Hanoi and HCMC Schools Closed 'til March 15
International and local schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) will remain closed until March 15 to safeguard staff and students against the Coronavirus.
The Departments of Education in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have decided to close all schools for another two weeks to help avoid the further spread of the virus. Students have not returned to school since the Tet break, meaning that they have missed six weeks of learning on-campus.
During the closure period, international schools in HCMC are various methods of home and online learning to minimise disruption to their students’ education.
British International School HCMC has responded to the extended closure period by making the Term 2 holiday earlier for EYFS and primary students to March 9.
The school says: "The rationale behind this change is in response to the feedback that our younger students have found e-learning more challenging. There was also concern about the amount of screen time they have faced. We hope that this decision will give the students, parents and teachers a necessary break in order to refresh themselves prior to restarting school."
Secondary students will continue with two further weeks of e-learning, and the spring break will be reduced to consolidate learning back in the classroom.
Read more: The IBO extended deadlines for IBDP students in Vietnam
BIS HCMC Principal Anthony Rowlands told parents: "For all of us, this has been a very challenging period and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. As a community, we need to continue to be flexible, tolerant and understanding of each other which is, of course, a real strength of BIS HCMC."
The counselling team at ISHCMC Primary and ISHCMC Secondary has created a wellbeing guide for its school community "that can benefit all families while learning at home". And Saigon South International School says that it will "continue to deliver the curriculum to all students through Virtual School, and teachers will continue to report to campus every day to support your children’s online learning".
There are 32 confirmed cases of the virus in Vietnam to date.
