Vietnam's Schooling System: Everything You Need To Know

If you’re embarking on a global move, getting to grips with a different education system can be a challenge. To help, we’ve unpacked the international schools market to bring you everything you need to know about a child’s educational journey in Vietnam: find out more below, then read our insider reviews to compare and contrast schools across the country and the rest of the world.

EDUCATION IN VIETNAM: AN OVERVIEW

Vietnam’s schooling system is widely considered one of the most effective in the world, and education is a very important priority for the Vietnamese government. The country has a literacy rate of over 90 per cent, and teachers are among the most well-respected members of society.

There are two main types of school in Vietnam:

Public (state) schools: Tuition here is free and open to all. Public schools follow a curriculum set by the Vietnamese Ministry of 脱裤吧 and Training, and children are given a full immersion in Vietnamese culture and language, with moral studies an important fixture on the timetable. Expats and international families are permitted to enrol – but with a lot of rote learning, pressure to do well academically and lessons taught in Vietnamese, very few do. Public schools in Vietnam’s big cities and urban centres can be very good, but they are often under-resourced and underfunded in rural areas.

International schools: Vietnam’s first international school opened 30 years ago – and since then, the number in the country has skyrocketed. These fee-paying schools offer high-quality, western-style teaching, fantastic facilities and internationally recognised curricula. A government cap on the number of local Vietnamese families permitted to enrol means the student population is largely made up of international families. However, there are also a number of ‘local’ international schools in Vietnam, which are considered a good halfway house – they offer a bilingual Vietnamese and English education, with lessons in Vietnamese culture thrown in.

THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS MARKET: KEY POINTS

The majority of international schools are located in the major cities, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Most international schools are co-ed, all-through and day-only, accepting pupils from nursery to 18. There are also a handful of standalone international primary and secondary schools.

A cap on the number of local families permitted to enrol means that most international schools have a very cosmopolitan pupil body.

The three-term academic year usually runs from August to June, in line with the academic calendar in the west.

THE VIETNAMESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

In Vietnam, education is only compulsory for children between the ages of six and 11. While many local children do continue their education after this stage, the curriculum and pace of learning at public schools can be very challenging, with a heavy focus on exams.

International schools, on the other hand, often begin at kindergarten, with students staying on until the age of 18.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS

A lot of Vietnam’s top international schools are oversubscribed and have long waiting lists, so it’s worth planning ahead as far as possible. But due to the transient expat community at international schools, places often become available throughout the term or year.

Not all international schools in Vietnam are academically selective, but due to their popularity, most require prospective pupils to sit an entrance exam to ensure they can keep up with the pace. Many require pupils to submit references and academic records and invite both parents and children in for an interview.

THE CURRICULUM

English is the main language of instruction within the Vietnam international school system, with many following a British curriculum to include GCSEs, A-levels and/or the IB. That said, there are also a number of international schools affiliated with a particular country, including Australia, the US, France, Germany, Russia and Korea. These schools usually teach in the country’s native tongue, follow their curriculum and recruit native teachers.

Now you know the basics, read our insider reviews of some of the top schools in Vietnam here.

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Vietnam's schooling system: everything you need to know

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