Schools in Vietnam?

Hi Anya,

There are lots of schooling options for expats in Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City.

Expat students are eligable to attend some public schools in Vietnam. However, children from Europe or North America might find the teaching methods used in Vietnamese public schools to be drastically different to what they are used to.

In Vietnam there is a lot of pressure for children to achieve good grades. They are also expected to study independly and passivley. This is different to Western education systems where active participation and discussion is encouraged.

There are a small number of public schools in Ho Chi Minh City that are moving towards the American teaching model. However, you'll find these insitutions are in high demand and waiting lists are long. 

While fees are very high, most expats opt to send their kids to international schools in Vietnam. This allows children to continue studying the same curricula as they would in their home country with the least amount of distruption.

Have a read of our recently updated Education and Schools in Vietnam page for more of an overview of the country's schooling system. The Education and Schools in Ho Chi Minh City page includes a list of the top international schools in Vietnam's capital. 

Hi Anya There are many options for schools in HCMC,however be aware of the fact that a lot of schools call themselves International without being truly international or teaching a international curriculum! ISHCMC and BIS are very popular schools with long waiting lists, it might be worth it to look into other international schools with a international/IB curriculum like GIS, the German International School that welcomes all nationalities, uses the IB curriculum and where the tuition fees are a lower! Good luck to you and your family on your new journey.

Top Vietnam international schools in my opinion: - The British International School http://www.bisvietnam.com - International School http://www.ishcmc.com - The American School of Vietnam (recommended) http://www.theamericanschool.edu.vn

You may want to consider Singapore International School as an option with more affordable fee. They offer IGCSE Cambridge Curriculum and has quite a number of campus locations, Their website: www.kinderworld.net And the Primary campus in Ho Chi Minh is at Trung Son Residential Area, Binh Chanh District. They just make a separate website for this campus www.saigonsouth.sis.edu.vn And the kindergarten campus is at The Manor Building, 91 Nguyen Huu Canh Street. They call the kinder school as KinderWorld International Kindergarten. Information is at www.kinderworld.net/kik Cheers!