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Throughout history, hot debates have raged over whether or not to emphasise vocational education over general education at the secondary level. Different countries have different views on when and how vocational education is offered. Some offer vocational education as early as at 7th grade and others at 10th grade or even later. The way vocational education is offered, whether as elective courses in general schools or on a different track as in separate institutions also varies from country to country. By using a case study of Southeast Asian countries and other countries in such as Germany and the USA, this paper will discuss the pros and cons related to when is the best time to offer vocational education and how this kind of education should be administered. Based on the common reasons used in the case study, the author concluded that economy is not the dominant factor influencing the policy and practices of when and how vocational education is offered, but rather due to the interactions of several factors including history and social, economic and cultural background.