French curriculum in Hanoi: one anchor school
Hanoi has a single, fully accredited French curriculum school: Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin, the AEFE-network French international school that serves the entire diplomatic and francophone family base in the Vietnamese capital. The school is named for the Swiss-French physician Alexandre Yersin, who discovered the plague bacillus while working in Indochina in the late 19th century, and is the only school in Hanoi that delivers the full French Ministry of Education programme from maternelle through to terminale and the French baccalaureate. Because there is no second French-medium school in the city, this hub is framed as a practical guide for French and francophone families considering Hanoi, rather than as a ranking of options. Families who want a French language overlay alongside an English or bilingual programme will find a more limited offer in Hanoi than in Ho Chi Minh City. For the wider Hanoi market see our Hanoi city hub and the global French curriculum hub.
Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin in detail
Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin sits on a single campus on the Long Bien side of the Red River, just east of the historic Long Bien bridge, in a purpose-built site opened in 2017 after the school outgrew its earlier Ba Dinh premises. The school is fully homologated by the French Ministry of Education, which means its diplomas, school reports and grade progressions carry the same weight as those of any French state school. It is also a member of the Agence pour l'enseignement francais a l'etranger network, the AEFE, which manages around 580 French international schools worldwide. Class sizes sit at roughly 24 in maternelle and primaire, and around 20 in college and lycee. The school runs the standard French academic calendar from early September to late June, with bac general specialities including mathematics, physics-chemistry, life and earth sciences, and a strong language strand in English and Vietnamese.
AEFE network and CNED options
For families on shorter Hanoi postings who do not want a year-group disruption on repatriation, the AEFE network and the French distance learning agency CNED provide a smoother bridge than for British or American families. Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin accepts in-year transfers from other AEFE schools without recourse to entrance testing, and offers transition support for students arriving from non-French school systems. CNED enrollment, used as a parallel programme alongside Hanoi's English-medium international schools, is a common choice for francophone parents on two to three year postings who want their children to remain on the French curriculum spine without committing to LFAY full-time. Around 60 Hanoi families use CNED in this way each year.
LFAY in Long Bien, or a bilingual route?
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Fees, AEFE bourses and CCPEFP support
Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin runs at roughly EUR 6,800 a year in maternelle, EUR 7,800 across the primaire grades, EUR 9,500 in college and EUR 11,500 in lycee, with capital and entrance fees of around EUR 2,000 at first inscription. In Vietnamese dong terms the range is roughly VND 175 million to VND 295 million, well below the headline international school fees at Concordia Hanoi or BIS Hanoi. Families of French nationality with limited means can apply to the AEFE bourse scolaire system through the French consulate in Hanoi, which offers means-tested fee support of up to 100 percent for eligible families. The CCPEFP, the French enterprise contribution scheme, also funds tuition for many French expatriate families through their employer in Hanoi. For the wider Hanoi fee picture see our Hanoi school fees guide.
Who chooses the French route in Hanoi
The Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin family base mirrors the French and francophone footprint in Hanoi. The largest single cohort is children of French Embassy, AFD development agency, Institut francais and French corporate staff. A second strand is francophone families from Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada, posted to Hanoi by their own governments or by francophone-owned firms. A third, smaller but growing strand is francophone families from former French Indochina and West African heritage backgrounds, including a noticeable Senegalese, Ivorian and Algerian diplomatic and NGO family base. The smallest strand is Vietnamese families who actively choose the French route, often where one parent is French or where the family has lived in Paris. The cohort skews more diplomatic than corporate, more public sector than private.
Where French families live in Hanoi
French and francophone families in Hanoi concentrate strongly in Tay Ho District around West Lake, the diplomatic and expatriate heart of the city. Tay Ho villa stock around West Lake runs USD 2,500 to USD 5,500 a month for a four-bedroom villa, with serviced apartments at USD 1,800 to USD 3,500. The Institut francais sits in Ba Dinh District near the French Embassy, a short drive south, and the cluster of French-facing restaurants on Xuan Dieu road and the Quang An Sunday market anchor French weekend life in the city. Because LFAY is across the Red River in Long Bien, the school operates a school bus network that runs from Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Ciputra International City and the western districts each morning. A smaller French family cluster sits in Vinhomes Riverside in Long Bien itself, anchored directly on the LFAY campus, with villa stock at USD 2,500 to USD 4,500 a month.
Admissions, calendar and university outcomes
LFAY admissions open in February for the following September intake, with priority for French passport holders, AEFE-transferring siblings and CCPEFP-funded enterprise families. Vietnamese law applies the same Decree 86 quota to LFAY as to other foreign-invested international schools in Hanoi, capping Vietnamese students at 50 percent of total enrolment at primary and at 50 percent at lower secondary, though in practice LFAY runs well below this quota because of its francophone-first admissions criteria. The French baccalaureate awarded at LFAY is accepted by all French universities and grandes ecoles preparatory classes through the Parcoursup national admissions platform, by Belgian, Swiss and Canadian universities, and by UK, US and Australian universities through the standard international admissions pathways. For sibling-cluster context see our Hanoi IB hub and Hanoi German curriculum hub.
Frequently asked questions
How many French curriculum schools are there in Hanoi?
Hanoi has one fully accredited French Ministry of Education school: Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin, in Long Bien. It is part of the AEFE network of around 580 French international schools worldwide, and the only French-medium school running maternelle through to the French baccalaureate in the Vietnamese capital.
Is Lycee Francais Alexandre Yersin AEFE accredited?
Yes. LFAY is fully homologated by the French Ministry of Education and is a member of the Agence pour l'enseignement francais a l'etranger, the AEFE. This means its grade reports, progression decisions and baccalaureate carry the same weight as those of any French state school, with smooth transitions back to France.
How much do French schools in Hanoi cost?
LFAY runs at roughly EUR 6,800 a year in maternelle, EUR 7,800 in primaire, EUR 9,500 in college and EUR 11,500 in lycee. In Vietnamese dong terms that is roughly VND 175 million to VND 295 million. Capital fees of around EUR 2,000 fall at first inscription. AEFE bourses scolaires can cover up to 100 percent of tuition for eligible French families.
Can my child attend LFAY if we are not French nationals?
Yes. LFAY admits children of all nationalities, with francophone family background as a positive admissions factor rather than a strict requirement. Vietnamese families and non-francophone expat families with strong French exposure regularly join, particularly at maternelle and CP entry points where language acquisition is fastest.
Can I keep my child on the French curriculum through CNED?
Yes. The French distance learning agency CNED is widely used by Hanoi families on two to three year postings who want their children to remain on the French curriculum spine without committing to LFAY full-time. CNED works alongside enrolment at an English-medium school, with families managing the CNED workload at home in the afternoons and weekends.
Where do French families live in Hanoi?
French and francophone families in Hanoi concentrate in Tay Ho District around West Lake, close to the Institut francais and the French Embassy in Ba Dinh. LFAY operates a school bus network across Tay Ho, Ba Dinh and Ciputra to its Long Bien campus. A smaller cluster of French families lives in Vinhomes Riverside in Long Bien itself.
