A Vietnamese preschool year is shaped by a handful of major celebrations: the opening ceremony in early September, the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Vietnamese Women’s Day on 20 October, Vietnamese Teachers’ Day on 20 November, Lunar New Year in late January or February, International Women’s Day on 8 March, International Children’s Day on 1 June and an end-of-year farewell for the oldest children. Each brings performances, decorations, special food and family involvement, and each is an opportunity for rich learning in both languages.
International teachers sometimes see festivals as interruptions to the curriculum. In Vietnamese schools they are part of it. This article explains what usually happens at each occasion, how international teachers can take part respectfully, and how to turn festivals into genuine projects rather than weeks of rehearsal. Dates that follow the lunar calendar move each year, so always check the school calendar.
Why festivals matter so much in Vietnamese schools
Festivals connect children to their families, their community and a shared cultural memory. Many of the traditions children meet at preschool, such as carrying lanterns at Mid-Autumn or wishing elders a happy new year, are things their parents and grandparents did as children. Taking part gives children a sense of belonging that reaches beyond the classroom.
The national preschool programme reflects this. It includes goals related to children’s understanding of their community, local traditions and celebrations, and Vietnamese teachers plan themes around festivals as a matter of course. A theme on Mid-Autumn might include stories, songs, making lanterns, tasting fruit and learning about the moon; a theme on Lunar New Year might include family traditions, special foods and flowers of the season.
For families, festival events are among the most visible moments of school life. They come to performances, help decorate, contribute food and take photographs. A school that celebrates festivals well is seen as a school that cares about children and about Vietnamese culture, and this matters even, or especially, in a bilingual school where some families worry about their children losing touch with their roots.
The festival year at a glance
An overview of the occasions most Vietnamese preschools mark. Practices vary between schools, and some add others.
| Occasion | When | What children typically do |
|---|---|---|
| Opening ceremony | Early September, around 5 September | Gather in festive clothes, sing, watch short performances, welcome new children |
| Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu) | 15th day of the 8th lunar month, September or early October | Make and carry lanterns, watch a lion dance, share mooncakes and fruit |
| Vietnamese Women’s Day | 20 October | Make cards or small gifts for mothers, grandmothers and female teachers |
| Vietnamese Teachers’ Day | 20 November | Sing and present flowers or cards to teachers; families send thanks |
| Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên Đán) | Late January to mid-February | Wear áo dài, learn new year wishes, explore traditional foods and flowers, school fair before the break |
| International Women’s Day | 8 March | Similar to 20 October, celebrating women in children’s lives |
| International Children’s Day | 1 June | Games, outings or performances centred on children |
| End-of-year farewell | Late May | The oldest class says goodbye before starting Grade 1, often with a small ceremony |
Public holidays such as Reunification Day on 30 April, International Labour Day on 1 May and National Day on 2 September also affect the school calendar, usually as days off rather than school celebrations.
Mid-Autumn Festival: the children’s festival
Tết Trung Thu, the Mid-Autumn Festival, is often described in Vietnam as the children’s festival. Under the full moon of the eighth lunar month, children carry lanterns through the streets, watch lion dances accompanied by drums and gather with family to share mooncakes, fruit and sweets. The star-shaped lantern, đèn ông sao, is the classic image of the festival.
At preschool, Mid-Autumn usually involves weeks of preparation. Children make lanterns, learn festival songs, hear folk stories about the moon such as the tale of Chú Cuội and the banyan tree, and arrange a festive tray of fruit and cakes. The celebration itself often includes a lantern parade, a lion dance performance and shared food, sometimes in the evening with families.
For an international teacher this festival is a gift. It is visual, joyful and full of things to explore: light and shadow, the shape and phases of the moon, the textures of fruit such as pomelo and persimmon, the rhythm of drums, the engineering of a lantern that must stay lit while it is carried. English can be woven through all of it, and children delight in teaching a foreign adult the names and songs they know in Vietnamese.
Women’s Day and Teachers’ Day: two autumn celebrations of the adults
Two celebrations in October and November turn children’s attention to the adults in their lives. On Vietnamese Women’s Day, 20 October, children make cards, flowers or small gifts for their mothers, grandmothers and female teachers, and classes often hold a short celebration with songs. International Women’s Day on 8 March is marked in a similar way in spring. For a preschool, these days are less about history than about gratitude: noticing who cares for us and finding a way to say thank you.
Vietnamese Teachers’ Day, 20 November, is one of the most important days in the school year for staff. Children sing for their teachers, present flowers and cards, and families send messages of thanks. Schools often hold an assembly or performance, and staff may share a meal together. International teachers are included in the celebration and are often surprised by how much it means to colleagues and families.
Both occasions lend themselves to learning about relationships and feelings. Children can talk about the people who look after them, in either language, draw or build something for them, and practise the words for thanks and appreciation. For younger children the focus is simply on making something with care and giving it; for older children it can extend to interviewing a family member about their work or their own childhood.
Lunar New Year: the biggest celebration of the year
Tết Nguyên Đán, the Lunar New Year, is the most important festival in Vietnam. Families clean and decorate their homes, prepare special foods, visit relatives and exchange new year wishes. Children receive red envelopes of lucky money, lì xì, from adults, and wear new clothes. In the south, yellow apricot blossom, mai, is the flower of the season; in the north it is peach blossom, đào. Square bánh chưng and cylindrical bánh tét are the traditional rice cakes.
Schools close for a break around Tết, usually about a week and sometimes longer. Before the break, many preschools hold a Tết celebration or fair: children wear áo dài, play traditional games, help wrap small rice cakes, decorate the classroom with blossom and kumquat trees, and learn to say new year wishes such as chúc mừng năm mới.
The weeks before Tết can be hectic, with performances and decorations to prepare alongside the usual curriculum, and children are often excited and tired. International teachers can help by keeping their own sessions calm and connected to the theme, for example by exploring the colours, foods and plants of Tết through hands-on activities rather than adding another performance.
Opening ceremony and end-of-year farewell
The Vietnamese school year opens with a ceremony, khai giảng, held across the country in early September. In preschools it is usually a short, festive morning: children arrive in their best clothes, the school is decorated with balloons and flowers, the principal welcomes families, and children perform songs or dances. For new children, especially the youngest, the ceremony can be overwhelming, and teachers keep a close eye on anyone who needs comfort.
For an international teacher who has just arrived, the opening ceremony is often the first large school event, and it can be a little bewildering. Stay close to your class, help with children who are anxious, smile for the many photographs and follow your colleagues’ lead. It is a good moment to be seen by families as part of the team from the very first day.
At the other end of the year, the oldest class says goodbye before moving on to Grade 1. Many preschools hold a small farewell ceremony in late May, with performances, certificates of participation and photographs. It is an emotional occasion for children, families and teachers alike. In a developmental approach, the focus is on celebrating each child’s growth and preparing them for the transition, not on awards or rankings between children.
Taking part as an international teacher
Learn the meaning, not only the activities. Ask your co-teacher what each festival means to her and to the families. Knowing why lanterns are carried or why homes are cleaned before Tết makes your participation respectful rather than decorative.
Join in fully. Wear the áo dài if colleagues invite you to, carry a lantern in the parade, try the food. Children and families notice and appreciate it.
Let children be the experts. Ask children to teach you the songs, the names of foods and the wishes. This reverses the usual direction of language teaching and gives children confident things to say.
Keep cultural celebrations separate from belief. Festivals in a preschool are celebrated as culture and family tradition. Follow the school’s lead on what is included, and avoid adding religious content from your own background.
Respect diversity within the class. Some families may celebrate differently or come from other cultures. Invite them to share their own traditions at other times of year.
Turning festivals into projects, not rehearsals
The risk with festivals is that preparation becomes repetitive rehearsal of a performance, with children practising the same dance for weeks. Performances have value: they build confidence, coordination and a sense of contribution, and families love them. But they are not the only way to celebrate, and a balance is worth seeking.
A project approach starts from children’s questions. Why is the moon round at Mid-Autumn and not always? How does a lantern stay lit? What is inside a mooncake? Why do we eat bánh tét at Tết? Teachers can follow these questions with investigations, visits, cooking, building and stories, documenting what children discover. The festival becomes the context for genuine learning in both languages.
Planning together is essential. Agree with your co-teacher which parts of the festival are fixed, such as a school-wide performance, and which can be shaped by children’s interests. Contribute the English side of the theme, and suggest investigations that build on what children already know. In the Global Nexus curriculum, festivals are treated as monthly themes that connect experiences, language and culture, rather than as events added on top of the curriculum.
Festivals and families
Festivals are the moments when families are most present at school. They may help with decorations, contribute food, attend performances and take part in activities. For an international teacher these are valuable chances to meet families informally and show your engagement with the school community.
Be prepared for long events, much of them in Vietnamese, and for a great deal of photography. Families often want photos with teachers, including the international teacher. Follow the school’s guidance on photos and social media, especially regarding images of children.
Festivals are also when families most want to contribute. A parent who works as a baker might help children make mooncakes, a grandmother might show how to wrap a small bánh tét, a family from another country might bring a lantern from their own tradition. Coordinating these contributions through the lead teacher, and welcoming them warmly, turns a celebration into a genuine meeting between home and school.
After a festival, sharing what children learned, with photos and short descriptions in both languages, helps families see the learning behind the celebration. A note explaining that the class investigated how lanterns stay lit, or tasted and compared five fruits of the season, shows that festivals in a bilingual school are a real part of the curriculum.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam?
It falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which usually means September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. Preschools typically celebrate on or near that day, often with a lantern parade, a lion dance and shared mooncakes and fruit.
How long is the Lunar New Year break at preschools in Vietnam?
It varies by school and by year, but a break of around a week is common, and some schools close for longer. The exact dates follow the lunar calendar and the government’s public holiday announcement, so check your school’s calendar early in the year.
Should international teachers wear the áo dài at school events?
Only if invited, and many schools do invite their international staff, especially for Lunar New Year and the opening ceremony. Wearing it is generally received warmly as a gesture of respect and participation. Your colleagues can advise on where to borrow or buy one.
Are gifts given to teachers on Teachers’ Day?
Families often give flowers, cards or small gifts on 20 November. Schools have different policies, from welcoming small gifts to forbidding them. Ask about your school’s rule in advance and follow it, declining politely and warmly if gifts are not permitted.
How can I connect festival themes to English learning?
Use the experiences of the festival, such as making lanterns, tasting seasonal foods or exploring the moon, as the context for English talk, stories and songs. Let children teach you the Vietnamese words and traditions, and build English vocabulary from the activities children are already excited about.
Do Vietnamese preschools celebrate festivals from other cultures?
Many private and bilingual preschools mark some international occasions, such as Christmas or Halloween, as seasonal festivities. The emphasis and content vary by school. Vietnamese festivals usually remain central, and international teachers should follow the school’s choices.