International schools in Vietnam

Search for the best international schools in Vietnam; you can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum. 

One of the world’s four remaining communist states, Vietnam has seen rapid growth since enacting market-based economic reforms in 1986. It’s annual GDP growth rate reached 7.2 per cent in 2019 and it has been tipped as the world’s fastest growing economy up to 2050 – although GDP fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The densely populated state bordering the South China Sea has a wide range of private international schools in its capital Hanoi and southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City. They include schools offering British, Canadian, American and Singaporean curriculums and a United Nations school serving more than 60 nationalities. 

There are 18 IB World Schools, which are all authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, while six teach all three IB programmes. English is the medium of instruction at 11 schools, six teach in Vietnamese and English, and one in German and English. Some offer IB programmes alongside the IGCSE and A-levels, American high school diploma and Advanced Placement programmes or the Vietnamese curriculum.

Most international schools are coeducational and take day students only. The Council of International Schools has 16 accredited schools in Vietnam, including British International School Ho Chi Minh City.

The sector has seen further growth since the government lifted a cap in 2017 on the number of Vietnamese students that can attend schools set up through foreign investment. The first British independent schools to enter the market opened off-shoot campuses in Vietnam in 2021 and 2022.

Vietnam’s public education system is highly competitive, with 'high schools for the gifted' setting demanding entrance tests at secondary level. High scores in the National High School Graduation Examination are required for university entrance. 

Education is compulsory from age five to 14. Primary schools teach children up to age 11, middle schools to age 14 and secondary schools to age 18. The school year runs from August to June and is divided into two semesters. 

In 2021, gross primary school enrolment was 118 per cent, while gross tertiary enrolment stood at 35 per cent of the age group, according to UNESCO. No figures were available for secondary enrolment. Vietnam has more than 160 universities, senior colleges and institutes, including several private institutions.