Renting a house/aprt in District 2 near International School of HCMC

Hi potomac76 and welcome to Expat.com!

Hope that other members will soon share their experience with you.

Have you tried to post an advert in the section Housing in HCMC? It may help.

Harmonie.

Thanks I will post it in Housing Section but would request inputs from all who have knowledge of the area

I like your phrasing: "I have tentatively secured admission for my children ..." those thieves in the international school business never refuse anyone money is the name of their game.

Look at Craigs List VietNam to get a pricing handle on housing.

If the school you mean is:
International High School
(www.ishcmc.com/)

Tuition Fee's (extras below)
Grade     Annual Fee    Age Grouping
Nursery 1    187,616,520    2-3 years
Nursery 2    232,825,320    4 years
Nursery 3    320,982,480   
Grade 1    320,982,480   
Grade 2    320,982,480   
Grade 3    320,982,480   
Grade 4    339,777,620   
Grade 5    345,596,160   
Grade 6    396,623,500   
Grade 7    390,658,450   
Grade 8    393,484,000   
Grade 9    407,925,700   
Grade 10    412,111,700   
Grade 11    475,445,880   
Grade 12    468,120,380   

Additional Fees   
Reason    Amount (VND)    Notes
Application    20,930,000    Application/Registration, non-refundable
Field trips    Included    Grade 4-12
Laptop/Tablet    Included    Grade 6-12
Text books    Included   
External Exams    Extra    Fees on cost-recovery basis
Annual Development Fee(ADF) Certificates of Entitlement (COE)        Looks like this scHools money raising racket
Annual Development Fee(ADF)/    62,790,000   
Certificates of Entitlement(COE)    313,950,000    Grades 1-10
Transportation    Extra   
Uniforms    Extra   
Srarionery    Extra    Middle and High School
E & O E       

You might be surprised interested to learn it is actually owned by Cognita which is from England and owned by a Venture Capitalist, which explains the fees.

An Phu has a gated community to keep all the locals out only a lot of locals are making enough money to actually live inside the gates.

Given that you can afford the Cognita school you should be OK for renting one of the houses.

Most rental properties come furnished with all mod con's.

Since you will be staying for two years, and usually landlords expect only one year leases, you should do a deal.

The rental agents commission is one months rent. Therefore if you carry over for a second year it means the LL scores a months rent.

Should he try to raise the rent, this can be your bargaining chip to hold the rent.

Note: Electricity, water, telephone, cable, InterNet, garbage pickup are all extra. You will likely get stiffed for management fees, too.

There are also many highrise buildings out there along Highway 1A.

An Phu is about 30 minutes from downtown at rush hours along a toll road.

Jaitch wrote:

I like your phrasing: "I have tentatively secured admission for my children ..." those thieves in the international school business never refuse anyone money is the name of their game.

Look at Craigs List VietNam to get a handle on housing.

If the school you mean is:
International School Ho Chi Minh City American Academy
(www.aavn.edu.vn/)

Tuition Fee's (extras below)
Grade     Annual Fee    Notes
Grade 6    275,000,000   
Grade 7    275,000,000   
Grade 8    275,000,000   
Grade 9    308,000,000   
Grade 10    308,000,000   
Grade 11    330,000,000   
Grade 12    330,000,000   
________________________    ___________    ______________________________________________

Additional Fees
Reason    Amount (VND)    Notes
Testing Fee    3,300,000    Grades 1-5, non-refundable
Testing Fee    5,500,000    Grades 6-12, non-refundable
Admission Fee    44,000,000    Non-refundable
Health insurance,    Extra   
Food    Extra   
Uniforms    Extra   
Laptops    Extra   
Consumable materials    Extra   
Field trips    Extra   
E & O E

You might be surprised interested to learn it is actually owned by Cognita which is from England and owned by a Venture Capitalist, which explains the fees.

An Phu has a gated community to keep all the locals out only a lot of locals are making enough money to actually live inside the gates.

Given that you can afford the Cognita school you should be OK for renting one of the houses.

Most rental properties come furnished with all mod con's.

Since you will be staying for two years, and usually landlords expect only one year leases, you should do a deal.

The rental agents commission is one months rent. Therefore if you carry over for a second year it means the LL scores a months rent.

Should he try to raise the rent, this can be your bargaining chip to hold the rent.

Note: Electricity, water, telephone, cable, InterNet, garbage pickup are all extra. You will likely get stiffed for management fees, too.

There are also many highrise buildings out there along Highway 1A.

An Phu is about 30 minutes from downtown at rush hours along a toll road.

For such kind of money, I hire better 2 private teachers.

There are many other international schools near or around An Phu. Here is another one
http://www.acgedu.com/vn

This one lies next to the East West Highway.

Anyway, with this kind of budget, you should have plenty of choice. It is not appropriate for us to put names of agents here. However, there should not be shortage of them falling all over you once you have put an ad.

Most of the high end apartment complexes reside in this area. They have all the required amenities: 24 hrs securities, swimming pools, even tennis courts and restaurants,.. I would advise you to drive around the area. It is not that big and the high end apartments are easy to spot. Just drive in and ask for an inspection. Many would allow you to do so, since they are still selling the apartments. Once you find the place you like, then finding an agent for those are not difficult: just ask those at the reception or search the web.

l3ully wrote:

For such kind of money, I hire better 2 private teachers.

For that sort of money he could a different teacher for every subject!

The extras alone would pay for a teacher and with TWO kids this would pay for everything and have nearly $40,000 free and clear.

I  fact he could buy a house and make it into a school and then get students to join them and then he can make real money.

Only  I can say to, if that is the price of education, I am not surprised about the common lack of it

As readers of previous postings about this may know, I am no fan of international schools, particularly in their treatment to less-than-bright students.

Having said so, it must be also said that their fees are not extraordinary. 20KUSD is the standard fee for international schools in many countries I have seen.

For real proper schools (and there are not a lot of them, unfortunately), they hire highly-qualified teachers who have options to teach in other international schools in other countries, thus must be paid competitively. They teach in small classes thus cannot spread the cost over too many students.

Anatta wrote:

... Having said so, it must be also said that their fees are not extraordinary. 20KUSD is the standard fee for international schools in many countries I have seen....

A lot of the commercial,for-large-profit, schools adjust their prices to what companies allow their employees for education.

In VietNam the big gold rush occurred around 3004 when a bunch of investors unfortunately all read the same cup of tea leaves and invested in substantial construction investment, oonurrently.

The Venture Capitalist who funded Cognita started in the UK where it assumed public school property and controversy followed.

It then started setting up regional world subsidiaries, the one covering VietNam is based in Singapore. To date they have bought three or four schools in VietNam.

The one the OP is looking at is typical of the new school. $150-350 for an admission test; $2,000 admission fee. How do they justify these amounts?

And these are only the beginning.

Only international schools can get away with this, domestic private schools can't in the UK or Canada.

Another Cogneta school, the SaiGon Pearl only has 100 students, which can't carry the overhead.

Then there's accreditation. Some are well recognised, such as Cambridge and Oxford, but others are simply associations that schools join, pay the membership fee and proclaim great things.

Guys - many thanks for your inputs. Actually the thread started by me was to request everyone to give their inputs on housing options near the International School of HCMC. Their website is ishcmc.com. Because of our true feelings towrads international schools, the discussion has diverted towards international schools. Frankly, I am also no great fan of them but my company pays for my children's education and this is one of the schools selected by them. Thats the reason i am looking for a suitable accommodation near to it. I would myself prefer a gated 3 bedroom apartment with basic amenities. Can you all spare a second a visit the school's website. Theres a map indicating its location and then advise on suitable houses/apartments near to it and their approximate monthly rental. Would greatly appreciate all your help.

Hello potomac76,

Even if you are in hurry and like to get things sorted, don't rush on housing. There is plentiful, for each taste and wallet available. Housing is dodgy issue and commonly a dodgy business. promises, nice pictures and of the end of the day, you will be pissed of,  falling for a false recommendation and experience it everyday, when you come home and need a break.

Stay in a hotel near, where you want to life and look at those properties interesting to you.

Keep an eye:
- length of lease
- cancellation, who can and when
- deposit is secured (you might want it back one day)
- water - here in Vietnam it's often not only coming from the tap
- utilities - you pay them to the supplier or landlord
- look at the houses in outside - there are often watermarks, this gives you a good identification, if you need a boat or bike to bring your kid to school
- the security can be woken up after 8pm?
- parking, does it get flooded? is it accessible in/out after 8pm?
- repairs, who does what, what are you permitted/obliged to change/repair
- security - the guy at the door might receive a second income on commission  from stolen goods - who is having a key, doors, windows, balcony is surely secured?

The times can be vary, so replace them with YOUR times. As soon you are renting here, you are not a customer or a tenant of landlord, but more likely a person, who is obliged to pay him (THIS A TENANTS JOB)

As for crime, you not really need to worry, serious crimes against foreigners are pretty rare, small crimes against foreigners, very common, which can be reduced with a lot of common sense

Xi Riverview Palace, The Vista, River Garden are around that area.
Estella is also new but further away.

Look, as I mentioned, go there and look around.
Since it sounds like you are on an expat package, it is not uncommon that the company pays to put you in a hotel for the first few months as well as relocation expense and housing expense, so it is not like you have to find a house tomorrow out of your own pocket, so take your time to find what you want.

l3ully wrote:

- water - here in Vietnam it's often not only coming from the tap
...

The water in TP HCM, delivered from the pipe, is safe to drink. I have drunk it for 20 years and never suffered illness.

l3ully lives in Nha Trang. 'Nuff said.

l3ully wrote:

As for crime, you not really need to worry, serious crimes against foreigners are pretty rare, small crimes against foreigners, very common, which can be reduced with a lot of common sense

Less than 2 months ago a Foreigner was robbed of his motorcycle, beaten up, suffered numerous broken bones, cuts and gashes.

He was given a free stay in hospital by the city.

Happened near Lotte Mart in Quan 7.

You should always be aware of your situation at all times.

(Try the beaches in Nha Trang after dark!)

Jaitch wrote:

l3ully wrote:

- water - here in Vietnam it's often not only coming from the tap
...

The water in TP HCM, delivered from the pipe, is safe to drink. I have drunk it for 20 years and never suffered illness.

l3ully lives in Nha Trang. 'Nuff said.

l3ully wrote:

As for crime, you not really need to worry, serious crimes against foreigners are pretty rare, small crimes against foreigners, very common, which can be reduced with a lot of common sense

Less than 2 months ago a Foreigner was robbed of his motorcycle, beaten up, suffered numerous broken bones, cuts and gashes.

He was given a free stay in hospital by the city.

Happened near Lotte Mart in Quan 7.

You should always be aware of your situation at all times.

(Try the beaches in Nha Trang after dark!)

Have no issue with that. Found quite often a pair of sh...y shorts/knickers after the dogs did have a bit fun. It's actually interesting to see, how fast they can run. As i currently only have 3, soon will be a couple more ....

As for the water - try to read/understand once more. It's not about the tap water, which is flooding frequently parts of the city, neither it's the bottles mineral water. It is about ........?

A single bet up to a foreigner (within the last 2 month) you mention, is not really that , what I understand under serious and frequently, despite, it's not that, what most foreigner want to experience. Especially with a commonly observed fairness level of 50+ against one laying half dead on the floor.
I am sure about, but I would bet, chances for Nha Trang a bigger.

Such cases always will happen than and when and I think, they are on the rise, but might be unknowingly  provoked

TP HCM Health has shut down so many murky ice and dubious water plants in the last two years the selves look almost bare.

When I was in Hoi An recently I saw a night shift in a store front operation filling up water bottles from a tap fed from the water mains via a filter. It was called 'spring water'!

The problem is you can get empty bottles, new and recycled, complete with new self-sealing lids and very professional looking heat-shrink labels from all over.

Can't beat the Chinese system, boil the water and keep it in the fridge.

Water systems in most VN cities have very, very low pressure which allows external water to enter the drinking water system.

I was in Hue not long ago when the restaurant I was eating in lost it's water. When we found it I could stick my fat finger in the pipe and stop the water flow (to prevent the meter clocking too fast).

Try that in many countries - Toronto water runs at over 100PSI!

Hello,

Just to remind you that the title of this thread is : "Renting a house/Aprt in District 2 near International School of HCMC"

Thank you.

[Moderated: No free ad on the forum]

Hello,

Just asking if you are please. Are you from Woodbridge, VA, US?