Keeping children safe in a Vietnamese preschool is part of every adult’s job, including the international teacher’s: it means constant supervision and headcounts, appropriate physical care, attention to health risks in a tropical city, care around food and allergies, protecting children’s images and information, and reporting any concern about a child promptly to the person the school has designated, rather than handling it alone. The school’s own policies set the detail, and the first task of a new teacher is to learn them.
This guide explains the main areas an international teacher meets and where expectations may differ from those at home. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not replace the school’s procedures or training. Where Vietnamese law is mentioned, it is described in broad terms; schools follow the current regulations and guidance from education and health authorities.
Safety is shared, procedures belong to the school
Every preschool has procedures for arrivals and pickups, supervision, accidents, illness, emergencies and concerns about a child. In a bilingual class, the Vietnamese lead teacher is usually responsible for the class’s compliance with these procedures, but every adult in the room shares responsibility for children’s safety in the moment.
International teachers sometimes assume that procedures will match those of their home country. Some will, and some will differ in structure, terminology or emphasis. Rather than relying on assumptions, ask for the school’s policies in the first week, read them carefully, and ask your co-teacher or the principal to explain anything that is unclear. If a policy is available only in Vietnamese, ask for a summary of the key points.
Learn who the school’s designated contacts are: who to call when a child is injured, who handles health questions, and who receives concerns about a child’s welfare. Knowing this before something happens makes a calm response far more likely. In an emergency, follow the procedure and the lead of senior staff; afterwards, record what you saw factually and promptly.
Take emergency drills seriously as well. Many schools practise evacuation and other emergency routines during the year, and young children follow adults they trust far more readily than instructions shouted across a room. Know the exit routes from every space your class uses, including the outdoor area and any shared rooms such as the music or library corner, and where the class’s attendance record and emergency contacts are kept. During a drill, stay with your group, count the children at the assembly point and report the number to the person in charge. Practising calmly in ordinary weeks is what makes a real emergency manageable.
Supervision, headcounts and transitions
Young children need to be within sight of an adult at all times, and most incidents in preschools happen at moments when supervision slips: transitions between rooms, the move to and from outdoor play, toilet trips, arrivals and departures. These are the moments to be most alert.
Headcounts are routine in many schools before and after every move. If your school uses them, take part every time and say the number aloud to your co-teacher; if it does not, suggest it. When the class is split between two adults, agree clearly which children each adult is responsible for. A simple phrase in either language confirming who has whom avoids the dangerous assumption that the other adult is watching.
Pickup deserves special care. Schools usually hand children only to adults registered by the family, and in many Vietnamese families the person collecting a child varies between parents, grandparents and other relatives. An international teacher who does not yet know the families should never release a child alone, and should always check with the Vietnamese teacher. Outings, which are increasingly common in experiential programmes, call for higher adult ratios, clear group assignments and frequent counts.
Physical care, touch and comfort
Young children need physical care and comfort: help with toileting and dressing, a hand to hold, a lap to sit on when they are upset. Responsive care is central to early-years practice, and an international teacher who keeps children at arm’s length will struggle to build the relationships young children learn through.
At the same time, care must be appropriate and transparent. Schools typically set expectations about how intimate care is carried out, who does it and where. Many settings prefer intimate care to happen in view of another adult or in an open area. Comfort should follow the child’s lead: offer a hug, do not insist on one, and respect a child who pulls away.
Cultural expectations about touch vary. In Vietnam, adults are often openly affectionate with young children, and visitors sometimes touch or pinch children’s cheeks in a friendly way. Some international teachers come from settings with stricter rules on physical contact. Talk with your co-teacher and school leaders about what is expected, and follow the school’s policy rather than either culture’s defaults. If anything about another adult’s physical contact with a child concerns you, report it.
Health in a tropical city
Ho Chi Minh City is hot all year, with a rainy season roughly from May to November. Children can overheat quickly, especially during outdoor play in the middle of the day. Schools usually schedule outdoor time for cooler hours, provide shade and water, and adjust activity in extreme heat. International teachers should follow these arrangements and watch for signs of heat stress such as flushed skin, lethargy or unusual irritability.
Some childhood illnesses are more common than teachers from temperate countries may expect. Hand, foot and mouth disease is common among young children in Vietnam, spreads easily in group settings and leads health authorities to issue guidance to schools when cases rise. Dengue fever is carried by mosquitoes that breed in standing water, and schools in the south pay attention to removing it after rain. Your school will have procedures for both, and you should know the signs it asks staff to watch for.
Everyday hygiene is the strongest protection: thorough handwashing with soap at the right moments, cleaning of shared toys and surfaces, and keeping unwell children away from the group according to the school’s policy. Model handwashing yourself and make it an enjoyable routine. When a child seems unwell, tell your co-teacher at once so that the school can follow its procedure and contact the family.
Food, allergies and mealtimes
Mealtimes are a central part of the preschool day in Vietnam, and they carry strong cultural meaning. Many families are anxious about whether a young child eats enough, and teachers are often expected to encourage children to finish their food. International teachers may find the level of encouragement greater than they are used to.
Encouragement and pressure are different, however. Forcing food on a child is unsafe and can create lasting difficulties with eating. Discuss with your co-teacher how the class encourages eating, and support approaches that respect a child’s appetite while offering food warmly and patiently. Sit with children, eat with them where the school allows, and talk about the food.
Know every child’s allergies and dietary requirements, where the list is kept and what to do in an allergic reaction. Be careful with food brought for celebrations, which may not have been checked. Choking is a risk with certain foods for young children, and many health authorities advise cutting round foods such as grapes and cherry tomatoes and avoiding whole nuts for under-fives. Learn the school’s procedure for choking and make sure you have been trained in paediatric first aid where the school offers it.
Photographs, social media and children’s privacy
Photographs are everywhere in Vietnamese preschools. Schools share images of activities with families through messaging groups and apps, and families value them highly. International teachers will often be asked to take photographs, and documentation in many early-years approaches relies on them.
Children have a right to privacy. Vietnam’s Law on Children, passed in 2016, recognises children’s right to the privacy of their personal life, and schools set their own policies on who may take, store and share images of children. Typical rules include using only school devices, sharing images only through the school’s approved channels, and avoiding photographs of children in states of undress or distress.
Never post photographs of the children you teach on personal social media, even with faces hidden, unless the school’s policy explicitly allows it. Do not share children’s names, details or stories in online groups for expatriate teachers. Information about a child’s health, behaviour or family is confidential and should be discussed only with those who need to know, through the channels the school uses.
Common situations and a first response
A summary of how international teachers typically respond in common situations. Always follow your school’s own procedure, which takes precedence over this table.
| Situation | First response | Then |
|---|---|---|
| A child falls and is hurt | Comfort the child, check the injury, call your co-teacher | Follow the accident procedure and record what happened |
| A child seems unwell | Keep the child comfortable and observed | Inform the co-teacher so the school can contact the family |
| A child has an allergic reaction | Call for help immediately | Follow the child’s care plan and the school’s emergency procedure |
| You cannot account for a child | Alert all adults at once and search systematically | Follow the missing child procedure without delay |
| A child tells you something worrying | Listen calmly, do not question in detail | Write down the child’s words and report to the designated person |
| You see an adult act inappropriately | Ensure the child is safe | Report to the principal or designated person the same day |
The common thread is that no adult handles a serious situation alone. The international teacher’s role is to keep the child safe in the moment, inform the right person quickly and record facts accurately. Language should never delay this: if you cannot explain in Vietnamese, use English, gesture or another colleague, and ask for help at once.
When you are worried about a child
Sometimes a teacher notices something that raises a concern about a child’s welfare: an unexplained injury, a sudden change in behaviour, something a child says, or signs of neglect. In these moments, the right response is to record what you observed factually, with dates and the child’s exact words where relevant, and to report it promptly to the person the school has designated. Do not investigate, question the child in detail or confront a family yourself.
International teachers sometimes hesitate because they are unsure whether a concern reflects cultural difference or a genuine problem. That judgement is not yours to make alone. Report what you saw and let the school, with its knowledge of the family and of local services, decide on the next steps. Reporting a concern is not an accusation; it is part of the shared responsibility for children.
Vietnam has a national child protection hotline, 111, which is free to call and receives reports of children at risk. In a school setting, concerns normally go first through the school’s own procedure, which may involve local authorities where appropriate. If you believe a child is in immediate danger and the school is not responding, seek advice promptly.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
What should an international teacher know about child safety in a Vietnamese preschool?
Learn the school’s procedures in the first week: supervision and headcounts, pickup rules, accidents, illness, allergies, photographs and reporting concerns. Follow the school’s policy rather than assumptions from home, keep the Vietnamese co-teacher informed, and never handle a serious situation alone.
Is it appropriate to hug children in a Vietnamese preschool?
Comfort is central to early-years care, and Vietnamese adults are often openly affectionate with young children. Follow the child’s lead, offering rather than insisting, and follow the school’s policy on physical contact and intimate care, which may ask that it happen in view of another adult.
Can I post photos of my class on social media?
Not on personal accounts unless the school’s policy explicitly allows it. Children have a right to privacy, recognised in Vietnam’s Law on Children, and schools set rules on taking, storing and sharing images. Use school devices and approved channels, and never share children’s names or stories online.
What health risks should teachers in Ho Chi Minh City be aware of?
Heat throughout the year, hand, foot and mouth disease, which is common among young children and spreads easily in groups, and dengue fever, carried by mosquitoes breeding in standing water. Good hygiene, shade and water, and following the school’s illness procedures are the main protections.
What should I do if a child tells me something worrying?
Listen calmly without asking detailed questions, reassure the child, write down the child’s exact words as soon as possible and report to the school’s designated person the same day. Do not investigate or speak to the family yourself; the school decides the next steps.
Should teachers make children finish their meals?
Gentle encouragement is common in Vietnamese preschools, where families care a great deal about children eating well. Forcing food is unsafe, however. Offer food warmly, eat and talk with children, respect a child’s appetite, and agree an approach with your co-teacher that balances encouragement and care.