Moving to Vietnam with Kids: A Teacher's Guide

Moving to Vietnam with kids feels like a big step. It is also one that many teachers take, and it works. You can bring your children, put them in school, and still save money each month. This guide walks through the parts that worry parents most: the permits, the flight, finding a nanny, choosing a kindergarten or school, and the real cost of a year with children. No fluff, only the numbers and the steps.

Can You Bring Your Children to Vietnam?

Yes. Children under 18 can join a parent who lives and works in Vietnam. Once you have your work permit and your Temporary Residence Card, called a TRC, your child can apply for a dependent residence permit attached to yours. This gives them legal status to live with you for the length of your stay.

You handle this after you arrive and your own papers are in order. Your child needs their own passport from your home country. Start that early if they do not have one yet, because passport offices can be slow.

One honest note from our own placements: the families who move are almost always bringing preschool-age children. That is the easiest age to relocate. The child adapts fast, and the care options are simple and cheap. School-age children work too, but the costs and choices get more serious, which we cover below.

Flying to Vietnam with Children

Most teachers come from Latin America, Eastern Europe, or North Africa. From those regions you will fly long-haul with one or two stops. Common connection points are Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, and Bangkok. Plan for 18 to 30 hours of travel door to door.

A few tips that help with kids:

• Book the connection with enough time. A two-hour layover is tight with children and bags. Three to four hours is calmer.
• Ask the airline for a bassinet if you have a baby. You request it when you book, not at the gate.
• Bring snacks, a refillable water bottle, and one new small toy per child for the long leg.
• Carry all documents in your bag, not the checked luggage: passports, your job offer, your child's birth certificate, and any custody papers if you travel without the other parent. Border officers can ask for these.

Land in the morning if you can. It helps everyone reset to Vietnam time faster.

Nannies and Household Help

Here is something that surprises new parents: full-time help is normal and affordable in Vietnam. Many local and expat families have a nanny or a house helper, called a "giúp việc." It is not seen as a luxury. It is part of daily life.

A full-time nanny costs around $200 to $450 a month in the big cities, less in smaller towns. Part-time or after-school help costs less. For that, you get someone who can care for your child, cook, and clean while you teach.

We see a few common setups among our teaching parents. Sometimes one partner works online from home while the other teaches. Sometimes a cheap Vietnamese nanny covers the teaching hours. And the simplest one of all: the child goes to the same kindergarten where the parent teaches, so they arrive and leave together.

You find help three ways: word of mouth from other teachers, expat parent groups on Facebook, or a local agency. Ask for references and do a trial week. Many nannies speak some English, and your child will pick up Vietnamese fast, which is a gift.

This single fact changes the math for a lot of single parents and couples. Childcare that would eat half a salary back home costs a fraction here.

Kindergarten and Preschool

If your child is under six, you have good options at every price.

Local kindergartens are cheap, often $100 to $200 a month, and they are warm and well run. Your child learns in Vietnamese and English mixed, and young kids absorb both quickly. This is the route many teaching families choose for toddlers.

International and bilingual kindergartens cost more and teach mostly in English. They suit families who want an English-first start or plan to move on to an international school later. Prices sit below the school figures listed next, but they climb with the brand name.

For a toddler, a local kindergarten plus a part-time nanny is a common and low-cost setup.

School for Older Children

For school-age kids, you choose from a few options. The right one depends on your budget and how long you plan to stay.

International schools follow a foreign curriculum, like British or American, and teach in English. They are the most expensive by far.

Bilingual private schools mix English and Vietnamese. They cost much less and give your child both languages. Most expat teaching families pick this tier.

Two honest points here. A local public school will usually not take a foreign child, because the whole day runs in Vietnamese. And if your country has an embassy in Vietnam, ask whether it runs an embassy school, but email them early, because spots are limited and fill fast.

For a school-age child, many of our families skip the expensive in-person route and use an online school from home instead. On cost, that is often the most realistic choice, and the child keeps their home curriculum.

Factor school fees into your first-year budget. They are the biggest cost of bringing kids and the one parents forget.

Healthcare for Children

Big cities have international clinics with English-speaking doctors and pediatricians. Routine visits are affordable and fast. Keep your child's vaccination record with you, as some schools ask for it.

Get health insurance that covers your children. Some school contracts include the teacher but not the family, so check and buy a family plan if needed. A serious problem can mean a trip to an international hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, or Bangkok, and insurance makes that affordable.

A Real Year-One Budget with One Child

Here is a rough picture for a teacher with one young child, using the lower-cost choices.

Even with a child, many teaching parents still save each month. A salary of $1,300 to $1,800 covers a family life that is hard to match back home.

Be Realistic: A Child Is Extra for the School

Here is the honest part most guides skip. A dependent visa for your child is extra paperwork, and a school will only take that on if you are clearly worth it. A parent can also read as a small risk to a school, because they may quietly worry that a sick child means missed classes.

You answer both of those the same way, by being an obviously strong hire. Show it in your intro video, your accent, and your energy. When a school can see you are reliable and good in the room, your child stops being a question mark. Be the teacher they do not want to lose, and the rest gets handled.

A Real Teaching Family

Yamina came from Algeria as a single mother. She moved to Vietnam with her three-year-old daughter and now earns around $1,400 a month near Ho Chi Minh City. She is proof that bringing a child is not only possible, it is something a parent can do alone and still build a steady, calm life. Her story is one of many on our roster of teaching parents.