Australian International School Saigon vs International School Ho Chi Minh City
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Australian International School Saigon nor International School Ho Chi Minh City sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. One practical difference: Australian International School Saigon offers boarding while the other is day-only — decisive for families who need a residential option. Verify current fees against each school's own figures (see the table below).
Key Facts
| Australian International School Saigon | International School Ho Chi Minh City | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / British | IB |
| Ages | 18 months-18 years | 2-18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | VND 295,600,000-860,700,000 / year (2025/26) | VND 279,000,000-959,000,000 per year (2025/26) |
| Boarding | Yes | Day only |
| Accreditations | CIS, IB, Cambridge International, NEASC | CIS, NEASC, IB |
Strengths
- ✓Recognised accreditation stack: CIS, IB (PYP + DP), Cambridge International and NEASC.
- ✓Coherent international pathway from IB PYP through Cambridge IGCSE to the IB Diploma.
- ✓Only international school in HCMC offering secondary boarding (Years 7-13), per the school.
- ✓Documented compulsory EAL programme supporting non-native English speakers.
- ✓Backed by Inspired Education Group, a global operator of 120+ premium schools.
- ✓Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP) — the complete authorised pathway for ages 2-18.
- ✓Dual international accreditation by CIS and NEASC alongside IB World School status.
- ✓Vietnam's first IB World School and the city's longest-established international school (since 1993).
- ✓Backed by the Cognita global schools group, giving organisational scale and governance.
- ✓Highly international community spanning more than 50 nationalities.
Trade-offs
- !No independent graded inspection report (Vietnam lacks a domestic graded inspectorate), so external quality is membership-based, not rated.
- !'Australian' branding can mislead — it teaches IB/Cambridge, not the Australian state curriculum.
- !No IB Middle Years Programme; the middle years rely on Cambridge instead of a continuous IB continuum.
- !AIS-specific enrolment figures are not published, limiting size/community transparency.
- !Premium fee scale (up to ~VND 959 million/year), limiting affordability.
- !No external graded inspection band available in Vietnam, so quality assurance relies solely on accreditation cycles.
- !Published IB Diploma average scores are not transparently available on a verifiable public page.
- !Split two-campus model means primary and secondary students are on physically separate sites.
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting an IB Diploma exit with a Cambridge IGCSE middle-school route.
- • Secondary families needing boarding within Ho Chi Minh City.
- • Non-native English speakers who would benefit from a structured EAL programme.
- • Early-years and primary families seeking an IB PYP start (Thao Dien or Thu Thiem).
- • Families committed to a single, continuous IB pathway from early years through Diploma.
- • Internationally mobile families wanting CIS/NEASC-accredited continuity of education.
- • Students who thrive in a large, multinational learning community.
- • Parents prioritising an established institution with a long Ho Chi Minh City track record.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: a 2025 IB Diploma average of 34.5 (above the global average of ~30), 100% IGCSE/IBDP pass rates, 77% earning a Bilingual IB Diploma, and a 100% university acceptance rate.
School-reported, unverified: ISHCMC states 100% university acceptance for its 2025 cohort, with 98% of graduates accepted to a top-choice university, an average of 14 offers per student, and over USD 56 million in scholarships.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Australian International School Saigon or International School Ho Chi Minh City?
Australian International School Saigon is best for: Families wanting an IB Diploma exit with a Cambridge IGCSE middle-school route.. International School Ho Chi Minh City is best for: Families committed to a single, continuous IB pathway from early years through Diploma.. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Australian International School Saigon and International School Ho Chi Minh City?
Australian International School Saigon: VND 295,600,000-860,700,000 / year (2025/26). International School Ho Chi Minh City: VND 279,000,000-959,000,000 per year (2025/26). Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Australian International School Saigon and International School Ho Chi Minh City offer?
Australian International School Saigon: IB, British. International School Ho Chi Minh City: IB.
Do Australian International School Saigon or International School Ho Chi Minh City offer boarding?
Australian International School Saigon: offers boarding. International School Ho Chi Minh City: day school only.
Questions parents ask
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →