International schools in Ho Chi Minh, 2026

The HCMC school landscape

Ho Chi Minh City's international school market grew up in three waves. The first wave, in the late 1990s, brought the International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), Saigon South International School (SSIS), and the British International School (BIS Vietnam). These three remain the established tier-one names. The second wave, from around 2005, added the European International School (EIS), the Australian International School (AIS Vietnam) and the Singapore International School (SIS). The third wave, from 2015 onward, has been characterised by Vietnamese-run bilingual schools at lower fee tiers, often with foreign curriculum imports.

The total inventory in HCMC is around 35 schools teaching foreign curricula, plus a much larger market of Vietnamese national schools and bilingual private campuses. For expat families, the natural shortlist sits at six or seven schools. For Vietnamese families looking for an English-medium education, the bilingual middle market has expanded dramatically and offers strong academic outcomes at a fraction of the tier-one cost.

Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training licenses all private schools but does not publish inspection ratings. Quality varies. The tier-one schools hold international accreditation (CIS, WASC) and IB or Cambridge authorisations, which is the practical proxy for inspection rigour. Lower-tier schools should be evaluated on faculty stability, accreditation status and parent reviews rather than on government oversight.

The tier-one international schools

British International School Vietnam (BIS HCMC) is part of the Nord Anglia network and operates three campuses in HCMC: an early years campus, a primary campus and a secondary campus. The school follows the English National Curriculum to IGCSE and the IB Diploma in sixth form. BIS is the largest single international school in Vietnam by enrolment, with strong infrastructure, broad subject choice, and consistent IB Diploma averages above 35 points.

Saigon South International School (SSIS) follows the American curriculum to high school diploma, with AP options in senior years and IB Diploma also available. SSIS is in District 7 (Phu My Hung) and has been the default American-curriculum school in the city since 1997. The school is accredited by WASC and consistently places students at strong US universities.

International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), founded in 1993, is the oldest international school in the city. ISHCMC runs the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) and has authorisation for the IB Career-related Programme as well. The school sits across two campuses in An Phu (District 2) and is the natural choice for committed IB families. ISHCMC consistently produces IB Diploma scores above 35 points and has the longest accreditation history in Vietnam (CIS, NEASC, IB).

The mid-tier and bilingual options

European International School (EIS) teaches the IB continuum with a European faculty bias, in District 2. Australian International School (AIS Vietnam) follows the New South Wales curriculum alongside the IB Diploma, in Thao Dien. Singapore International School (SIS Vietnam) teaches a Singapore-influenced curriculum with strong maths and science outcomes, and has multiple campuses across the city. Renaissance International School Saigon follows the English National Curriculum and IB Diploma, primarily for European and East Asian families.

The bilingual private sector has grown substantially in the past decade. Vinschool (the Vingroup-backed network) operates multiple HCMC campuses with a blend of Vietnamese national curriculum and English-medium foreign curriculum, including Cambridge IGCSE and A Level pathways. British Vietnamese International School (BVIS) is the sister bilingual school to BIS, with the same Nord Anglia backing but a more Vietnamese-cohort focus. The American School Vietnam (TAS) is the American equivalent.

Curricula in practice

The IB Diploma is the most common senior qualification in HCMC's tier-one schools. ISHCMC, BIS, AIS Vietnam, EIS, and Renaissance all offer the IB Diploma. SSIS and TAS offer the US high school diploma with AP, alongside the IB Diploma at SSIS. Cambridge IGCSE and A Level are offered at Vinschool, BVIS, and several smaller bilingual schools. For families wanting curriculum continuity from UK postings, BIS and Renaissance are the cleanest defaults. For US postings, SSIS is the natural choice. For onward portability across regions, ISHCMC's pure IB pathway is the strongest fit.

For Vietnamese-curriculum routes, the city has a number of high-performing public schools (notably the high schools attached to Vietnam National University) and a strong national gifted school network. For expat children, the public route is rarely chosen because of the language of instruction (Vietnamese) and the curriculum's focus on Vietnamese national history and civics.

Fees at a glance

HCMC fees are denominated in USD or VND, with most international schools quoting USD as the headline figure. The 2026 to 2027 senior school tuition table below shows the published tuition. Add 8 to 12 per cent for transport, lunch, capital levies and trips for an honest all-in budget.

Districts that match these schools

HCMC's expat residential pattern clusters around three districts, each with a clear school catchment.

• District 2 (Thao Dien and An Phu): ISHCMC, BIS, AIS, EIS reach. The default Western expat district, leafy, large-villa stock.
• District 7 (Phu My Hung): SSIS, Renaissance, TAS. Master-planned new town, popular with Korean and Japanese families.
• District 1 (city centre): BIS Saigon Pearl, Vinschool Central Park. More urban, condo living, schools by bus.
• District 9 (Thu Duc East): Newer suburb with growing school presence, good housing value.

For most expat families the decision is straightforward: District 2 if you want the British or IB cluster, District 7 if you want the American school or a more contained master-planned neighbourhood. Read our best areas to live in Ho Chi Minh City for the residential view.

Admissions reality

HCMC's tier-one schools run a January-to-April admissions cycle for August entry. Applications include school reports, teacher references and a short admissions assessment for older year groups. ISHCMC, BIS and SSIS are oversubscribed at primary and lower-secondary entry, with sibling priority honoured. For mid-year arrivals (a common scenario given the corporate posting cycle to Vietnam), tier-one schools have rolling availability outside the popular years. The mid-tier and bilingual schools generally have year-round availability.

For families on the Cambridge curriculum at Vinschool or BVIS, the admissions pattern is more accessible than the tier-one schools, with rolling intake throughout the year. The trade-off is the bilingual cohort, which is mainly Vietnamese national.

Five things to know before you commit

First, the gap between tier-one and mid-tier in HCMC is real. The published fee difference reflects faculty quality, infrastructure, IB accreditation depth and university outcomes. If your budget allows tier-one, the academic ceiling difference matters. Second, the bilingual private schools have improved dramatically in the past decade and now offer credible Cambridge IGCSE and A Level pathways at materially lower cost. For families with a Vietnamese-dominant household, these are increasingly the right answer. Third, traffic in HCMC affects the school decision. A school in the wrong district can mean a 90-minute commute each way; commute time, not headline academic quality, often decides between BIS and SSIS for District 2 families. Fourth, Vietnamese national children at international schools must take the Vietnamese national curriculum subjects (Vietnamese language, history, civics) as required by the Ministry, which the school handles in parallel. Fifth, the upper-secondary cohort sizes at IB Diploma schools are relatively small (40 to 80 candidates per year), which constrains subject choice in some less common subjects.

Related guides

• Best IB schools in Ho Chi Minh City
• Best areas to live in Ho Chi Minh City
• Best international schools in Hanoi