International Schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi 2026/27: Fees and Admissions
Quick Answer: International school tuition in Vietnam for 2026/27 runs from about VND 246 million in Early Years to just under VND 1 billion in Year 13, plus application, registration and capital fees. Vietnamese nationals may enrol on a foreign curriculum, but Decree 86/2018 caps them below 50% of that programme. Here are the published fees in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and the dates that matter.
An international school place in Vietnam for 2026/27 runs from roughly VND 246 million a year in the youngest Foundation classes to just under VND 1 billion in Year 13. The British International School Ho Chi Minh City publishes VND 999,300,000 for Year 12 and Year 13 in 2026/27; the International School Ho Chi Minh City publishes VND 987,800,000 for the same years. On top of tuition sit application, registration and capital fees that can add VND 50 million to VND 337 million. This guide covers how Vietnam regulates these schools, who may enrol, the main schools in each city, the published 2026/27 price bands and the payment calendar. Browse the directory for Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam.
How does Vietnam regulate foreign-invested schools?
International schools here are foreign-invested educational institutions under Decree 86/2018/ND-CP, which replaced Decree 73/2012. Article 28 lists the permitted forms, including pre-school and compulsory education institutions. Article 37 sets the curriculum rules: a foreign-invested school may run the Vietnamese programme, a foreign pre-school or compulsory education programme, or foreign short-term training, and the programme must not damage national security or distort history.
The provision families most need to understand is Article 39, headed "Enrolling Vietnamese students". It permits these schools to enrol Vietnamese nationals on a foreign programme, then caps it: "The number of Vietnamese students who participate in the foreign educational program shall be lower than 50% of the total students who participate in the aforesaid program at the educational institution." Vietnamese students on that programme must also study the content the Minister of Education and Training specifies under Article 37(3), which is how Vietnamese language and Vietnamese studies stay compulsory for them. Decree 124/2024/ND-CP, in force from 20 November 2024, amended Decree 86 without lifting the cap, according to VILAF's summary of the decree. In practice a popular school can be closed to new Vietnamese applicants in a year group while seats remain open to foreign passport holders.
Which schools are in each city?
Ho Chi Minh City has the deeper market. The IB continuum schools are ISHCMC and Saigon South International School in District 7, with Renaissance International School Saigon, EIS and CIS alongside them. The British and Australian options are BIS HCMC, which runs three campuses, and AIS Saigon.
Hanoi is smaller and clusters around Tay Ho and Ciputra. UNIS Hanoi is the oldest, a full IB school founded under a UN agreement. BIS Hanoi runs the English National Curriculum to IGCSE then the IB Diploma, and Concordia, Hanoi International School, ISPH and TH School fill out the rest. If you are weighing the leaving qualification rather than the city, the comparisons in Cambridge versus IB and IB Diploma versus A Levels versus AP are the place to start.
What are the published 2026/27 fees?
These are annual tuition figures taken from each school's own 2026/27 schedule, checked in September 2026. UNIS Hanoi prices in US dollars rather than dong.
| School | City | Youngest year group | Final year (G12/Y13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIS Ho Chi Minh City | HCMC | VND 246,500,000 (F1 half day) | VND 999,300,000 |
| ISHCMC | HCMC | VND 287,400,000 (EE2 half day) | VND 987,800,000 |
| Saigon South International School | HCMC | VND 530,192,000 (EC 3-4) | VND 924,546,000 (Grades 11-12) |
| BIS Hanoi | Hanoi | VND 253,600,000 (F1 half day) | VND 970,200,000 |
| UNIS Hanoi | Hanoi | USD 17,460 (Early Years 3) | USD 39,870 (Grades 11-12) |
Three price bands emerge. Early Years half-day places start in the mid-VND 200 millions. Primary sits between VND 650 million and VND 760 million at the British schools and VND 730,808,000 for Grades 1 to 5 at SSIS. The senior years cluster tightly, between VND 920 million and VND 1 billion, which is why the choice between these schools rarely turns on tuition alone. Bilingual and Vietnamese-owned schools sit well below this band, and the general mechanics of these price lists are set out in international school fees explained.
What do the one-time and capital fees add?
Tuition is not the whole bill, and the capital element is where schools differ most.
| School | Application | Registration or enrolment | Capital or deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIS HCMC | VND 4,700,000 | VND 73,300,000 (VND 24,500,000 Foundation) | VND 24,500,000 refundable deposit |
| BIS Hanoi | VND 4,500,000 | VND 70,800,000 (VND 23,600,000 Foundation) | Not published |
| ISHCMC | VND 50,000,000 (Grades 1-12) | Included in admissions fee | ADF VND 67,500,000 a year, or COE VND 337,500,000 once |
| SSIS | VND 10,000,000 | VND 60,000,000 | VND 45,000,000 enrolment deposit, credited to tuition |
| UNIS Hanoi | USD 600 | USD 1,750 | USD 1,750 tuition deposit, credited to tuition |
ISHCMC is the clearest example of a capital charge. Families choose an Annual Development Fee of VND 67,500,000 each year for Grades 1 to 12, or a one-off Certificate of Entitlement of VND 337,500,000 that covers one child at a time and is open to Grades 1 to 10 only. BIS HCMC's VND 24,500,000 security deposit comes back when the child leaves, but only if the school receives 90 calendar days' written notice. SSIS charges VND 10,000,000 to apply, none of it refundable.
When do you apply, and what is the calendar?
Admission is rolling rather than a single national round, and the real deadlines are financial. For 2026/27, SSIS set 1 April 2026 as the re-enrolment deposit deadline for returning families and 25 June 2026 for the first tuition instalment. UNIS Hanoi required returning families to pay the USD 1,750 deposit by 13 February 2026, with annual tuition due by 1 June 2026 and a further 1% discount for paying by 1 March 2026. ISHCMC's first payment falls on 1 July 2026, and BIS HCMC asks families to choose a payment plan by 3 August 2026.
- Ask about the Vietnamese-national quota first if your child holds a Vietnamese passport. A year group can be full for that group and open for others.
- Apply 9 to 12 months out. Deposit deadlines in February to April decide who keeps a seat for the following August.
- Price the capital fee, not just tuition. An annual development fee compounds; a one-off entitlement does not.
- Check what is bundled. ISHCMC includes uniforms, trips and devices in tuition; most schools bill buses, lunch and exam entries separately.
- Read the withdrawal clause before you pay. Notice periods of 90 days and sliding refund scales are standard.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Vietnamese citizens attend international schools in Vietnam?
- Yes, within a quota. Article 39 of Decree 86/2018/ND-CP allows foreign-invested schools to enrol Vietnamese students on a foreign curriculum, but the number of Vietnamese students on that programme must be lower than 50% of the total students on it. Vietnamese students must also study the content the Ministry of Education and Training prescribes, which keeps Vietnamese language and Vietnamese studies compulsory for them. Popular schools can therefore be closed to new Vietnamese applicants in a year group while foreign passport holders are still admitted.
- How much do international schools in Ho Chi Minh City cost in 2026/27?
- Published 2026/27 tuition runs from VND 246,500,000 for a half-day Foundation 1 place at BIS Ho Chi Minh City to VND 999,300,000 for Year 12 and Year 13 at the same school. ISHCMC publishes VND 287,400,000 at the youngest half-day level and VND 987,800,000 in Years 12 and 13. Saigon South International School publishes VND 730,808,000 for Grades 1 to 5 and VND 924,546,000 for Grades 11 and 12.
- What is a capital or development fee at a Vietnamese international school?
- It is a charge towards buildings and facilities, separate from tuition. ISHCMC offers two versions for Grades 1 to 12: an Annual Development Fee of VND 67,500,000 paid every year, or a one-off Certificate of Entitlement of VND 337,500,000 that covers one child at a time and is only available to families entering in Grades 1 to 10. Not every school charges one. BIS Ho Chi Minh City instead takes a refundable security deposit of VND 24,500,000.
- How much are international schools in Hanoi?
- BIS Hanoi publishes VND 253,600,000 for a half-day Foundation 1 place and VND 970,200,000 for Years 12 and 13 in 2026/27. UNIS Hanoi prices in US dollars: USD 17,460 for Early Years 3, USD 26,900 for Kindergarten, USD 33,330 for Grades 1 to 5 and USD 39,870 for Grades 11 and 12. Both add one-time charges, and UNIS also requires a USD 1,750 enrolment fee and a USD 1,750 tuition deposit.
- When should I apply to an international school in Vietnam?
- Nine to twelve months ahead. Admission is rolling rather than a single national round, so the binding dates are financial. For the 2026/27 year, UNIS Hanoi took returning families' deposits by 13 February 2026, Saigon South International School set 1 April 2026 for re-enrolment deposits, and first tuition payments fell due between 1 June and 1 July 2026. Places in oversubscribed year groups go to whoever pays the deposit.
- Is tuition the full cost of an international school in Vietnam?
- No. Expect an application fee of VND 4,500,000 to VND 50,000,000, a one-off registration or enrolment fee that reaches VND 73,300,000 at BIS Ho Chi Minh City and VND 60,000,000 at Saigon South International School, and often a deposit or capital fee. Buses, lunch, uniforms and external exam entries are usually billed on top. ISHCMC is the exception that bundles uniforms, field trips and devices into its published tuition.
