as meals and supervision for semi-boarding, uniforms, insurance, some materials and optional activities. Ask the school for its list of charges at the start of the year, since amounts are set by the school within city rules.
Will my child be the only foreign pupil in the class?
Possibly, depending on the neighbourhood. In some areas of the city foreign and mixed-family children are common in Vietnamese schools; in others they are rare. Teachers are usually welcoming, but tell them early about your child's background, languages and any needs so they can plan.
Can a foreign child with no Vietnamese start grade 1 at a Vietnamese school?
It is possible, and young children learn quickly, but grade 1 is where Vietnamese reading is taught, and the pace assumes children understand spoken Vietnamese. A child with none faces two challenges at once. Some families arrange a term of intensive Vietnamese first or start at a bilingual school.
How are Vietnamese primary pupils graded?
Teachers give regular written and spoken comments and, at the end of each term, record a level for each subject, such as completed well, completed or not yet completed. Periodic tests in core subjects may carry scores, but the overall report is in levels and comments rather than a class ranking.
Is homework heavy in Vietnamese primary schools?
It is regular rather than heavy in the first grades: reading, handwriting and some maths most evenings. The load and the expectations vary between schools and teachers. Ask the class teacher at the start of the year how long homework should take and whom to contact if your child is struggling.
Can my child switch to an international school later?
Yes. Children often move from Vietnamese to international schools, typically with an English assessment and sometimes support for English as an additional language. Strong maths and a habit of steady work usually transfer well. Keep your child's reports and some samples of work to show the next school.