In this guide
How we rank Hanoi schools
We weight five factors. First, IB Diploma or IGCSE outcomes across three years, not single cohorts. Second, faculty stability and the qualifications of subject specialists in maths, English and sciences. Hanoi sometimes loses good teachers to Singapore and Bangkok, so the schools that retain them are notable. Third, university destinations and the proportion of leavers reaching their first-choice institution. Fourth, pastoral systems and inclusion, which matter more than parents expect in a city where compound life can shape friendships. Fifth, location and the commute from Tay Ho, Ciputra and the central districts.
We do not weight fees in the ranking, but we cover them in their own section. We also discount marketing flash; new campuses opening with bold claims have at times under-delivered on substance, and we are sceptical of schools without three years of outcomes data to read.
The 2026 top international schools
United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS)
The anchor international school in Hanoi, with a stable IB programme from primary through Diploma and a strong diplomatic cohort. UNIS retains experienced teachers longer than most schools in the city and produces IB Diploma averages consistently above 33 points. The default choice for UN, embassy and development families.
British International School Hanoi (BIS)
The premier British curriculum school in Hanoi. English National Curriculum primary feeding into IGCSE, with a choice of A-Levels and IB Diploma at sixth form. Strong sports and arts programmes. The Long Bien location is well served by school buses but adds 25 to 40 minutes from western Tay Ho in peak traffic.
Concordia International School Hanoi
The strongest American curriculum option in Hanoi, with AP courses and a US high school diploma at sixth form. Stable faculty drawn from the broader Concordia network. Particularly suited to families on US payrolls anticipating return to the US for university.
St. Paul American School Hanoi
Mid-tier American school with a clean US high school diploma route and AP options. Smaller than Concordia but with a strong community feel and reasonable academic outcomes. Worth a tour for families specifically wanting the American pathway at a more accessible fee level.
International School of Vietnam (ISV)
Value-tier British curriculum school inside the Ciputra urban area. Smaller cohort, focused academic programme and a stable senior leadership team. Suits families who want a credible British school at materially lower fees than BIS.
Hanoi International School (HIS)
Boutique IB school with the smallest cohort in the top tier. Strong individual attention, especially in lower secondary years. Limited sixth-form subject combinations because of scale, which is the principal trade-off to weigh against the small class sizes.
Free Hanoi shortlist help
Tell us your child's year, your target neighbourhood and curriculum preference and we will come back within 48 hours with a personalised three-school shortlist, including honest culture-fit notes and indicative all-in fees. Free for parents, no sales follow-up. Request a Hanoi shortlist.
Fees and the all-in number
Hanoi international school fees are quoted in US dollars at most schools, with annual tuition running USD 16,000 to USD 38,000. Hanoi sits below Bangkok and well below Singapore on like-for-like cost, but the all-in number is higher than headline tuition by a familiar margin. Add 15 to 25 per cent for registration, capital levy, transport, lunch, uniform and exam fees. Sibling discounts run 5 to 12 per cent at most schools. The largest hidden cost is school bus transport, which can run USD 1,500 to USD 3,000 per child per year depending on distance.
For city-by-city benchmarking, including the comparison against Ho Chi Minh City schools and the broader regional picture, see our Hanoi international school fees guide and the fees explorer tool. A family deciding between Hanoi and another South East Asian posting will find the cost comparison clarifying.
Tay Ho, Ciputra and the western districts
Tay Ho is the dominant expat residential district in Hanoi and the natural base for families with children at UNIS, Concordia or HIS. The lake-side rentals are generous in space and the international community is densely concentrated, which makes friendships and after-school logistics easier. Ciputra is the alternative on the western edge of Tay Ho, with more compound-style housing and is the easiest base for ISV families. Long Bien on the east bank is the catchment for BIS but is otherwise less convenient for expat life; most BIS families commute to the school from Tay Ho rather than living near it.
For the broader relocation picture, including housing rental ranges, healthcare and trailing-spouse work options, see our moving to Hanoi with children guide and the Hanoi city page on the core site.
British, American, IB and bilingual
Hanoi offers credible British, American and IB options. The IB pathway runs at UNIS, BIS, HIS and as a sixth-form choice at others. The British pathway runs at BIS and ISV. The American pathway runs at Concordia and St. Paul. Bilingual Vietnamese-English schools exist but are designed for Vietnamese families targeting overseas universities rather than expat children; they are not a fit for most relocating families with English as the home language.
The curriculum choice often comes down to where your child will sit national-level examinations and how portable the qualification needs to be. For families with one eye on an eventual return to the UK or to a British posting, see our British curriculum overview. For IB-focused families, the IB schools in Hanoi guide and the IB curriculum overview cover the detail.
Admissions timing and waitlists
Hanoi runs on an August to June academic year. The realistic application window for an August start is the previous October to March. Tier 1 schools, particularly UNIS, BIS and Concordia, fill popular year groups by late spring; Year 7 entry at UNIS and Year 7 entry at BIS are the tightest cohorts. Mid-year transfers are possible at most schools, easier at primary than at secondary, and several schools maintain a January intake for relocating families on out-of-cycle moves.
Documentation is straightforward by Asian standards. You will need the child's passport, the most recent two years of full school reports, a transfer certificate at the point of departure from the prior school, and a recent immunisation record. Vietnam does not require apostille certification for international school admissions, which simplifies paperwork compared with some Gulf or Latin American postings.
University destinations and graduate outcomes
UNIS, BIS and Concordia all publish university destination lists that show a credible spread across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and continental European universities. UNIS averages around 30 IB Diploma points across recent cohorts, with the upper quartile pushing 38 to 42. BIS sixth-form A-Level results place leavers at Russell Group universities and at top-50 US institutions in a small but growing stream. Concordia's AP results have been strengthening since 2022.
The numbers are smaller than at Tier 1 schools in Singapore or Bangkok because the cohort sizes are smaller. Read destination data as percentages rather than counts, and ask each school for a candid view on which subjects are strongest at sixth form. A school whose maths and physics A-Levels are deep but whose languages are thin matters for a family whose child wants to read modern languages at university.
How to choose between them
If your priority is IB outcomes and a globally portable curriculum, UNIS leads. If you specifically want a British curriculum, BIS is the default and ISV is the value-tier alternative. If your family is on a US payroll and likely heading back to the US for university, Concordia is the natural fit, with St. Paul as the more accessible option. If your child is in a small cohort year and you want individual attention, HIS deserves a tour. For a side-by-side on fees, curriculum and inspection outcomes, the school comparison tool lets you pull up to three Hanoi schools next to each other.