Bilingual Schools in Ho Chi Minh City: Four Compared

A first grader costs VND 147,263,000 a year at TIS, meals included, VND 188,000,000 in tuition at VAS and VND 301,500,000 at La Petite Ecole, canteen included. The international schools start at VND 489,400,000 for Year 1. TIS teaches the Ministry programme in the morning and the international programme from 13:30.

By Vincent Nguyen

A first grader costs VND 147,263,000 a year at TIS, VND 188,000,000 in tuition at VAS and VND 301,500,000 at La Petite Ecole. Year 1 at the international schools starts at VND 489,400,000. That gap is why parents look at bilingual schools first.

The list keeps to schools rated four and a half stars or better on Google Maps, so it is short. It has TIS, VAS Sunrise, La Petite Ecole and Global Star School. For the pricier end, see international schools in Ho Chi Minh City. For children under 6, see kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City.

Quick picks

• Lowest fee, meals included, plus the Ministry primary certificate: TIS.
• Most subjects in English on a Cambridge pathway: VAS Sunrise.
• French national curriculum taught in French and English, with a school bus: La Petite Ecole.
• Bilingual preschool from 6 months with a free tour and trial lesson: Global Star School.

How the four compare

Two things change the comparison. TIS and La Petite Ecole put meals in the fee; VAS charges meals and transport as extra items. And TIS calls the first primary year Grade 1, while the international schools call it Year 1.

TIS — Ministry diploma, English afternoons

TIS has been a bilingual international school in Phu Nhuan since 1999, built on an American education model.

Good for

• Parents who want the Vietnamese primary certificate and English in one day: Ministry lessons fill the morning and the international programme starts at 13:30.
• Families who want small classes: TIS caps a class at 25 students.
• Older children aiming at a US route: Grades 10-12 offer a dual diploma from the Ministry and St. Thomas More School in Connecticut.

Skip if

• You want most subjects in English: the primary international programme is 16 periods a week of Maths, English and Science.
• Your child speaks no Vietnamese: the Grade 2-5 entrance test includes Vietnamese.

Fees

These are TIS’s current day-student prices for a year, in the 2026-2027 school year. The fee table carries no year label, so treat it as the live price list; TIS holds tuition for 3 years for families who enrol now. The totals cover tuition, day-boarding (lunch and a rest at school), meals, international textbooks, day trips and medical care.

Add a facility fee of VND 3,000,000 a year. The entrance test costs VND 2,000,000, the enrolment fee is VND 10,000,000 and the deposit is VND 15,000,000, refunded when the student completes the programme.

Siblings get 10% to 15% off for the second or third child. Its table marks the pay-in-full column -5% and the pay-by-term column -3%. Boarding starts at Grade 3, at VND 274,698,000 a year for Grades 3-4. It includes 5 meals a day Monday to Friday, an air-conditioned room and evening study.

How to apply

1. Take the entrance test, which costs VND 2,000,000. Pre to Grade 1 is a psychological and physical screening; Grades 2-5 test English, Vietnamese and Maths.
2. Wait for the result: TIS announces it within 3 working days.
3. Complete the enrolment file within 7 days of the result.
4. Expect a personal catch-up plan for the programme.

Address and contact

TIS is at 305 Nguyen Trong Tuyen, Phu Nhuan Ward. Call (84.28) 3844 2345 or 090 231 4140. It is open 7 AM to 5:30 PM Monday to Friday and 7 AM to 12 PM on Saturday, closed Sunday.

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

VAS Sunrise — most subjects in English, Cambridge pathway

VAS runs six campuses: Ba Thang Hai, Hoang Van Thu, Sunrise, Garden Hills, Riverside and Sala. Sunrise opened in 2014 and runs from Kindergarten through High School.

Good for

• Parents who want mostly English lessons: on the CAPI pathway students learn most subjects in English and only a few in Vietnamese.
• Families who want one school for the whole journey: the programme runs from Kindergarten to High School.
• Families who want a choice of how English-heavy it is: VAS offers three pathways, CAPI, CAP and CEP.

Skip if

• You live in Thao Dien: Sunrise is in Tan Hung, and the District 2 campus is Sala, opened in 2018.
• You want a Ministry-led day: CAPI is built around English.

Fees

VAS prices by grade and pathway. The first table on its fee page, covering every campus except Sala, shows these tuition fees for one-time payment:

Paying in 2 or 4 instalments splits the same fee evenly, for example 4 payments of VND 47,000,000 for Grade 1. Meals and transport cost extra. Sala has its own fee table.

The campus address is 1 Duong So 20, Him Lam urban area, Tan Hung Ward, phone +84 28 3622 6611.

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La Petite Ecole — French curriculum in two languages

La Petite Ecole opened in Ho Chi Minh City in September 2017 and teaches the French national curriculum in French and English. Its campus covers 5,000 m2 and more than 30 nationalities are represented.

Good for

• French-system families who want English at the same weight: each class has a French-speaking and an English-speaking teacher, and children alternate between them.
• Parents of toddlers: the creche takes children from 12 months.
• Families who want some Vietnamese: all pupils get an introduction to it from nursery.
• Children who arrive speaking neither French nor English: the school gives them individual language support.

Skip if

• You need a school beyond age 11: the programme ends at CM2, age 11.
• You want a Vietnamese Ministry certificate: the school teaches the French national curriculum.

Fees and hours

The 2026-2027 fees are published in dong, tax included:

The one-off enrolment fee is VND 15,000,000 at the full rate, and uniforms cost extra.

Classes start at 8:30, with doors open from 8:00. School ends at 15:15 Monday to Thursday. A school bus runs on 6 lines. A child is placed by year of birth.

How to apply

1. Build the online file on the Eduka portal.
2. Meet the school’s teaching team and wait for the admission answer.
3. Pay the registration fees.

Admissions for 2026-2027 are open. The year generally starts in early September and ends in early July. The school is at 172-180 Nguyen Van Huong, An Khanh Ward, phone +84 28 3519 1521, email contact@lpehochiminh.com.

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Global Star School An Phu Thao Dien — bilingual preschool with a free trial

Global Star is a bilingual preschool network of international standard, with campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces under franchise. It takes children from 6 months to 6 years.

Good for

• Parents who want to test first: the school offers a free tour and a free trial lesson.
• Parents who want a chain: it runs campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces.

Skip if

• You want an owner-run school: some Global Star campuses are franchises.
• You want a school that runs to secondary: Global Star is a preschool network.

Fees and how to enrol

Tuition runs from VND 6,000,000 to VND 9,500,000 a month depending on age and campus. Meals start at VND 1,800,000 a month for 3 meals a day. The reservation fee is about VND 2 million and comes off the first month’s tuition.

Enrolment goes in this order:

1. Register at the school, on the website or on the hotline, then tour the school and talk to an admissions officer.
2. Hand in a copy of the birth certificate, the vaccination book, two 3x4 photos and parent and pick-up details.
3. Pay the tuition and the other fees.

Hotlines: 0926.169.169 and 028.6688.6969.

The Thao Dien campus is at 1 Street 43, Binh Trung Ward. Call the campus on +84 28 2266 2288 before you go. Global Star’s four listed campuses are all in former District 12.

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Bilingual or international: what the price buys

Private preschools on the Ministry curriculum typically cost VND 6 million to VND 8 million a month. One Thao Dien bilingual preschool costs nearly VND 12 million a month in tuition.

For school age, the gap opens wider. Grade 1 at TIS costs VND 147,263,000, meals included. Year 1 at the international schools below runs from VND 489,400,000 to VND 679,900,000.

The Year 1 fees at BVIS, RISS and BIS are 2026-2027 prices.

Before you choose

• Add up the whole bill: TIS and La Petite Ecole include meals, VAS charges meals and transport on top.
• Ask the VAS campus for the CAPI figure: the table above is the first on its fee page.
• Check Vietnamese before you apply: TIS tests it in Grades 2-5, and La Petite Ecole supports children who speak neither French nor English.
• Book the free tour and trial lesson at Global Star before you commit.
• Budget the one-off costs: TIS asks VND 2,000,000 for the test, VND 10,000,000 for enrolment and a VND 15,000,000 deposit; La Petite Ecole asks VND 15,000,000 to enrol.

For the area around each school, see Thao Dien, District 7 and Phu My Hung and Phu Nhuan and Tan Binh.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (La Petite Ecole Ho Chi Minh on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Global Star School An Phu Thao Dien on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Mr Quoc (0345578912), Truong Mam Non Song Ngu Global Star School - Campus An Phu Thao Dien.

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Not confirmed: VAS fee tables are listed per pathway; the figure here is the first table on the fee page, so ask the campus what CAPI costs. VAS Sunrise publishes no school hours or enrolment steps: call the campus on +84 28 3622 6611. Global Star's own campus page does not list Thao Dien: call +84 28 2266 2288 before you visit.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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