Can children start school in Vietnam without speaking Vietnamese in 2026?

MOET public schools teach in Vietnamese with limited English support. They suit families aiming for local integration and lower fees, but newcomers often need tutoring and patient teachers willing to repeat instructions.

International schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi run English-medium curricula with Vietnamese as a subject or optional add-on. Fees and waiting lists sit in a different band: International school costs.

Bilingual private schools sit between the two models. Read which subjects stay Vietnamese-only before you assume full English coverage.

School admission often follows employer sponsorship, temporary residence status, and lease proof in the same corridor: Get a temporary residence card and Register temporary residence.

Shortlist neighbourhoods near the school before you commit rent in a distant ward: Best places for families and Renting in Ho Chi Minh City or Renting in Hanoi.

Even in English-medium schools, playdates, sports clubs, and neighbourhood life run in Vietnamese. Budget tutor time and listen to the regional accent your child will hear: Regional Vietnamese.

Parents still need Vietnamese for parent-teacher meetings, hospital visits, and ward paperwork unless the school translates every channel: Vietnamese bureaucracy without Vietnamese.