A preschool's published tuition is a starting figure, not your monthly total: at Global Star School, tuition is published as starting from around 6.2 million VND per month depending on campus, with an annual development fee, and meals and transport billed separately by campus. These are the school's own published figures; confirm the current amounts for your child's class and campus with admissions before you commit. To understand what you will actually pay, you need the full fee sheet and the answers to a handful of questions about how and when each item is charged.
This guide does not compare schools on price or tell you what is good value. Families weigh cost against very different priorities. What it does is explain how a typical preschool fee sheet in Ho Chi Minh City is structured, how to turn it into one realistic monthly figure for your family, and which terms, from absences to fee increases, are worth clarifying in writing.
What "from … per month" really means
When a preschool publishes tuition "from" a certain amount, it usually means the lowest monthly tuition among its campuses or classes. The figure for your child can be higher depending on the campus, the age group and sometimes the length of the day or the programme chosen. Global Star School publishes different starting figures for different campuses, so the first step is simply to ask for the fee sheet for the exact class your child would join at the exact campus you are considering.
The second point is what the monthly figure covers. Tuition generally pays for the teaching and care during the school day, but meals, transport, uniforms, materials, extracurricular activities and holiday programmes may be listed separately. Some schools also charge one-off fees at enrolment and recurring annual fees. None of this is unusual; it is just how fee sheets are organised. The risk is only in comparing one school's tuition line with another school's all-inclusive figure and drawing the wrong conclusion.
It is also worth knowing how long a published figure is valid. Fees are often set for a school year, and a figure you saw several months ago may already have been updated. If you are planning a start date far in advance, ask whether the fee sheet you receive applies to that start date or only to the current year.
So treat any published figure as the beginning of a conversation, and ask for the complete picture in writing. A fee sheet you can read at home, with every item and its timing, is worth far more than a number given quickly during a tour.
The items you may find on a fee sheet
Not every school charges every item, and names differ. Use this list to check that nothing on your child's fee sheet is missing or unclear.
| Item | How it is often charged | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly tuition | Per month, by class and campus | Does it differ by age group? Is it the same in every month? |
| Annual development or facilities fee | Once a year | When is it due, and is any part refunded if we leave mid-year? |
| Enrolment or registration fee | Once, at enrolment | Is it charged at all? Is it refundable? |
| Meals and snacks | Per month or per day attended | Is it reduced for days absent? |
| School transport | Per month, by route or distance | Is our address on a route? Is it one-way or both ways? |
| Uniforms, bags, bedding | One-off or yearly | What must be bought, and what is optional? |
| Learning materials | Per term or year | Is it included in tuition or separate? |
| Extracurricular activities | Per activity, per term | Which are included, and which are optional extras? |
| Summer or holiday programme | Per week or month | Is it part of the year or booked separately? |
Ask, too, whether there are sibling arrangements or different terms for paying several months in advance. Do not assume either way; policies vary and change.
Working out your real monthly figure
Once you have the full fee sheet, it helps to turn it into one number you can plan around. The method below uses no real prices. Fill in the figures from the school's current fee sheet.
- Start with monthly tuition for your child's class at your chosen campus.
- Add meals as a monthly amount. If meals are charged per day, multiply by the number of school days in a typical month.
- Add transport if you will use the school bus; leave it out if you will drive or use your own driver.
- Spread the annual fees: divide the annual development fee and any yearly material or uniform costs by the number of months your child will attend in that year.
- Spread one-off enrolment costs over the time you expect to stay, if you want a long-run picture.
- Add optional extras you know you will choose, such as a particular extracurricular activity or the summer programme.
- Compare the total with your budget, and with the same calculation for any other school you are considering, rather than with its headline tuition figure.
This sum is what makes comparisons fair. Two schools with similar headline tuition can end up quite far apart once meals, transport and annual fees are added, and the reverse can also be true.
Payment schedules, absences and the year's holidays
The fee sheet tells you how much; the agreement and the payment policy tell you when and on what terms. Ask how often fees are invoiced, monthly, by term or for the whole year, when each payment is due, how you can pay, and what happens if a payment is late. If you pay in advance for several months, ask what happens to that payment if you need to withdraw early.
Absences matter more than families expect. Young children in a new group setting tend to catch colds frequently in the first year, and many families travel during Tết, the Lunar New Year, when schools close for a holiday period, or in the summer to visit relatives abroad. Ask whether tuition changes during holidays or long absences, whether meal fees are reduced for days your child is not in school, and whether there is any arrangement for extended travel, such as keeping a place without paying the full monthly fee.
It helps to ask for the school year's holiday dates as soon as they are set. Tết moves with the lunar calendar, falling somewhere between late January and mid-February, and the length of the school's closure around it can differ from year to year. International families planning a long trip home often find the dates decide whether a month is billed in full, in part, or under a travel arrangement, so knowing them early makes both the budget and the flights easier to plan.
The answers vary between schools, and there is no single right policy. What matters is that you know the rules before you sign, and plan your travel and your budget around them rather than discovering them on the first invoice after a trip home.
Costs that never appear on the fee sheet
A fee sheet lists what the school charges. It cannot list what preschool costs your family in other ways, and those costs can shape the decision as much as tuition does. The most obvious is the commute. Driving, a ride-hailing car twice a day, or the time of a driver or nanny all add up, and they depend heavily on which campus you choose and where you live. A school bus fee that seems like an extra may be lower than the alternative once you count it honestly.
The second is time. The school day ends at a set hour, and if your working day ends later, someone has to cover the gap. Ask whether the school offers any extended care at the end of the day, how late pickup is handled, and whether there is a charge. Families who rely on a nanny for the late afternoon should include that cost in the comparison.
Then there are the small, irregular items. Some schools ask families to contribute to class events, festivals or outings, to buy items for a project, or to pay for optional photo sessions. None of these are large on their own, but it helps to ask admissions which kinds of extra requests are common during a year, so that you are not surprised in the first month. Clothing is the last one: young children in a hot, humid city go through spare clothes quickly, and most schools ask for several sets to be kept in the classroom.
Fee increases, invoices and employer reimbursement
Preschool fees are usually reviewed from time to time, often at the start of a school year. Ask how increases are announced, how much notice families receive, and whether the agreement you sign fixes the tuition for a period. A clear written answer protects you from surprises, and a school that explains its process openly is easier to plan with.
If your employer pays or reimburses school fees, as is common in some expatriate packages, find out early exactly what your employer needs. Some companies require an official invoice in the company's name, others accept an invoice in the parent's name with a receipt of payment, and some need a letter confirming enrolment. Ask the school whether it can issue what your employer requires, and tell admissions before the first invoice is issued, because invoices are often difficult to reissue later.
Families on a relocation package should also check what the package covers. Some allowances cover tuition only, some include meals and transport, and some have an annual ceiling. Matching the school's fee sheet item by item to your employer's policy, before you enrol, avoids the unpleasant discovery that part of the cost falls to you.
Keep every invoice and receipt together with your enrolment agreement. If there is ever a question about what was paid and for which period, the paper trail settles it quickly and calmly for both sides.
Questions to send admissions in writing
A short written list, sent after your tour, usually gets clearer answers than questions asked in passing. These are the ones that matter most for fees.
- Please send the full fee sheet for the class my child would join at this campus, including every item and when it is charged.
- Which items are one-off, which are annual, and which are monthly?
- Are meals charged per month or per day attended, and is there any reduction for absences?
- How is tuition handled during Tết and summer, and during long family trips?
- What is the notice period and refund policy if we withdraw, including any fees paid in advance?
- How and when are fee increases announced, and is tuition fixed for any period after we enrol?
- Can the school issue the invoice or documents our employer needs for reimbursement?
Keep the reply. It becomes part of your record alongside the agreement, and it is the easiest way to check later what was promised. If both parents will share the cost, or an employer pays part of it, forward the same reply to everyone involved so that the whole family is planning from one set of figures.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Why is the published tuition different from what other families pay?
Published tuition is usually a starting figure. What a family pays depends on the campus, the class, whether meals and transport are used, annual fees and any optional programmes. Ask for the full fee sheet for your child's class and campus rather than comparing headline numbers with other families.
Is the development fee refundable if we leave mid-year?
It depends on the school's policy, which should be written in the fee sheet or the enrolment agreement. Some annual fees are non-refundable once paid; others may be partly refunded. Ask before paying and keep the written answer with your agreement.
Do we pay for meals when our child is sick?
Policies differ. Some schools charge meals as a fixed monthly amount, others reduce the charge for days absent, sometimes only for longer absences. Ask how meals are billed at your campus and what notice the kitchen needs, then keep the answer in writing.
Are preschool fees in Vietnam paid in dong or in foreign currency?
Payments between residents in Vietnam are generally made in Vietnamese dong, and fee sheets are usually priced in dong. Ask the school which payment methods it accepts, such as bank transfer, and plan for exchange rates if your income or reimbursement is in another currency.
Can the school hold a place without full payment?
Some schools hold a place for a set period after a tour or trial, or on payment of a deposit or the first month's fees. Ask exactly what holds a place, for how long, and what happens to any payment if you then decide not to enrol.