School start time in Ho Chi Minh City: Some places are 30 minutes behind, others are unchanged

Have more time for breakfast

Immediately after the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued a document on organizing two sessions per day, reducing one period compared to the previous school year, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City quickly rearranged their schedules for the 2025-2026 school year.

The common point of many schools is that the morning and afternoon school hours are adjusted later than before, creating conditions for students to have more time to rest, have breakfast and convenient transportation.

Mr. Do Dinh Dao, Principal of Nguyen Huu Tho High School (Xom Chieu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the school has adjusted the first morning class time from 7:00 to 7:30, which means that students no longer have to be at school at 6:50 to park their vehicles as before. The morning class also ends earlier, at 11:00 instead of 11:20 or 11:35, 11:40 like previous years.

According to Mr. Dao, this will help students have more leisure time to have breakfast with family or friends before going to class. Afternoon classes will also start at 1:30 p.m. and end at 4 p.m., earlier than before. The new timetable will also reduce the number of classes to 28 per week according to the 2018 general education program.

"When hearing the news of the delay in school hours, many students were excited. The current schedule helps reduce pressure and creates a balance between studying and resting for students," said Mr. Dao.

At Ho Thi Bi High School (Hoc Mon commune), Mr. Le Thanh Tong, the school principal, informed that the morning class start time remains at 7:15 a.m., but the afternoon class start time has been moved back 30 minutes, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and ends at 4 p.m.

“This plan helps students have more time to rest, and it is also convenient for parents to pick them up and drop them off. After surveying students and teachers, everyone agreed,” Mr. Tong shared.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Huu Han, Principal of Thanh Da High School (Binh Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the school is considering delaying class start times to ensure that after 7 periods, students leave at 4 p.m. Most likely, class start times will be 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., 15 minutes later than last school year.

“I am calculating how to make the classes end at 4 p.m. or at most 4:30 p.m. If it is later, there will be traffic jams, and if it is too early, it will not be convenient for parents,” said Mr. Han.

Keep the old schedule

Besides the schools that have adjusted, there are still many schools that keep the old timetable.

According to Mr. Dinh Phu Cuong, Principal of Nguyen Van Luong Secondary School (Binh Phu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), in the new school year, students still enter class at 7:15 in the morning, 1:30 in the afternoon and finish school between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m.

“Most students live near the school, so leaving school early doesn’t affect them. If they wait for their parents to pick them up, they can stay at school a little later, because the library and gym are always open for students to play, read, and be watched over by security,” said Mr. Cuong.

At Tran Van On Secondary School (District 1), a school representative said the old schedule is still being maintained and is waiting for general instructions from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.

"When the Department gives instructions, we can make adjustments based on the general plan to create consistency," he said.

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Source: https://tienphong.vn/gio-vao-hoc-o-tphcm-noi-lui-30-phut-cho-khong-doi-post1770646.tpo