Start looking for international schools in Ho Chi Minh City and the first thing that hits you is the sheer spread in fees. Options run from bilingual schools at around USD 6,000 a year to flagship campuses closing in on USD 38,000. Dozens of schools, five or six different curricula, and one nagging question: “I want an English-medium education for my child, but can we really sustain these fees year after year?” If that is you, you are far from alone. This guide walks through seven real international schools in Ho Chi Minh City, with fee ranges, curricula, and neighborhoods laid out honestly, and then looks at an “eighth option” for families for whom cost or commute has become the wall.
International schools in Ho Chi Minh City: the landscape and fees
Ho Chi Minh City is home to dozens of international schools serving expatriate families, mixed-nationality households, and education-focused local families. Most cluster in two areas: District 2 (Thu Thiem, Thao Dien, An Phu, now part of Thu Duc City) and District 7 (Phu My Hung). Within those neighborhoods you will find British, American, IB (International Baccalaureate), Australian, and Cambridge-based schools side by side.
Fees vary enormously. Bilingual schools run roughly USD 6,000 to 15,000 a year, while full English-medium international schools run roughly USD 11,000 to 38,000 a year. According to local reporting, for the 2026-27 year the top tuition climbed to about USD 38,000 (nearly VND 1 billion) per year, with most schools raising fees 3 to 6 percent (source: VnExpress International, 2026). The very highest fees belong to the flagship names such as BIS and ISHCMC. Remember, too, that the real first-year cost typically runs 20 to 30 percent above headline tuition once you add application, registration, deposit, and development fees. For a fuller picture, see our breakdown of international school tuition costs.
7 best international schools in Ho Chi Minh City
Below are seven schools chosen to balance curriculum and price. Fees are ranges based on publicly available information as of July 2026; USD figures are converted from published VND schedules. Always confirm availability, admission requirements, and any fee increases directly with each school.
1. British International School HCMC (BIS HCMC)
A flagship British school in the Nord Anglia family, serving children from early years to age 18 (Year 13). It delivers the English National Curriculum, with the IB Diploma (IBDP) in the final two years. One of the city’s highest-fee schools, widely regarded for teaching quality and facilities.
- Curriculum: British + IBDP
- Ages: 2-18
- Approx. fees: about USD 12,700-38,000/year (VND 333M-999.3M, 2026-27, official)
- Area: An Phu, District 2 (plus other campuses)
- Good fit for: families wanting a top-tier British pathway with strong university outcomes. Official site
2. International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC)
One of the city’s longest-established international schools and one of the few full IB Continuum schools (PYP, MYP, DP) from early years to Grade 12. Known for inquiry-led, student-centered learning, with fees in the top bracket alongside BIS.
- Curriculum: Full IB (PYP / MYP / DP)
- Ages: 2-18
- Approx. fees: about USD 11,000-37,500/year (VND 287M-987M, 2026-27, official)
- Area: Thao Dien / An Phu, District 2
- Good fit for: families who want a continuous IB pathway that nurtures curiosity. Official site
3. Saigon South International School (SSIS)
An American-curriculum, not-for-profit school in Phu My Hung, District 7. Known as the city’s only not-for-profit preK-12 school, it pairs American standards with Advanced Placement (AP) and an inquiry-driven approach.
- Curriculum: American + AP
- Ages: 3-18 (PreK-Grade 12)
- Approx. fees: about USD 18,200-33,500/year (VND 479M-882M, 2025-26, official)
- Area: Phu My Hung, District 7
- Good fit for: families targeting US universities who value a calm, not-for-profit setting. Official site
4. Australian International School (AIS Saigon)
An Australian-heritage school with campuses in the new Thu Thiem urban area and Thao Dien. Its flexible pathway begins with IB PYP, moves to Cambridge IGCSE in the middle years, and returns to the IB Diploma in the senior years.
- Curriculum: IB PYP + Cambridge IGCSE + IBDP
- Ages: 1.5-18
- Approx. fees: about USD 10,800-34,000+/year (VND 285M-900M+, 2026-27, official)
- Area: Thu Thiem / Thao Dien, District 2
- Good fit for: families wanting a single school from toddler to graduation with flexible qualifications. Official site
5. European International School HCMC (EIS)
A boutique IB school with a leafy garden campus in Thao Dien. It offers the full IB (PYP, MYP, DP) from age 2 to 18 in a small, close-knit setting, with a top fee that sits below the largest flagship schools.
- Curriculum: Full IB (PYP / MYP / DP)
- Ages: 2-18
- Approx. fees: about USD 10,400-29,300/year (VND 274.7M-771.6M, 2025-26, official)
- Area: Thao Dien, District 2
- Good fit for: families wanting a small, warm IB environment at a comparatively moderate fee. Official site
6. Renaissance International School Saigon
A British-curriculum school in District 7 that emphasizes small classes and personalized teaching, combining the English curriculum with the IB Diploma in the final years. Sibling discounts help support families enrolling more than one child.
- Curriculum: British + IBDP
- Ages: 2-18
- Approx. fees: about USD 7,700-32,500/year (VND 202M-856M, 2026-27, official)
- Area: District 7
- Good fit for: families wanting a British pathway in a small, attentive setting. Official site
7. Vietnam Australia International School (VAS)
A Vietnamese-Australian bilingual school with several campuses across the city. It integrates the Cambridge International Programme with Vietnam’s national curriculum, developing both English and the mother tongue. It is the most affordable of these seven and popular with local and mixed-nationality families.
- Curriculum: Cambridge + Vietnamese (bilingual)
- Ages: Kindergarten-Grade 12
- Approx. fees: about USD 6,000-22,000/year (VND 155M-585M, 2026-27, published)
- Area: Multiple campuses citywide
- Good fit for: families wanting to keep fees down while balancing English and the mother tongue. Fee information
Note: fees above reflect publicly available information as of July 2026. Please confirm the latest figures on each school’s official website.
Comparing your options: how to find the right fit
Line the seven schools up and one thing becomes clear: there is no single “best” school, only the best fit for your family’s priorities. Five lenses tend to matter most: affordability, ease of admission, commute burden, connection to the wider world, and support for the mother tongue. The chart below compares large flagship schools, mid-size and newer schools, and online international schools on those same lenses.
The popular District 2 and District 7 areas offer great living, but the flagship schools often have waiting lists, and applying 6 to 12 months ahead is the norm. Traffic and the daily drop-off are real factors in choosing a neighborhood, too. If “connection to the world” is your top priority, the large flagship schools are strong; if “cost” and “mother-tongue support” matter more, your shortlist shifts considerably. If the fees feel too heavy for your household, our piece on what to do when international school feels too expensive may help. First, See how learning works online →
It also helps to know the regional picture. Comparing Ho Chi Minh City with international schools in Bangkok and international schools in Singapore puts its price range and character into sharper relief.
When fees or commuting are the wall: online as an eighth option
After reading through these seven schools, some families will think: “They all look wonderful, but none of them are within our reach.” Many of the high-fee international schools in Ho Chi Minh City are built around expatriate families whose fees are covered by an employer. For local and self-funding families, USD 38,000 a year is simply not realistic, and the result is a group of families effectively priced out of an international education.
That is where an eighth option comes in: NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA). NGA is an online international school operated by NIJIN Inc. in Japan, scheduled to open in September 2027. Its sister alternative school in Japan, NIJIN Academy, already enrolls more than 1,000 students. NGA is built on moving beyond ranking children by test scores, on small-group dialogue-centered learning, and on a simple philosophy: to help children come to love themselves and the world.
It is for children aged 6 to 18 across Asia and Oceania, wherever they live, and it aims to cost about one-fifth of a bricks-and-mortar international school. Because it is designed to build on the support of a child’s first language while easing gradually into English, it can meet children for whom “full English from day one” feels daunting. In fairness, NGA has not opened yet, so its track record is still to come, and an online school cannot offer exactly the same campus, playground, and facilities experience as an in-person school. Even so, for families where cost or commute has been the wall, we believe it can be a realistic option that simply did not exist before.
Frequently asked questions
Q. From what age can my child enroll?
A. Most international schools in Ho Chi Minh City accept children from around 1.5 to 2 years old in early years (AIS from 1.5). NGA is for ages 6 to 18, so an early-years local school followed by online from school age is a workable combination.
Q. Is there mother-tongue or Japanese support?
A. Most in-person international schools are English-only, with limited first-language support. NGA is designed to build on a child’s first language while introducing English gradually, making the first step easier for children who are still gaining confidence in English.
Q. When can my child transfer in?
A. In-person schools generally start the year in September, though some accept mid-term entry when places are available. Popular schools tend to have waiting lists, so applying 6 to 12 months ahead is safer. As an online school, NGA lets learning continue regardless of a change in where you live.
Don’t let “can we get there” be the reason you give up
Choosing a school can turn into a fight against constraints, budget, location, availability. Yet what matters most is whether your child finds a place where they can come to love themselves and the world. Ho Chi Minh City has many wonderful international schools, and if one of them fits your family, that is the best outcome of all. And if cost or commuting has been the wall, it helps simply to know that an online path exists too. At your own and your child’s pace, choose a first step you won’t regret.
