Australian International School Saigon
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City · IB / British · Ages 18 months-18 years
A well-accredited Inspired Education Group IB World School in Ho Chi Minh City, distinctive locally for offering secondary boarding alongside an IB PYP / Cambridge IGCSE / IB Diploma pathway.
Curricula
IB, British
Age range
18 months-18 years
Languages of instruction
English
Annual fees
SGD VND 295,600,000-860,700,000 / year (2025/26)
Boarding
Yes
IB authorised
PYP, DP
Accreditations
CIS, IB, Cambridge International, NEASC
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
Australian International School Saigon (AIS) is a premium, English-medium international school in Ho Chi Minh City, operated by Inspired Education Group and serving children from 18 months to 18 years across two centrally located campuses — a full Kindergarten-to-Year-13 campus at Thu Thiem and an early-years/primary campus (K-Year 6) at Thao Dien.
Despite the 'Australian' name, AIS does not deliver the Australian state curriculum. Its academic pathway is built on the IB Primary Years Programme in the early and primary years, the Cambridge Lower Secondary curriculum and IGCSE through the middle and lower-secondary years, and the IB Diploma Programme in Years 12-13. It is authorised by the IB for PYP and DP (not the Middle Years Programme) and works within the Cambridge International framework for IGCSE.
The school is accredited and endorsed by recognised bodies — the Council of International Schools (CIS), the International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International and NEASC — which is the meaningful quality signal here, since Vietnam has no domestic graded school inspectorate comparable to the UK's BSO/ISI regime. On that basis the school sits at an 'A' accreditation tier rather than 'S': its membership and authorisation are solid, but there is no verbatim 'Outstanding'/'Excellent' graded inspection report to cite.
A notable local differentiator is boarding: AIS positions itself as the only international school in HCMC offering premium boarding for secondary students (Years 7-13). A compulsory English as an Additional Language programme is documented for students who need it, supporting access for non-native English speakers. Published 2025/26 day-and-boarding fees span roughly VND 296M to VND 861M depending on year level and boarding.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
Tier A, not S: the school holds genuine CIS, IB and Cambridge accreditation/authorisation, but Vietnam has no domestic graded inspectorate and no verbatim BSO 'Outstanding' or ISI 'Excellent' report exists for this school, so the higher tier cannot be evidenced.
Strengths & Trade-offs
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.
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.
Is It Right For You?
Best 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).
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families specifically seeking the Australian state curriculum despite the name.
- ✕Families wanting a full, continuous IB continuum including the MYP.
- ✕Families needing a verbatim independent graded inspection rating before enrolling.
- ✕Budget-sensitive families, given premium day-and-boarding fee levels.
Curriculum
IB PYP (Kindergarten-Year 6) → Cambridge Lower Secondary and IGCSE (Years 7-11) → IB Diploma Programme (Years 12-13). IB-authorised for PYP and DP only; no MYP.
Fees
International Schools Database lists 2025/26 yearly fees from VND 295,600,000 to VND 860,700,000; the school publishes a downloadable Fees Schedule (2026-2027) covering both day and boarding rather than figures on the page.
Admissions
English-medium with a compulsory EAL programme for students who require it; two HCMC campuses (Thu Thiem K-Year 13; Thao Dien K-Year 6) plus secondary boarding for Years 7-13.
Campus Life
Two centrally located campuses in Ho Chi Minh City — Thu Thiem (264 Mai Chi Tho Street, full K-13) and Thao Dien (APSC Compound, 36 Thao Dien Road, K-Year 6) — with premium secondary boarding offered for Years 7-13.
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.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- AIS Saigon — official site (home) · 2026-06
- AIS Saigon — About Us (accreditations, curriculum, boarding) · 2026-06
- AIS Saigon — Curriculum (PYP / Cambridge / DP structure) · 2026-06
- AIS Saigon — Admissions / Fees (schedule pages) · 2026-06
- International Schools Database — AIS Saigon (fees 2025/26, ages, curriculum) · 2026-06
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