An international preschool is an early years school that teaches an internationally recognised curriculum, usually in English, to children aged roughly two to five. It sits before primary school and prepares children for it.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the label covers a wide range of settings. Some are standalone nurseries. Others, like British curriculum schools, run early years as the first stage of a school that continues to age eighteen. The difference matters more than most brochures admit.
This article explains what these schools teach, which ages they take, what sits inside the fee, and the questions worth asking before you commit.
Table of contents
- Key Takeaways
- What Exactly is an International Preschool?
- What Age Does an International Preschool Start?
- The Benefits of an International Preschool Education
- Choosing the Ideal International Preschool for Your Child
- Early Years at The ABC International School
- Choosing Well for the Early Years
- Frequently Asked Questions About International Preschools
Key Takeaways
- International preschools take children from about two to five, then feed into Year 1.
- The curriculum matters less than how it is delivered, staffed and staffed consistently.
- Most British international preschools use the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
- Children who arrive with no English typically need one to two terms before they speak freely.
- Published fees rarely include registration, transport, lunch, uniform or trips.
- Accreditation is checkable. Ask which body, which year, and to see the report.
- A preschool attached to a through-school removes a school move at age five.
What Exactly is an International Preschool?
An international preschool is an early childhood setting built around a globally recognised curriculum rather than a national one. It admits children from local and expatriate families, so classrooms are mixed by nationality and by first language.
Four features tend to define them:
- An international curriculum. Learning follows a framework used across many countries, not the Vietnamese national preschool programme.
- A mixed-nationality intake. Children and staff come from several countries, which builds cultural awareness through daily contact rather than through lessons about it.
- English as the main language. Some settings run bilingual streams. Most teach primarily in English.
- Development across the whole child. Progress is tracked in language, movement, social skills and emotional regulation, not only in letters and numbers.
How It Differs From a Local Kindergarten
Vietnamese kindergartens follow the national early childhood programme set by the Ministry of Education and Training. Class sizes are usually larger and teaching is mainly in Vietnamese. Fees are considerably lower.
International preschools follow an overseas framework, teach in English, and run smaller groups. The trade-off is cost. The gain is language exposure and a curriculum that transfers if the family moves country.
Neither is better in the abstract. The right answer depends on where you expect your child to be at age eleven.
International Preschool or International Bilingual Preschool?
The two labels are often used interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
An international bilingual preschool splits the timetable deliberately between two languages, commonly English and Vietnamese. Children work with two teaching teams and both languages are assessed.
An international preschool usually teaches in English throughout, with Vietnamese offered as an additional subject or as home language support. Ask which model a school actually runs, and how many hours a week fall into each language. The answer is often different from the marketing.
What Age Does an International Preschool Start?
Most international preschools in Vietnam admit children from two years old. Entry points vary, and so does what each year group is called. For the wider picture on what age kids start school, the stages below are the ones you will meet in a British setting.
Age Bands and Year Groups
| Year group | Typical age | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | 2 to 3 | Settling, routines, play, first English exposure |
| Pre-Reception / FS1 | 3 to 4 | Early phonics, number sense, group work |
| Reception / FS2 | 4 to 5 | Reading and writing begin, assessed against Early Learning Goals |
| Year 1 | 5 to 6 | Primary school begins, Key Stage 1 starts |
When to Apply
Popular early years classes in Ho Chi Minh City fill early, often a full academic year ahead. Nursery and Reception are the tightest year groups because they are the main entry points. The international school admissions process usually runs to a fixed sequence.
- Enquiry and campus visit
- Application form and supporting documents
- An informal play-based assessment or classroom taster
- Offer, deposit, then a start date
There is no written entrance exam at this age. A school that tests three-year-olds formally is worth a second look.
The International Preschool Curriculum
Most British international preschools follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the framework used in England for children from birth to five. It sets what children should be able to do by the end of Reception, and leaves schools free to decide how they get there.
The framework covers seven areas of learning. Three are prime areas: communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. Four are specific areas: literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.
Assessment is by observation. Teachers watch children play and record what they can do. There are no tests at this stage.
What a Day Actually Looks Like
Timings vary between schools, but the shape of an early years day is consistent. A typical school day in a preschool class runs roughly like this.
| Part of the day | What is happening |
|---|---|
| Arrival | Self-registration, putting away bags, greeting the key person |
| Carpet time | Songs, calendar, the story or question that frames the morning |
| Continuous provision | Children choose between set-up areas while staff work with small groups |
| Snack | Pouring, sharing, tidying, all of it deliberate independence practice |
| Outdoor learning | Climbing, water and sand, gross motor development |
| Focused session | Short adult-led phonics or number work, ten to fifteen minutes |
| Lunch and rest | Younger classes nap, older classes have a quiet period |
| Afternoon | Creative work, music, second outdoor session, story before home |
If a school cannot show you this, or if the day is mostly worksheets at tables, that tells you something.
How International Preschools Support Children With Little English
Most children joining an international preschool in Vietnam do not arrive fluent. Schools expect this and plan for it.
Why the First Term Looks Slow
Young children usually go through a silent period. They understand more than they say, sometimes for weeks, before they begin speaking. This is normal language acquisition, not a problem.
Good settings support it with visual timetables, repetition, gesture and small-group work. Ask what structured English language support the school provides, and whether it is delivered inside the classroom or by withdrawing children from it.
Keeping the Home Language Strong
A strong first language helps rather than hinders a second one. Children who keep developing Vietnamese or Korean at home usually build English faster, not slower.
Schools should encourage this openly. Be cautious of any setting that advises parents to stop speaking their home language at home.
The Benefits of an International Preschool Education
Language Exposure at the Right Age
Children under six pick up pronunciation and sentence patterns with less conscious effort than older learners. Daily immersion, rather than a weekly English lesson, is what makes the difference.
Independence Before Academics
Early years settings spend real time on hanging up a coat, opening a lunchbox, asking for help and waiting a turn. These are the skills that decide how well a child copes in Year 1.
Difference as an Everyday Fact
In a mixed classroom, children encounter other languages, festivals and family shapes as ordinary. That is a quieter and more durable outcome than a themed culture week.
A Curriculum That Travels
Families relocate. A child who has followed a recognised international framework can join an equivalent school in another country without repeating a year or starting from scratch.
What an International Preschool Costs
Early years fees vary widely across Ho Chi Minh City. What varies just as much is what the published figure includes.
What Usually Sits Inside the Fee
- Teaching across the school day
- Classroom resources and materials
- Access to standard facilities
- In-class learning support
What Usually Sits Outside It
- A one-off registration or application fee
- A refundable or non-refundable deposit
- School bus and transport
- Lunches and snacks
- Uniform
- Trips and some after-school clubs
Ask for the full annual cost for a specific year group, including every item above, before comparing two schools. Our international school fee guide breaks down how these structures usually work, and current ABCIS figures are on the school fees page.
Choosing the Ideal International Preschool for Your Child
Marketing materials converge. Almost every school claims to be nurturing, international and child-centred. The differences show up in things you can verify. If you are also weighing older year groups, our guidance on how to choose an international school in Ho Chi Minh City covers the wider decision.
Check the Accreditation, Not the Brochure
Accreditation means an external body has inspected the school and published a judgement. For British schools, the relevant one is British Schools Overseas (BSO) accreditation.
Ask three questions: which body, which year, and may we read the report. A school that cannot answer all three quickly is telling you something.
Look at Ratios and Staff Continuity
The student teacher ratio matters more in early years than at any later stage. Ask how many adults are in the room, not just how many children.
Ask separately about turnover. A class that has had three different teachers in a year is a harder place for a four-year-old than a slightly larger class with a stable team.
Watch the Transition to Year 1
Reception ends and primary school begins. If the preschool is standalone, your child changes school at five. If it sits inside a through-school, they do not. Ask how the setting helps children get ready for Year 1, and how Reception connects to Key Stage 1.
Questions Worth Asking on the Visit
Visit during a normal teaching day, not at an open house. Watch the children rather than the displays. Our list of questions to ask on a school tour works for any age group, and this parent checklist for choosing a school is useful to take with you. For early years specifically, add these.
- How much of the day is child-initiated rather than adult-directed?
- How often do children go outside, and what happens when it rains?
- How is my child assigned a key person, and how do I contact them?
- How do you settle a child who cries at drop-off for three weeks?
- What do you send home, and how often?
Warning Signs
- Accreditation claimed but no report available
- Silent, seated classrooms during what should be play time
- Vague answers on staff qualifications or turnover
- Pressure to sign at the visit, or a deposit deadline within days
- Any suggestion that you should stop speaking your home language
Settling In: The First Six Weeks
Almost every child protests at some point in the first half term. Most settle within two to four weeks. A few take longer, and that is still within normal range.
What helps is consistency. A short, warm and predictable goodbye works better than a long one. Lingering usually extends the distress rather than easing it.
Ask the school to message you once your child has settled on a difficult morning. Most early years teams will do this, and knowing makes the school day easier for the parent too.
Early Years at The ABC International School
The ABC International School (ABCIS) is a family-owned British international school in Ho Chi Minh City, teaching children from age two to eighteen. Our Early Years curriculum follows the EYFS framework.
What Is Independently Verified
- Four consecutive Outstanding grades from British Schools Overseas inspection, the most recent in January 2024
- Dual registration with the Vietnamese Government and the UK Department for Education
- Accreditation by Cambridge International and AQA
- Membership of COBIS and FOBISIA
- More than 95% of leavers progress to university each year
One School From Two to Eighteen
Early Years and Key Stage 1 are based at our Trung Son campus. Children then continue at the Nha Be campus through primary, secondary and Sixth Form.
That means no school change at five, and a single pathway through to the iGCSE curriculum and A Levels. Beyond the classroom, students join House Teams, Model United Nations and the International Award.
Choosing Well for the Early Years
An international preschool is a significant financial commitment made on limited information. The schools that deserve it will let you see a normal Tuesday morning, show you their inspection report, and answer questions about staff turnover without hesitating.
If you would like to see how early years works at ABCIS, book a visit and come during a teaching day.
- Trung Son Campus: #152-158, Street No. 1, Trung Son, Binh Hung Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Nha Be Campus: #2, Street No. 9, Tan An Huy, Nha Be Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Phone: +84 (0)28 7308 1828
- Email: office@theabcis.com
Frequently Asked Questions About International Preschools
Most take children from two years old, through Nursery, Pre-Reception and Reception, finishing at around five. Children then move into Year 1.
No. Many Vietnamese families choose them for the English environment and the international curriculum. Most classes are a mix of local and expatriate children.
A local kindergarten follows the Vietnamese national early childhood programme and teaches mainly in Vietnamese. An international preschool follows an overseas framework, teaches mainly in English, and usually runs smaller groups at a higher cost.
A bilingual setting splits teaching time deliberately between two languages and assesses both. An international preschool usually teaches in English throughout, with the home language offered as support or as a separate subject.
No. Most children arrive with little or no English. Schools plan for this with visual support, repetition and small-group work, and most children begin speaking freely within one to two terms.
