International schools in Hanoi, 2026

The Hanoi school landscape

Hanoi's international school market is smaller and more concentrated than Ho Chi Minh City's. Around twenty schools teach foreign curricula in English to a community of UN agencies, diplomatic missions, NGOs, manufacturing executives and a growing cohort of Vietnamese families who want an international pathway for their children. Where Ho Chi Minh City has three established tier one schools and a broad mid tier, Hanoi has one dominant flagship and a clear shortlist of three or four credible alternatives.

The flagship, UNIS Hanoi, is one of only a handful of United Nations International Schools worldwide and has educated UN, embassy and NGO children continuously since 1988. The school's UN heritage is more than a branding line, it shapes admissions priorities, the cohort mix and the institutional culture. Around UNIS sits a small group of credible alternatives, led by the British International School Hanoi, Concordia International School Hanoi and the long established Hanoi International School. Below the tier one names sits a growing cohort of bilingual private schools, primarily Vietnamese owned, offering Cambridge or American curriculum pathways at materially lower fees.

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training licenses all private schools but does not publish a public inspection rating regime. The practical proxy for inspection rigour is international accreditation, primarily through the Council of International Schools, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the IB Organisation. Each of Hanoi's tier one schools holds at least one of these. Below that line, accreditation thins, and parents should rely on faculty stability, university destinations and verified parent reviews.

The tier one international schools

United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi) is the city's defining school. Founded in 1988, UNIS is one of only three UN affiliated international schools globally, alongside UNIS New York and UNIS Vienna. The school runs the full IB continuum from Primary Years through to the Diploma Programme, and is accredited by the Council of International Schools. The cohort is unusually international, with around seventy nationalities and a substantial UN, NGO and diplomatic family base. Diploma averages sit consistently above 36 points. The campus is on the Ciputra side of West Lake, in Tay Ho, and is the largest single international campus in northern Vietnam.

British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi) is the Nord Anglia flagship in northern Vietnam. The school follows the English National Curriculum to IGCSE, with the IB Diploma in sixth form rather than A Level. BIS Hanoi sits on a West Lake campus that is among the most photographed school buildings in the city, with strong sports and arts infrastructure. The Diploma average typically tracks within a point of UNIS. For UK posted families, BIS Hanoi is usually the natural starting point, with the IB option in sixth form giving onward portability.

Concordia International School Hanoi is the American curriculum option, founded in 2011 and accredited by WASC. The school is in Tay Ho and serves the American expat community as well as a wider cohort of US bound families. Concordia is Christian affiliated, with a clear values statement, and that orientation appeals to some families and is a deal breaker for others. The high school diploma is the senior credential, with AP options. University destinations weight to the United States.

Hanoi International School (HIS), founded in 1996, is the oldest international school in the city and the smallest of the credible tier one alternatives. HIS runs the IB Primary Years and the IB Diploma, with Cambridge IGCSE in middle years. The cohort is around 600 students across all year groups, which gives small class sizes and a strong community culture, but constrains subject choice in less common Diploma subjects.

The mid tier and bilingual options

Below the tier one names, Hanoi's market has a credible second tier. Singapore International School Hanoi (SIS) teaches a Singapore influenced curriculum with strong maths and science outcomes, alongside IB Diploma in sixth form. SIS has multiple campuses across the city, including the Ciputra family campus and a Vinhomes Riverside campus. St Paul American School Hanoi, founded in 2011, follows the American curriculum with AP options and is in Long Bien on the eastern side of the Red River. Lycée Français Alexandre Yersin serves the French speaking community with the AEFE accredited French baccalaureate pathway, in Ciputra.

The bilingual private sector has grown rapidly in the past decade. Vinschool, the Vingroup backed national network, operates several Hanoi campuses with a blend of Vietnamese national curriculum and English medium Cambridge IGCSE and A Level pathways in upper years. British Vietnamese International School (BVIS Hanoi) is the sister bilingual school to BIS, with the same Nord Anglia backing but a Vietnamese majority cohort. Fees at the bilingual schools sit between USD 3,500 and USD 9,000 a year, which is a fraction of tier one cost.

Curricula in practice

The IB Diploma is the dominant senior qualification across Hanoi's tier one schools. UNIS, BIS Hanoi, HIS and SIS Hanoi all offer the Diploma. American AP is available at Concordia and St Paul. Cambridge IGCSE and A Level are offered at Vinschool, BVIS and the smaller bilingual schools. For families wanting curriculum continuity from a UK posting, BIS Hanoi is the cleanest fit, with the IB option as a useful pivot in sixth form. For United States postings, Concordia is the natural choice. For onward mobility across regions, UNIS sits at the top of the list because of the IB continuum and the global standing of the UN affiliated brand.

For Vietnamese curriculum routes, Hanoi has high performing public schools including the Hanoi National University affiliated high schools and a national gifted school network. For expat children, the public route is rarely chosen because of the language of instruction and the curriculum's focus on Vietnamese language, history and civics. For Vietnamese national children, the public route remains the default. For mixed nationality families, the bilingual private schools have become an increasingly serious option, particularly where the household language is Vietnamese.

For families considering the IB pathway more broadly, our IB curriculum guide explains the structure of the Diploma, the typical subject combinations and how universities treat IB scores against A Levels and AP.

Fees at a glance

Hanoi fees are denominated in either USD or VND, with most international schools quoting USD as the headline figure. The 2026 to 2027 senior school tuition figures below represent the published tuition. Add 8 to 10 per cent for transport, lunch, capital levies and trips for an honest all in budget.

Neighbourhoods that match these schools

Hanoi's expat residential pattern is dominated by three areas, each with a clear school catchment.

• Tay Ho (West Lake): UNIS, BIS Hanoi, Concordia, SIS reach. The default Western expat district, leafy, lake side, with strong housing inventory for families.
• Ciputra International City: a self contained gated expat community on the northern edge of Tay Ho, popular with families who want shuttle access to UNIS, the French lycée and SIS.
• Long Bien (Vinhomes Riverside): across the Red River, with strong housing value and a growing expat community. St Paul American School is here, and shuttle routes serve UNIS and BIS.
• Ba Dinh and Hai Ba Trung: more central, with older housing stock and good cultural infrastructure. HIS is here, alongside the embassies.

For most expat families with primary aged children, the practical decision is Tay Ho or Ciputra, with Long Bien as the value alternative. The commute from Long Bien to Tay Ho is around 30 to 40 minutes by school bus, which is the longest school commute most Hanoi families will accept. Read our best Hanoi schools for expat families for the residential view.

Admissions reality

Hanoi's tier one schools run a January to April admissions cycle for August entry. Applications include school reports, a teacher reference and, for older year groups, an admissions assessment in English and mathematics. UNIS gives priority to UN and intergovernmental family children, then to siblings, then to the general pool. BIS Hanoi and Concordia honour sibling priority and otherwise admit on a first come basis subject to assessment outcomes.

For mid year arrivals, which are common given the corporate posting cycle to Vietnam, tier one schools have rolling availability outside the most popular year groups. The years where capacity is tightest are the early primary years, where local Hanoi families compete for the same places as expat new arrivals. For sixth form entry, places are usually available even in late summer, although Diploma subject options may be constrained at smaller cohort schools such as HIS.

For families on the Cambridge pathway at Vinschool or BVIS, admissions is more accessible than at tier one schools, with rolling intake throughout the year and a far larger absolute capacity. The trade off is the bilingual cohort, which is predominantly Vietnamese national.

Five things to know before you commit

First, UNIS has a real institutional advantage in Hanoi that is hard to replicate elsewhere. The UN affiliation, the seventy nationality cohort, and the IB continuum make it the default for families who want the most cosmopolitan possible school environment. If your employer is a UN agency, an embassy or an NGO, you will almost certainly find that UNIS is the implicit centre of gravity for your wider community.

Second, Hanoi is materially cheaper than Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok for comparable schooling quality. A UNIS or BIS Hanoi place costs roughly half what a tier one Singapore school costs. For families with two or three children, this gap can offset a substantial portion of the regional cost of living difference.

Third, traffic in Hanoi is improving but still affects the school decision. A school in the wrong district can mean a 50 minute commute each way, particularly during the monsoon months. Most families optimise for school proximity over housing preferences, especially in early primary years.

Fourth, Vietnamese national children at international schools must take Vietnamese national curriculum subjects in compulsory years, primarily Vietnamese language, history and civics. The schools handle this in parallel, but the obligation matters for families considering the bilingual pathway as a hybrid solution.

Fifth, the upper secondary cohort sizes at IB Diploma schools in Hanoi are small, typically 40 to 80 candidates per year. This constrains subject choice in less common subjects, particularly the second foreign languages and the higher level sciences. Families with a strong subject preference should verify the school's actual cohort offering, not just the published subject list.

How employer education allowances shape the choice

Most expat families at tier one schools in Hanoi are funded through an employer education allowance, and the structure of that allowance often shapes the school decision more than the parents anticipate. Multinational corporates typically reimburse tuition to a cap, with capital fees, transport and trips outside the tuition cap. The practical result is that families on capped allowances often choose between UNIS and BIS Hanoi based on which school's tuition falls within the cap rather than on academic preference alone.

UN agencies, the World Bank and the diplomatic service generally apply more generous education allowance terms, with full tuition coverage at UNIS as a standing benefit for assigned families. NGOs vary widely. Manufacturing executives posted to Bac Ninh, Hai Duong or Vinh Phuc industrial parks often have the most discretion, with allowances tied to total compensation rather than to school specific caps. Reviewing the education allowance clause in the assignment letter before applying to schools is the single highest leverage step a new arrival family can take.

For families self funding without employer support, the bilingual private schools at BVIS and Vinschool deliver credible international curriculum at a fraction of tier one cost, and are increasingly the choice of returning Vietnamese expatriate families looking for a hybrid Vietnamese English education at sustainable fees.

FAQ

Is UNIS Hanoi only for UN family children? No. UN affiliated family children have admissions priority, but the wider cohort includes corporate, diplomatic and Vietnamese national families. UN children typically make up a third to a half of any given year group.

Are Hanoi international schools English medium throughout? Yes at tier one. Bilingual schools split time between Vietnamese and English, with the proportion shifting toward English in upper years. Tier one schools may offer optional Vietnamese language classes for non native speakers, separate from any Ministry of Education obligation for Vietnamese national children.

What is the school year in Hanoi? August to June, broadly aligned with the northern hemisphere academic calendar. Most schools have a short break in September after the National Day holiday, then term continues to mid December, and a second semester runs January to June.

Are scholarships available? UNIS, BIS Hanoi and Concordia offer limited financial aid, mainly for academic or arts merit at senior level. For most families, scholarships are not a realistic part of the funding plan, and employer education allowance remains the dominant funding route.

Related guides

• Best international schools in Hanoi for expat families
• International schools in Ho Chi Minh, 2026
• Best international schools in Hanoi