Ho Chi Minh City

Two accredited French schools: the Lycée français international Marguerite Duras (AEFE agreement, nursery to final year, in the east of the city) and Boule et Billes (AEFE partner, nursery to age 11, in Binh Thanh and Thao Dien). English-language international schools are plentiful but dearer. Start by requesting a place as soon as the move is confirmed, then choose the neighbourhood according to the commute. Our Schools and School fees pages detail both: /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/school-fees/.

Yes, subject to a means test: AEFE grants cover tuition, registration, canteen and transport for French children registered at the consulate and enrolled in an accredited school. The first campaign is filed online on Scolaide from January to March, the second (newcomers) in late August or early September. While waiting for the decision, the lycée asks for the first registration fee and half of the first term, refunded afterwards.

Yes, and before arriving: private care is expensive, the French State covers nothing and international clinics bill per visit or directly to the insurer. Negotiate international insurance with repatriation cover in the employer's contract, and check the waiting period for maternity. It is all explained on our Health page: /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/health/.

The consulate publishes a list of French-speaking facilities (CMI, FV Hospital) rather than doctors. FV Hospital, founded by French doctors, lists the languages of each practitioner: five paediatricians consult in French there, and Family Medical Practice in Thao Dien has a French-speaking paediatrician. We list them, with GPs, dentists and therapists, on our Health page: /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/health/.

115 is the medical emergency number (113 police, 114 fire, 112 unified number), but operators speak Vietnamese and public ambulances are slow. Save your hospital's 24/7 line instead: FV on (028) 35 11 35 00, with children's emergencies and ambulances, or Family Medical Practice on *9999. For a serious emergency outside hours, the consulate answers on 09 03 72 19 78.

French families follow the schools and clinics: Thao Dien and An Phu for villas, compounds and Boule et Billes, Binh Thanh for its recent towers near Vinmec, Phu My Hung in the south for its parks and FV Hospital, the centre to live on foot. The Lycée Marguerite Duras is in Long Binh, in the east, with its school bus. Our Settling in page reviews the neighbourhoods: /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/settling-in/.

In order: SIM card with your passport, bank account (passport and visa, biometric registration at a branch), temporary residence certificate requested from your landlord, choice of a family clinic, then registration with the French consular register, online, free and valid 5 years, which unlocks school grants. Visas and the residence card are carried by the employer. Details on /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/settling-in/.

Yes for the car: Grab, taxis, the metro (line 1 since December 2024) and the two schools' buses are enough for most families. No for the licence: after 90 days, a resident must convert their French licence into a Vietnamese one, without a test thanks to the bilateral agreement, at the transport department (252 Ly Chinh Thang). Helmets compulsory and zero alcohol if you ride a two-wheeler.

Boule et Billes takes babies from 6 months in its Thao Dien nursery, in French, full or half day. Nannies and domestic helpers (giup viec) are very common and affordable, often recommended by word of mouth between families; ask Saigon Accueil and the schools' parent groups. The Boule et Billes holiday clubs take over during the holidays for 3 to 11-year-olds.

Very well: in the French schools everything happens in French, and English comes quickly through friends and activities. Vietnamese remains a hard language; children pick up the basics with the nanny and at school. To keep French if you choose an international school, IDECAF gives children's classes and Boule et Billes opens its holiday clubs to all. Our addresses are on /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/family-outings/.

Yes for three items: the French school, private health insurance and rents in the expat neighbourhoods. Everything else is markedly cheaper than in France: transport, restaurants, domestic help, outings. Imported goods often cost double. Our Settling in page details the budget line by line: /en/cities/ho-chi-minh-city/settling-in/.

Saigon Accueil holds a drop-in on Tuesday mornings, organises coffee mornings, workshops and family outings, and lends books in French. The school gates of the two French schools, the parents' associations (UPMD, APE Boule et Billes), IDECAF, the Institut français and the local edition of lepetitjournal.com complete the network, not forgetting the Facebook groups of French-speaking mums in Saigon.