Cost of living

How much does childcare cost in Vietnam in 2026?

Updated 2026-08-22·Vietnam answers

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Summary

Generating answer…

Vietnamese family budgets break when parents price only rent and ignore under-six care. Local nanny wages can stay light in dong terms. Premium English nursery and international school years are usually worse: International school costs.

What do nurseries and home care usually cost?

Full-time Vietnamese nannies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi commonly quote VND 7-12 million live-out, with live-in arrangements from roughly VND 9-14 million when room and meals are included. Thảo Điền and Tây Hồ families with infants often pay above those bands. English-speaking or Filipina nannies frequently land from VND 14-28 million, plus placement fees and work-permit paperwork when sponsorship applies: Ho Chi Minh City cost of living and Hanoi cost of living.

Boutique bilingual, Montessori, or expat-facing preschools in Saigon often quote VND 4.5-15 million monthly for directory-listed centres. Premium international early-years tuition can run from roughly VND 275-600 million per year at published 2025-2027 schedules before deposits and buses. Da Nang and smaller cities soften some nursery lines but thin the English map: Da Nang cost of living.

Budget Tết bonuses, meals for live-in staff, and reference checks. Register early for Thảo Điền and Phú Mỹ Hưng preschool clusters; waitlists are real.

Nanny planning bandVND 7-28 million/month
Preschool planning bandVND 4.5-15 million/month
Cost of living9/10
Housing affordability9/10

How does childcare reshape the wider family sheet?

Two children in premium care can rival a rent line. Rebuild totals: Monthly budget. Paediatric visits still need insurance planning: Healthcare costs. Neighbourhood choice and school buses travel together: Where to live in Vietnam and Expat families community.

Common misconceptions

Assuming every Vietnamese childcare option is cheap by Western standards fails once international preschool brands enter.

Assuming a nanny replaces school readiness also fails. Later IB, British, or Vietnamese pathways still need a planned education budget.

Summary

Price the language path first: Vietnamese nanny, bilingual preschool, or international early years. Then rebuild the family sheet with registration extras and the school jump that follows primary.

Sources

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