Australian International School Saigon vs Saigon South International School
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Australian International School Saigon nor Saigon South International School 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. Curriculum is the core differentiator: Australian International School Saigon offers IB, British while Saigon South International School offers American, IB — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system. 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 | Saigon South International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / British | American / IB |
| Ages | 18 months-18 years | 3-18 (EC 3 - Grade 12) |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | VND 295,600,000-860,700,000 / year (2025/26) | 2026-2027 annual tuition (VND, pay-in-installments): EC3-4 530,192,000; Kindergarten 603,200,000; Grades 1-5 730,808,000; Grades 6-8 782,687,000; Grades 9-10 832,426,000; Grades 11-12 924,546,000 (6% discount for full prepayment) |
| Enrollment | — | 1,550 |
| Boarding | Yes | Day only |
| Accreditations | CIS, IB, Cambridge International, NEASC | WASC, CIS |
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.
- ✓Only school in Ho Chi Minh City offering both the IB Diploma Programme and Advanced Placement, per the school's own academics pages.
- ✓Full WASC accreditation combined with CIS membership and IB Diploma authorization — a deep, independently verifiable credential stack.
- ✓Long-established not-for-profit (founded 1997), so tuition is reinvested rather than distributed to owners.
- ✓Strong pastoral resourcing: eight counselors plus a dedicated school psychologist and per-division support services.
- ✓Full EC3-to-Grade-12 continuity on a large six-hectare campus with an experienced faculty averaging 17 years.
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.
- !No published IB average score or AP results, making academic outcomes hard to benchmark objectively.
- !No domestic graded inspection report exists for Vietnam, so external quality assurance relies entirely on accreditation cycles.
- !Among the higher-fee international schools in the city, with Grade 11-12 annual tuition exceeding VND 900 million.
- !Authorized for the IB Diploma only — families seeking a continuous IB PYP/MYP pathway will not find it here.
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 wanting both AP and IB Diploma options under one roof for the senior years.
- • Students seeking a US-style college-preparatory pathway to global universities.
- • Expatriate and internationally mobile families valuing WASC/CIS-accredited continuity from age 3.
- • Families prioritizing a not-for-profit school with strong counseling and wellbeing support.
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: SSIS states a '100% university acceptance' rate with a Class of 2026 acceptance list spanning universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and Asia.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Australian International School Saigon or Saigon South International School?
Australian International School Saigon is best for: Families wanting an IB Diploma exit with a Cambridge IGCSE middle-school route.. Saigon South International School is best for: Families wanting both AP and IB Diploma options under one roof for the senior years.. 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 Saigon South International School?
Australian International School Saigon: VND 295,600,000-860,700,000 / year (2025/26). Saigon South International School: 2026-2027 annual tuition (VND, pay-in-installments): EC3-4 530,192,000; Kindergarten 603,200,000; Grades 1-5 730,808,000; Grades 6-8 782,687,000; Grades 9-10 832,426,000; Grades 11-12 924,546,000 (6% discount for full prepayment). Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Australian International School Saigon and Saigon South International School offer?
Australian International School Saigon: IB, British. Saigon South International School: American, IB.
Do Australian International School Saigon or Saigon South International School offer boarding?
Australian International School Saigon: offers boarding. Saigon South International School: 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 →