Australian International School Saigon vs International School Ho Chi Minh City
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han
Which should you choose?
Both run IB, so the difference is inspection rating, boarding, and fees rather than the curriculum itself; Australian International School Saigon offers boarding while the other is day-only. The choice comes down to target curriculum, whether you need boarding, and budget — verify fees against each school's own figures.
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 →