In this guide
Why the value tier exists
Ho Chi Minh City has built a deep value tier in international schooling over the past decade, driven partly by the Vietnamese middle class wanting an English language pathway at a price point that Vietnamese household economics can sustain, and partly by the long term expat community that self funds children at the schools rather than relying on a corporate education allowance. The result is a credible group of schools running British Cambridge, Australian or Vietnamese international curricula at fees 50 to 70 percent below the premium tier. For self funding families this is the difference between an affordable family posting and an unaffordable one.
The schools that occupy the value tier are not all the same. Some are credible English language international schools with predominantly foreign or English speaking student bodies, capped class sizes and a recognisable international curriculum. Others are bilingual schools that mix Vietnamese and English instruction across the day, with the English share rising from 30 percent in early years to 70 percent in senior school. The choice between the two is more important than the choice between specific schools in the same category. Our wider pillar piece on the best international schools in Ho Chi Minh City places these schools in the full city context.
2026 value tier schools at a glance
The table below summarises the credible English language international schools and the strongest bilingual options at the value tier. Fees are 2026 to 2027 senior school tuition and exclude capital fees, bus, lunch and trips.
| School | Curriculum | Annual fee (USD) | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC International School | British Cambridge | USD 11,000 to 18,000 | Multiple campuses |
| Saigon Star International School | British EYFS to Key Stage 3 | USD 9,000 to 14,000 | District 2 |
| Australian School Vietnam | Australian curriculum | USD 12,000 to 16,000 | District 7 and District 10 |
| SmartKids International School | British and bilingual | USD 8,000 to 13,000 | Phu My Hung |
| VinSchool International | Cambridge and bilingual | USD 6,000 to 12,000 | Multiple campuses |
| Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) | Cambridge and Vietnamese | USD 4,500 to 10,000 | Multiple campuses |
| BIS Vietnam | Cambridge and bilingual | USD 5,000 to 11,000 | District 7 |
Our top value picks
ABC International School (selected campuses)
The strongest credible value option in the city, running a British Cambridge curriculum from EYFS through to IGCSE and A Level. Predominantly foreign and English speaking student body, capped class sizes and a settled faculty body across multiple campuses in Phu My Hung, Binh Tan and elsewhere. Strong choice for self funding British curriculum families and a credible Tier 2 academic outcome at a fee tier 40 to 50 percent below the premium tier.
Saigon Star International School
Primary and lower secondary British curriculum school in District 2. Small village like setting with capped year group sizes and a strong early years programme. Suits families looking for an affordable English language primary experience in the Thao Dien catchment. Families typically transfer at Year 9 to ABC International School or a top tier school for IGCSE and beyond.
Australian School Vietnam
Australian curriculum primary and early secondary school. Smaller cohort than AIS Saigon but with credible academic outcomes at a meaningfully lower fee tier. Particularly useful for families on rotation between Vietnam and Australia who want curriculum continuity at a value tier price point.
SmartKids International School
Phu My Hung based primary and early years school with a British curriculum and a credible bilingual programme. Capped class sizes and a strong reputation for early literacy and numeracy outcomes. Useful Phu My Hung option for families wanting a softer entry into international schooling.
VinSchool International
The international stream of the VinSchool group, based at Vinhomes Central Park and other Vinhomes campuses. Cambridge IGCSE at the senior end with a bilingual structure that builds genuine Vietnamese fluency alongside English. The mix of foreign and Vietnamese families is more balanced than at most international schools, which can be a strength for long term families.
Build your value tier shortlist
Use our school comparison tool to put up to three value tier schools side by side on fees, curriculum and admissions timeline. The cost calculator models your full education line. For a free shortlist review including the trade offs against the premium tier, contact our team.
The bilingual option
The bilingual sector deserves separate attention. VAS, BIS Vietnam, VinSchool International and several smaller bilingual schools deliver a Vietnamese and English programme that builds genuine Vietnamese fluency alongside an internationally recognised qualification. Most bilingual schools run a Cambridge IGCSE pathway at the senior end and offer Vietnamese national curriculum streams in parallel. For mixed marriage families and long term expat families committed to Vietnam beyond a single posting, the bilingual route delivers more cultural and linguistic integration than the full international tier and at meaningfully lower fees.
The trade off is the academic ceiling. Most bilingual schools do not offer the IB Diploma and the English language depth at the senior end can be thinner than at the international tier. For families targeting UK, US, Canadian or Australian university the bilingual route is workable but rarely the most direct. Many bilingual families transfer to a Tier 1 international school for sixth form to access the Diploma or A Level pathway.
What you give up at the value tier
The honest comparison between the value tier and the premium tier deserves a clear answer. First, cohort depth. A premium tier school may run a Diploma cohort of 80 students across 22 subject groups; a value tier school may run a cohort of 15 students across 8 groups. This affects subject choice and academic peer environment, particularly at the senior end. Second, specialist staffing. Premium tier schools maintain a dedicated learning support department, a careers and university counselling team and specialist music, sport, drama and technology faculty. Value tier schools typically run leaner staffing models. Third, university destinations. Premium tier schools maintain established relationships with admissions offices and the destination report reflects this. Value tier schools have credible destinations but a thinner network. Fourth, facilities. Premium tier schools generally have stronger specialist science, music, sport and library infrastructure. Fifth, the network. The premium tier puts your child in a peer group that is broadly equivalent to the global expat network they will sit in throughout their working life. The value tier puts them in a different and often more locally rooted peer group.
None of these trade offs is fatal and many self funding families find the value tier a perfectly good fit for the early and middle years, transferring up only for sixth form. The detailed cost comparison sits in our international school fees in Ho Chi Minh City piece, with the curriculum context in the IB curriculum hub. The cost calculator lets you model the saving across a multi year placement.
Transferring up to a top tier later
Many families start at a value tier school and transfer up to a Tier 1 school for Year 7 or sixth form. The route works best when the value tier school delivers strong English and mathematics outcomes, when the family plans the transfer 12 to 18 months ahead of the target year group, and when the family is realistic about the academic step up at the entry assessment. Most Tier 1 schools assess transfer applicants in English literacy, mathematics and often a sample subject from the previous school. For a transfer at Year 7 the timing is straightforward, with the move aligning with the natural Year 6 to Year 7 step. For a transfer at sixth form the choice is between A Level and the IB Diploma, and the value tier preparation in Year 11 IGCSE often translates well into either.
The other transfer route worth knowing is the in year move at Year 4 or Year 5. Tier 1 primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City sometimes have rolling availability mid year and accept transfer applicants who have a clear academic track record at the value tier. This route is most often used by families who arrived on a tight timeline and took a value tier place to start the children settling, then transferred up when a Tier 1 place opened. The practical step is to maintain the Tier 1 waitlist registration while children are at the value tier school, since most waitlists are first come first served once a place opens and the families who registered early move first.
The realistic full cost of place at the value tier
Headline tuition at the value tier is genuinely lower than the premium tier, but the loading items, bus, lunch, uniform, trips and exam entries, scale less proportionally than tuition itself. A value tier school with USD 12,000 tuition often runs USD 14,500 to 15,800 all in, an 18 to 32 percent loading rather than the 12 to 18 percent at the premium tier. The capital fee, where charged, is typically USD 1,500 to 4,000 rather than USD 6,000 to 12,000. For a family with two children at the value tier the practical all in number sits at USD 28,000 to 32,000 per year, compared with USD 64,000 to 80,000 at the premium tier. The saving is real, materially so over a four year placement, and worth modelling carefully in the cost calculator alongside the rest of the family budget.
Related guides
- Best international schools in Ho Chi Minh City
- International school fees in Ho Chi Minh City
- IB schools in Ho Chi Minh City
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest international school in Ho Chi Minh City?
Within the credible international tier the cheapest options sit at USD 9,000 to 14,000 per year, including selected campuses of ABC International School, Saigon Star International and several Cambridge curriculum schools. Bilingual schools such as VAS and VinSchool offer fees from USD 4,000 to 8,000.
Are cheaper international schools in Ho Chi Minh City any good?
The credible value tier in Ho Chi Minh City delivers solid Cambridge IGCSE outcomes and a manageable English language environment. The trade off versus the premium tier is cohort depth, university destinations and specialist staffing rather than the daily classroom experience, which is often comparable for younger year groups.
Can my child get into a top school later?
Yes. Many families start at a value tier school and transfer to a Tier 1 school for Year 7 or sixth form once a place opens. The route works best when the value tier school delivers strong English and mathematics outcomes and the transfer is planned 12 to 18 months ahead of the target year group.