French education in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City has a single full French Ministry of Education curriculum school, Lycee Francais International Marguerite Duras, plus a small number of bilingual and international schools where French is offered as a curriculum language. This is genuinely a one school market for families seeking the homologue programme du Ministere de l'Education Nationale, although it is a well established and well funded one. Around 1,200 children in the city follow a partially or fully French language pathway, the great majority of them at Marguerite Duras and a smaller number at the European International School where French is a teaching language alongside English.
Three things shape the French education landscape in Ho Chi Minh City. The first is the AEFE network, the agency for French education abroad, which homologates Marguerite Duras and underwrites its curriculum standards. The second is the long standing French presence in Vietnam, with around 8,000 French nationals registered in the consular district and a noticeably larger informal Francophone community including French Vietnamese dual nationals, Belgian, Swiss and Quebecois families. The third is the relative concentration in District 2 and District 7, where the cluster of long term Francophone businesses, restaurants and the French consulate creates a real community for families on assignment.
Lycee Francais International Marguerite Duras
Lycee Francais International Marguerite Duras (LFI Duras) in District 2 is the only full Ministry curriculum French school in southern Vietnam and the anchor of the French education system in Ho Chi Minh City. The school was founded in 1973, took its current name in 2008, and moved to a purpose built campus in Thu Thiem in 2017. Around 1,100 students from maternelle through to terminale follow the standard French curriculum, sitting the brevet at the end of college and the baccalaureat in three streams at the end of lycee.
The school is part of the AEFE network and the Mission Laique Francaise, which means qualifications transfer cleanly to French universities and to other AEFE schools globally. Recent baccalaureat results have placed Marguerite Duras consistently above the French national mention rate, with around 75 per cent of candidates earning a mention bien or mention tres bien. The school maintains an English language stream from primary onwards and offers the OIB british option at lycee, allowing strong bilingual leavers to apply to UK and US universities alongside French ones.
Not sure which school is the right fit?
Take our 5 minute school finder quiz. We shortlist three schools based on your child's age, your budget, and your timeline. Free, no obligation.
Alternative options with French in the curriculum
For families who want Francophone education without committing to the full French Ministry programme, two alternative options operate in Ho Chi Minh City. The European International School Ho Chi Minh City in Thao Dien runs the IB Primary Years and IB Diploma with French taught as a curriculum language alongside English and Spanish. EIS has a roughly 30 per cent Francophone student body and offers French ab initio and French B in the IB Diploma. Tuition is around USD 20,000 to 32,000 a year.
A second option is the small group of bilingual Vietnamese French schools, most notably the Marie Curie School system, which delivers a Vietnamese curriculum with intensive French language teaching. These are local schools rather than international ones, and are unrestricted for Vietnamese citizens, which makes them the natural choice for French Vietnamese dual national families. They sit at a much lower fee point, typically USD 4,000 to 8,000 a year, and lead to Vietnamese senior school qualifications rather than the baccalaureat. Our best international schools in Ho Chi Minh City guide places EIS in the wider context, and the French curriculum overview explains how the AEFE network operates globally.
Fees and the all in cost
French education in Ho Chi Minh City sits at a markedly different fee level depending on the school. Lycee Francais International Marguerite Duras charges around EUR 8,500 to 12,500 a year, with AEFE bourse scholarships available for French national families on lower incomes and a separate Mission Laique Francaise bursary for non French Francophone families who meet means tested criteria. The European International School, which is part of the Cognita group, sits at international school price points of around USD 20,000 to 32,000 a year. The Marie Curie bilingual Vietnamese French stream is materially cheaper at USD 4,000 to 8,000 a year.
On top of tuition at Marguerite Duras, expect a one off enrolment fee of around EUR 1,200, an annual association familiale fee of EUR 250, optional transport of EUR 1,500 to 2,200 a year, optional canteen of EUR 1,000 to 1,400 a year, and the brevet and baccalaureat exam fees which are largely absorbed by the AEFE. Our international school fees in Ho Chi Minh City guide compares the all in cost across all curricula, and the cost calculator includes school fees in a full relocation budget.
Admissions and where French families live
The French school year at Marguerite Duras runs from late August to early June, broadly aligned with the metropolitan French calendar but with local adjustments for Lunar New Year. Applications open in November for the following August, with first decisions in March. Sibling priority applies, as does priority for French national families relocating on diplomatic or educational missions, and there is a waiting list for non priority families at the most popular maternelle and college years. Mid year transfers are possible at college and lycee for AEFE network children moving from other French schools.
French families in Ho Chi Minh City live primarily in Thao Dien and An Phu in District 2 and in the central Districts 1 and 3 around the consulate and the older Francophone restaurant and business cluster. A smaller community lives in Phu My Hung in District 7, primarily families whose work is in the southern industrial zones. Our sibling hubs cover the British, German and bilingual schools markets, and the broader Ho Chi Minh City city hub covers housing, cost of living and visas for incoming families.
Frequently asked questions
How many French schools are there in Ho Chi Minh City?
One school delivers the full French Ministry of Education curriculum: Lycee Francais International Marguerite Duras in District 2, part of the AEFE network. A second school, the European International School, offers French as a curriculum language alongside English in the IB programme. Bilingual Vietnamese French schools such as Marie Curie operate at lower fee points.
Is Lycee Francais Marguerite Duras part of the AEFE network?
Yes. Marguerite Duras is homologated by the French Ministry of Education through the AEFE network. Curriculum standards, teacher qualifications and grade transfers are managed by the AEFE, which means students can move cleanly between Marguerite Duras and the 580 plus other AEFE schools worldwide.
How much does French schooling cost in Ho Chi Minh City?
Marguerite Duras charges around EUR 8,500 to 12,500 a year in tuition, with AEFE bourse scholarships for eligible French families. The European International School sits at international school price points of around USD 20,000 to 32,000 a year. Bilingual Vietnamese French local schools cost USD 4,000 to 8,000 a year.
What baccalaureat results does Marguerite Duras produce?
Recent baccalaureat cohorts at Marguerite Duras have placed consistently above the French national mention rate, with around 75 per cent of candidates earning mention bien or mention tres bien. Around 35 per cent of leavers progress to French universities, with significant cohorts also going to UK, US and Canadian universities.
Can Vietnamese citizens attend Marguerite Duras?
Yes, with documentation. Marguerite Duras accepts Vietnamese national students subject to the published Vietnamese government quota for foreign curriculum schools. Bilingual Vietnamese French schools such as Marie Curie are unrestricted for Vietnamese citizens and are often the natural choice for French Vietnamese dual national families.
