International Schools in Vietnam at a Glance: Rules, Accreditation and the Dependant Visa Page

This guide is for parents who are about to move to Vietnam, or be posted there, and are looking at international schools for the first time. It summarises official guidance and an overview document. It does not recommend or rank any school. Rules can change and may be applied differently by each school, so confirm the final details with the school and the official bodies.

Basic rules for foreign-invested schools

Foreign-invested kindergartens and schools in Vietnam fall under Decree 86/2018/ND-CP, in force from 1 August 2018. This comes from an [overview](https://internationaleducation.gov.au/International-network/vietnam/publications/Documents/Overview of Decree 86.pdf) published by the Australian Government's international education network (note as of 2026-10-30). It summarises an overview, not the decree text, so confirm details with the school and local authorities.

Vietnamese-student share and compulsory subjects

The decree caps Vietnamese students in a foreign programme at under 50% of that programme's students. The earlier Decree 73 set 0% for kindergartens, 10% for primary and 20% for secondary. Vietnamese students also take compulsory political and cultural subjects set by the Minister of Education and Training (MOET). Your child's nationality may therefore shape the timetable, so ask the school for it directly.

What a school must do before recruiting

According to the overview, a school may recruit students only after three steps:

1. Investment registration
2. An establishment licence from the provincial or city People's Committee
3. Operating approval from the Department of Education and Training (DOET)

Ask the school to confirm in writing that it has completed these steps.

What international accreditation means

International accreditation means a school has been reviewed by an outside body. For example, NEASC's ACE Learning runs on about a five-year cycle. It begins with an application, foundation standards (eligibility) and a preparatory (candidate) phase. Then comes 12-18 months of internal reflection, and an external review visit decides the status. Schools falling short may receive special reports, warning or probation, and accreditation is withdrawn only if they still cannot meet expectations (as of 2026-10-29). This note does not say whether accreditation is mandatory for schools in Vietnam. Ask each school whether it is a candidate or fully accredited.

The TT dependant visa: what the official page covers

The Consular Department of Viet Nam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa types page (as of 2026-10-29) says the following:

• TT visas go to the spouse and children under 18 of foreigners holding certain visas such as LĐ (work) or ĐT (investor).
• The page lists a validity of up to 12 months for TT visas and up to 2 years for LĐ visas.
• Applications at missions need an authorisation from the Immigration Department or another approving body.
• The page does not cover temporary residence cards (TRC) or other long-stay procedures, so check those separately.

This guide does not say whether any particular family qualifies or which visa to apply for.

Checklist

• Have you confirmed the school's investment registration, People's Committee licence and DOET operating approval?
• If your child is Vietnamese, do you know how the compulsory subjects fit into the school week?
• Have you asked about the school's accreditation status (candidate or accredited) and the timing of its next review visit?
• Do you have the accrediting body's name and the scope of accreditation (whole school or only some programmes) in writing?
• Have you read the dependant visa page yourself, including validity and the authorisation requirement?
• Do you plan to check long-stay (residence card) procedures from a separate source?
• Have you noted the date and source of everything you confirmed?

Ask the school

• Can you show your establishment licence and operating approval, and are you operating under current rules?
• How do the Vietnamese-student share and compulsory subjects apply to my child's nationality?
• Which accrediting body, at what stage, and valid until when?
• How are admission or enrolment documents used in the visa application process?
• How do you inform parents when rules change?

Always confirm your own situation with the official authority or an immigration professional.