How many bilingual schools in Hanoi
Hanoi's bilingual school cluster is one of the largest and fastest-growing segments in the Vietnamese international school market, driven by Vietnamese middle-class families who want strong English-language exposure without committing to the Decree 86 50 percent expat cap at fully foreign-invested international schools. A bilingual school in the Vietnamese sense is a school that delivers a significant share of the curriculum, usually 50 to 70 percent, in English while retaining the Vietnamese national programme as a recognised spine. The Hanoi cluster runs to roughly 25 to 30 schools across the city, with the largest single network being Vinschool, the Vingroup-owned chain that runs more than ten campuses across Hanoi alone. Wellspring International Bilingual School, Hanoi Academy, Olympia Schools and Newton Grammar are the other names that recur in parent shortlists. Together these schools serve a Hanoi bilingual cohort of well over 30,000 children. For the wider Hanoi market see our Hanoi city hub and the global bilingual curriculum hub.
The Vinschool model
Vinschool, founded by Vingroup in 2013, is the largest bilingual school network in Vietnam and the dominant Hanoi player in the segment. The network runs more than ten Hanoi campuses across Times City, Royal City, Vinhomes Riverside, Vinhomes Smart City, Vinhomes Ocean Park and other Vingroup developments, with a total Hanoi enrolment north of 25,000 children. Vinschool delivers the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training national curriculum as its accreditation spine, with English-medium teaching in mathematics, science and English language and literature across the higher grades, plus Cambridge International qualifications layered on top at IGCSE and A Level. The Vinschool model deliberately positions itself as a Vietnamese-led alternative to fully foreign international schools at significantly lower fees, with a strong Vingroup-employee discount that anchors the cohort.
Cambridge layering and IB Diploma options
Most Hanoi bilingual schools layer a Cambridge International qualification on top of the Vietnamese national curriculum in the upper years. Vinschool offers Cambridge IGCSE at the end of lower secondary and Cambridge A Level in Years 12 and 13, with around 40 percent of Vinschool upper-secondary students taking the Cambridge route. Wellspring International Bilingual School Hanoi runs Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary and Cambridge IGCSE. A smaller subset of bilingual schools, including Olympia Schools and Hanoi Academy, offer the IB Diploma at sixth form, drawing on the Cambridge or AP framework at IGCSE level before transitioning students to the IB Diploma in Years 12 and 13. This Cambridge-then-IB pathway is increasingly common across the wider Hanoi bilingual market.
Vinschool, Wellspring or Hanoi Academy?
Take our 5 minute school finder quiz. We shortlist three Hanoi bilingual options based on your child's age, your home district and your university targets.
Fees and the value proposition
Hanoi bilingual school fees sit at a deliberately lower price point than the fully foreign international school market. Vinschool fees range from roughly VND 95 million a year in lower primary at the standard programme to VND 320 million a year in the Cambridge upper secondary track, equivalent to USD 3,800 to USD 12,800. Wellspring Hanoi sits at VND 150 million to VND 380 million across stages, roughly USD 6,000 to USD 15,200. Hanoi Academy and Olympia Schools sit in a similar range. The Vingroup-employee Vinschool discount typically takes 20 to 30 percent off these headline numbers for Vingroup staff. Even at the premium end, Hanoi bilingual school fees are roughly a third to a half of the BIS Hanoi or UNIS Hanoi equivalent, which is the central value proposition that drives Vietnamese middle-class demand into the segment. For the full Hanoi fee picture see our Hanoi school fees guide and the Vietnam fees benchmark.
Illustrative example schools
The schools below are illustrative, not a ranking. Each holds a distinct identity in the Hanoi bilingual market.
Vinschool runs the dominant Vingroup-owned bilingual network across Hanoi, with more than ten campuses anchored on Times City, Royal City, Vinhomes Riverside, Vinhomes Smart City and Vinhomes Ocean Park. Vietnamese national curriculum spine, English-medium core subjects, Cambridge IGCSE and A Level on the upper track.
Wellspring International Bilingual School Hanoi (Tay Ho) is the older premium bilingual school in the city, with a stronger international family base than the Vinschool average and a deeper Cambridge International integration across primary and secondary.
Hanoi Academy (Ciputra International City, Tay Ho) runs an English-Vietnamese bilingual programme with the IB Diploma at sixth form, attractive to Vietnamese families targeting top-tier UK, Australian and Singaporean universities through a single-school pathway.
Who chooses bilingual schools in Hanoi
Bilingual schools in Hanoi serve a different family base than fully foreign international schools. The dominant cohort is Vietnamese middle-class and upper-middle-class families who want strong English-language exposure for their children and a credible international university pathway, but who either cannot or do not want to pay BIS Hanoi or Concordia Hanoi fees. The second strand is Vietnamese diaspora returnee families from the UK, US, Canada and Australia, who want their children to retain working Vietnamese alongside English-medium academics. The third, smaller strand is foreign expatriate families on local-hire contracts without an international school allowance, for whom Vinschool or Wellspring at one third the fee of UNIS Hanoi is the realistic option. The Vinschool cohort skews most strongly Vietnamese, while Hanoi Academy and Wellspring have noticeably larger expat strands.
Admissions, Decree 86 and university outcomes
Bilingual school admissions in Hanoi sit outside the Decree 86 quota framework, because bilingual schools are not classified as fully foreign-invested international schools. They retain the right to admit any share of Vietnamese students and most run at 85 to 95 percent Vietnamese enrolment. The admissions calendar runs on the Vietnamese school year, with the main intake in early September and applications opening in February and March. Vinschool runs a rolling admissions calendar across most campuses given the network scale, with year-group capacity as the practical constraint. Cambridge IGCSE and A Level results from Hanoi bilingual schools are accepted by all UK, Australian, Canadian and Singaporean universities. Vietnamese universities including VinUniversity, Foreign Trade University and Hanoi Medical University accept these results alongside the Vietnamese national high school diploma. For sibling-cluster context see our Hanoi British curriculum hub and Hanoi IB hub.
Frequently asked questions
How many bilingual schools are there in Hanoi?
Hanoi has roughly 25 to 30 bilingual schools that deliver 50 to 70 percent of the curriculum in English alongside the Vietnamese national programme. The largest single network is Vinschool, with more than ten Hanoi campuses, followed by Wellspring International, Hanoi Academy, Olympia Schools and Newton Grammar. The segment serves well over 30,000 children.
Are bilingual schools cheaper than international schools in Hanoi?
Yes, materially so. Vinschool fees range from VND 95 million to VND 320 million across stages, roughly USD 3,800 to USD 12,800. Wellspring sits at VND 150 million to VND 380 million. The premium Hanoi international schools such as UNIS Hanoi and BIS Hanoi run at USD 18,000 to USD 35,000, so bilingual schools are typically one third to one half the fee at any given grade.
Do bilingual schools in Hanoi offer Cambridge or IB?
Cambridge International is the dominant overlay across the bilingual cluster. Vinschool runs Cambridge IGCSE at lower secondary and Cambridge A Level in Years 12 and 13. Wellspring delivers Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary and Cambridge IGCSE. A smaller subset of bilingual schools, including Olympia Schools and Hanoi Academy, offer the IB Diploma at sixth form.
Do bilingual schools count under Decree 86?
No. Bilingual schools sit outside the Decree 86 quota framework that applies to fully foreign-invested international schools. They retain the right to admit any share of Vietnamese students and most run at 85 to 95 percent Vietnamese enrolment. This is the legal feature that allows Vinschool to scale across the city without quota constraints.
Are bilingual school qualifications accepted by overseas universities?
Yes. Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge A Level results awarded by Hanoi bilingual schools are accepted by all UK, Australian, Canadian and Singaporean universities through the standard admissions calendars. IB Diploma results from Hanoi Academy and Olympia Schools are accepted by US universities through the College Board recognition framework alongside the wider international admissions pathways.
Where are the main Hanoi bilingual campuses located?
Vinschool campuses anchor Vingroup townships at Times City in Hai Ba Trung, Royal City in Thanh Xuan, Vinhomes Riverside in Long Bien, Vinhomes Smart City in Nam Tu Liem and Vinhomes Ocean Park in Gia Lam. Wellspring sits in Tay Ho. Hanoi Academy is in Ciputra International City in Tay Ho. Olympia Schools is in Cau Giay District.
