My opinions on international schools in Ho Chi Minh at the moment

Thanks Anonxx for doing the research, compiling, and sharing.  It's very useful and informative.  Appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you. As a future teacher of ESL in Vietnam, this is very informative. I appreciate all of your research and insights.

No problems if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me! cheers. 

abonnema wrote:

Are there any english speaking primary school options that are more affordable than the ones you listed? What are the public schools like? are there any that cater to english speakers? Is home schooling my best option?

I read recently that public schools are not available to foreigners.  I have no verification of this but it seems plausible.  Of course if they were available, your boys would have to learn Vietnamese pretty quick but that is certainly possible at their age. 

Also I don't know about elementary level but middle and high schools in Vietnam are definitely ability tracked based on standardized testing.  There is a substantial quality difference from top to bottom.

Unless you are a VNese citizen you can not attend public school here. And the question is why would you want to. They do not teach during the regular school day, but will offer to be your tutor at night to learn the subject matter they were to teach you during the day. Another twist on the coffee fund form of government salary.
Having home schooled my children, in my opinion it is a no brainer. If you want them to get a quality education and not just someone to babysit during the day home school is the BEST.

Moreover the 15-25k you mention for the ripoff private schools is a waste of money in my opinion. These were founded on the basis of them having a captive audience that has no alternative for their children. Seeing that they need to recruit workers from outside the country to do many tasks, coupled with the fact those they employe can not send their children to public school, the private schools were born. The teacher continuity is terrible and the fees way out of line with the quality of the education provided. You can pay for home schooling for a fraction of the cost. Mind you home schooling takes far less hours out of your day to do than any other form of education. My children spent about 3 hours per day, and could matriculate to any university in America.

My son attends SSIS and I highly recommend it to anyone who can (comfortably) afford it. Excellent facilities, small class sizes, qualified teachers, with a range of extra of extracurricular activities.

The students begin taking computer science classes at grade 4 but my little guy won't be in Vietnam for that long.

So called "international school" have change over the years. Initially, "international schools" were for diplomats' children, and for children of foreigners who worked for large foreign companies like CokeCola as an example. So the government would allow a private school soley for these children, but they were to have no local students. That is to say only foreign passport holders from that country.  The curriculum and teachers were from the same country and taught in the language of that country. 
In the last 25 years, "international schools" have taken more and more local students, and here in VN, most of the schools listed in this article are 90% or more local students; this even though the current law in VN is that a foreign private school can have no more the 10% local students for elementary school and no more that 20% local high school students. The market is to the elete, wealth families because they can afford the high tuition fees.  Is it worth sending a local student to these schools? Parents may want their children to speak English by foreign teachers, or parents may think that graduating from one of these high priced educational institutions, may give them the edge to get their child accepted by e.g. an American University.  The reality is the the U.S. Counselate doesn't care whether the applicant graduated from an "international school" or local school.  Parents would do much better not spending the $20 to $30 a years to send their child to an international school, but rather save that money for their child's university years.

Interesting insight to the original intent. I do think there is some merit to getting an English oriented facilities education. But solely for the purpose of passing the exam required of a foreign student. But I think the general discussion here is for tge exoat child's education. They can matriculate to , say,  an American university with no more problems than a student who attended school in the USA his entire childhood. However, the fact remains that a primary education here in a private school or in a US school is far more inferior than a home schooled child.

Diazo wrote:

Unless you are a VNese citizen you can not attend public school here.

That's not correct!
Non-Vietnamese students too can attend VN public schools, provided they have a satisfactory command of Vietnamese language for the relevant training level or curriculum. . Their education must be entirely self-financed.

I know at least two non-Viet families residing in Vietnam for a very long time whose kids (with foreign nationality) went to VN public schools.

VN Law and Legal Forum
alternate link:
Vietnamnet.vn

Excellent information
So thanks
Regards Chris

Great news. But who could meet the bar to entry. And why would anyone on earth PAY to get a Vietnamese primary education. Then they must have their child pay coffee money to a tutor to actually get taught after school hours.
But I had always been told here that it was not possible, of course, not possible is always possible here. Not sure if it is above board. But if it blows your skirt up enroll them. I imagine the coffee money fee is pretty high.
Good news for those who desire such a thing.

My daughter, born in Vietnam, attended kindergarten and primary schools for five years in VN. Yes, she speaks absolutely fluent Vietnamese.  VN schooling concentrates on maths, science, and VN language culture and history; and NOTHING ELSE. So now we are back in Oz, where my daughter loves school, speaks fluent Oz after only 18 months, and declares that she will never live in VN again. Not bad for a nine year old.

You left NT. I thought you were still here. Good luck.
Did you know Randy? He moved back to the US , gosh, I guess 3 years ago or so. Soon after they had the baby.

Diazo - No, sorry, I don't know Randy. Choosing to live outside NT restricted my interaction with expats.  I preferred to live a semi-rural life.

My ex was from your home city. I just realized that. Well enjoy.

Thanks for the info.  Does anyone have a good recommendation for a good home school program? Specific for a 8th grader and 9th grade?

I am not sure about public schools, but as mentioned by someone, it may be true that foreigners can attend them. I taught several American students at the Asian School here in Saigon.

Not bad for her? Learning English in 18 months or deciding not to return to VN? I assume both are good for her.

All this information is useful. Have our 6 year old attending VinSchool and am monitoring is closely. Not sure how long we will stay in Vietnam but the quality of his education will play into it.

Thanks to All

I have used A.C.E. For my 5. It is a great program

Diazo wrote:

Unless you are a VNese citizen you can not attend public school here. And the question is why would you want to. They do not teach during the regular school day, but will offer to be your tutor at night to learn the subject matter they were to teach you during the day. Another twist on the coffee fund form of government salary.
Having home schooled my children, in my opinion it is a no brainer. If you want them to get a quality education and not just someone to babysit during the day home school is the BEST.

Hello, may I ask why you send your children to international schools? I search on google map. There are many choices. As from their websites, I think the courses are proper. I just planned to visit some.

Be frank, the mentioned international schools are well branded but expensive.

Dr.Charles wrote:

So called "international school" have change over the years. Initially, "international schools" were for diplomats' children, and for children of foreigners who worked for large foreign companies like CokeCola as an example. So the government would allow a private school soley for these children, but they were to have no local students. That is to say only foreign passport holders from that country.  The curriculum and teachers were from the same country and taught in the language of that country. 
In the last 25 years, "international schools" have taken more and more local students, and here in VN, most of the schools listed in this article are 90% or more local students; this even though the current law in VN is that a foreign private school can have no more the 10% local students for elementary school and no more that 20% local high school students. The market is to the elete, wealth families because they can afford the high tuition fees.  Is it worth sending a local student to these schools? Parents may want their children to speak English by foreign teachers, or parents may think that graduating from one of these high priced educational institutions, may give them the edge to get their child accepted by e.g. an American University.  The reality is the the U.S. Counselate doesn't care whether the applicant graduated from an "international school" or local school.  Parents would do much better not spending the $20 to $30 a years to send their child to an international school, but rather save that money for their child's university years.

Can you name some qualified local schools? Private better.

Kooler42 wrote:

All this information is useful. Have our 6 year old attending VinSchool and am monitoring is closely. Not sure how long we will stay in Vietnam but the quality of his education will play into it.

Thanks to All

Hello, can you share about how the schooling of your child?

I'd like to learn the quality of courses, teachers, etc.

Thanks in advance.

The schools are a terrible rip off with very little continuity of staff. Me I bome school and the education is the best. But many parents fear home schooling or both parents work. But it only takes about 3 hours a day. The private schools here are no wheres near the caliber of a pricate school, in say the USA

Found this old thread. Would love to hear any updated opinions from parents as of 2023!

Found this old thread. Would love to hear any updated opinions from parents as of 2023!
-@tduke

The OP (original post) is very informative.

I don't know if admin is aware of it, as it's probably the best post about international schools in HCMC that I've seen so far, and would maybe make a great sticky post in the HCMC & Saigon forums...

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=570177#3153890

@OceanBeach92107  An update to the International Scool situation in Vietnam, as this is totally my opinion as well as based on source from reddit UNIS hanoi is the best non profit tier 1 school in Vietnam offering an IB circiuculum that is run by a true non profit organisation. They really dont go out of their way and purposely post and advertise their students IB scores which in the author's opinion creates a toxic learning environment.

https://www.unishanoi.org/academics/uni … tions-2023

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/inte … st-schools

In close second place (Tier 2) the author would recommend BIS Vietnam (IB diploma program), BVIS (A levels and biluingual Vietnamese program), ABC international school (A level program)  SSIS (Advanced placement, IB diploma) and ISHCMC (IB program) , due to the fact that they are not accredited by the good schools guide and are still run by for profit organizations mentioned above. These schools always publish their students senior year graduate program scores to attract new parents which in the author opinions create a hyper competitive and toxic environment in which pupils are constantly being compared against their peers into getting in to the top tier schools.

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/inte … st-schools

In third place there are feeder schools AIS vietnam, Reanissence International School and Europeon International school , International School American Academy, The American school etc.. these schools have predominantly 2 or 3 nationalties such as Vietnamese Korean or Filipino and pupils from these schools try to enter the tier 2 and tier 1 schools.

Lastly on the list is pretend international schools such as Vietnam Australia International School The Asian School, Saigon pearl international school, Vinschool which has a werid mix of Vietnamese and English circulumns and catered mainly towards upper midsle to middle claas students whose English ability is not up to par with the tier 3 schools and is meant as a stepping stone to improve their English.

The author recommends that reader look into actual teacher reviews in internationalschoolsreview.com website for specific schools to draw up the most accurate conclusion and come up with the best decision for your child's academic needs. Hope this helps the community as a whole stay safe everyone thank god covid is over.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Internationalt … ool_on_it/

@anonxx  Tier 5  is all the language centers in Ho Chi Minh City that teaches basic grammar and  speaking skills, with the except of Yola institute (https://www.contentgrip.com/yola-educat … ting-tips/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/tu-ngo-3712093/  founded by an ex BIS Vietnam graduate that caters to senior school students wanting to apply to the states and gain a good SAT score. At the end of the day it's the student's ability that determines their success even if they attend a tier 3 or tier 2 school but they have a good work ethic they can get into the university of their dreams.