Vietnam

Best schools in Ho Chi Minh City

9 tracked schools · average editorial score 69.7/100

1candidate3Rising Stars 4004Best 3001Challengers 300

Editorial overview

Ho Chi Minh City’s school market is defined less by a single model than by its curriculum mix. Among the 9 schools we track, IB is the strongest presence, with 6 schools offering it, alongside British and American schools, Vietnamese schools, and a smaller Australian strand. That blend matters: it gives families a choice between broadly international pathways and schools with a more local academic frame, in a city where the international and the domestic sit unusually close together. What matters here is not scale but composition. In our current coverage, 4 Ho Chi Minh City schools appear in the Best 300, 1 in the Challengers 300, and 3 in the Rising Stars 400. Those figures suggest a market with proven leaders as well as a meaningful next tier. We have no regulator data on file for Ho Chi Minh City, so parents should read school claims with particular care and place more weight on curriculum, governance, examination pathways, staff stability, and the specifics of campus provision. The shortlist below is best read comparatively: not as a single hierarchy, but as a set of different school types serving different academic aims, age ranges, and family priorities.

Challengers 300

1Challengers 300 school in Ho Chi Minh City

Ranks 301–600. Strong programmes closing the gap to the flagship 300.

Key dates · 2026-27

What's coming up in Vietnam

Full calendar

3 Oct – 5 Jun

SAT test dates (typical season)

15 Oct

UCAS deadline — Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry, vet

26 Oct – 13 Nov

IB November 2026 exam session

1 Nov

Early Decision / Early Action deadlines (typical)

1 Jan – 15 Jan

US Regular Decision deadlines (typical window)

2 Jan

IB Diploma results — November 2026 session

Relocation guide

Moving to Ho Chi Minh City with kids

Computed from 9 tracked schools — verified fees, live availability, no brochure numbers. All relocation guides →

In Ho Chi Minh City, a realistic annual budget per child sits around $30,000, with the lower quartile at roughly $12,000 and the upper quartile just above $30,000, so the headline range is wide but the top half clusters tightly. For senior years, the median local-currency fee is about VND404 million, rising from roughly VND365 million at the lower quartile to VND916 million at the upper end. No inflation data are available, so for a five-year posting you should assume today’s fees are only a starting point, not a fixed cost line. Families can actually choose among nine schools offering mostly IB options, alongside American, British and Vietnamese curricula. Admission is not merely competitive but severe: all nine assessed schools are constrained, seven are on waitlist and two are closed.

Fee reality

$30,009

median annual day fee (USD) · middle half $12,206–$30,393 · 5 schools

Senior median: VND 404,100,000 (~$16,164)

Fee trajectory

Fee-history coverage still building for this market.

Curriculum mix

IB
6
American
3
British
2
Vietnamese
2

Admission pressure

Severe

9 of 9 schools are waitlist-only or closed at popular entry points (100%)

Open 0Waitlist 7Closed 2

Questions families ask

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The full list

Browse all 9 schools in Ho Chi Minh City

Filter by curriculum, boarding type, fees, inspection outcome and more in the full directory.