International schools in Saigon for Aussie kids

Short answer: Saigon has good IB, British and American schools and a couple with real Australian roots, but fees run from about US$20,000 to over US$38,000 a year in 2026–27, so pick the curriculum that gets your kids home smoothly.

The short version

The Australian International School (AIS Saigon) has campuses in Thao Dien and Thu Thiem and teaches IB PYP, Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma, not the Australian Curriculum [1].
Scotch AGS, linked to Scotch College Adelaide, offers an Australian curriculum leading to the South Australian SACE, mainly for Vietnamese students [2].
Top-tier tuition for 2026–27 reaches about US$38,000 a year for senior years, before admission, development and bus fees [3].
Most international families live in Thao Dien (old District 2) or Phu My Hung (District 7). Choose the school first, then the suburb.
An IB Diploma converts to a Combined Rank comparable with the ATAR, so it travels well back to Australian universities [4].

The schools Australians look at first

Australian International School (AIS Saigon)

AIS is the obvious starting point for most Australian families. It runs two campuses [1]:

Thao Dien (APSC Compound, 36 Thao Dien Road): kindergarten to Year 6.
Thu Thiem (264 Mai Chi Tho Street): kindergarten to Year 13, with boarding for Years 7–13.

The curriculum is IB Primary Years Programme to Year 6, Cambridge Lower Secondary and IGCSE in Years 7–11, then the IB Diploma in Years 12–13 [1]. It's accredited by the Council of International Schools, the IB and Cambridge [1]. The name is Australian and many staff are Australian-trained, but the school doesn't teach the Australian Curriculum. Think of it as an international school with an Aussie feel.

Fees for 2026–27 are in a downloadable schedule on the school's fees page [5]. Tuoi Tre reported AIS tuition at about US$22,900–26,400 a year in primary and US$28,700–34,800 in secondary for 2026–27 [3].

Scotch AGS

Scotch Australian Grammar School works with Scotch College Adelaide, which developed its curriculum, and offers grades 1 to 12 leading to the SACE, the South Australian Certificate of Education [2]. It has three campuses in the city, with the Saigon Center campus for senior students [2]. Its stated aim is educating Vietnamese students, so expect a mostly Vietnamese cohort. Tuoi Tre put 2026–27 fees at about US$12,200–15,500 in primary and US$17,300–20,000 in secondary [3].

For a family planning to return to South Australia, the SACE link is worth a conversation. Ask the school how its certificate is recognised by SATAC and interstate admission centres before you enrol.

The IB, British and North American schools

These are where many Australian kids end up, often because of location or a sibling's place.

School	Area	Curriculum	2026–27 tuition (approx.) [3]
International School HCMC (ISHCMC)	Thao Dien	IB from PYP to Diploma [6]	Grade 1 ~US$26,900; Grade 12 ~US$37,900
British International School (BIS)	Thao Dien and An Phu	English National Curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma [6]	Year 2 ~US$28,400; Years 12–13 ~US$38,300
Saigon South International School (SSIS)	Phu My Hung, District 7	American with AP [6]	Grades 1–5 ~US$28,000; Grades 11–12 ~US$35,400
Renaissance International School Saigon	District 7	English National Curriculum, IGCSE, IB Diploma [6]	US$20,000–25,200 primary; US$28,200–32,800 secondary
Canadian International School	Phu My Hung, District 7	Ontario (OSSD) [6]	US$21,400–22,500 primary; US$24,600–33,200 secondary
European International School	Thao Dien area	IB	Grade 1 ~US$22,800; Grade 12 ~US$31,200

Fees are converted from VND and rounded in the report, and many schools raised tuition by 3–6% for 2026–27 [3].

The extras on top of tuition

Tuition is only part of the bill. For new students in 2026–27 Tuoi Tre reported [3]:

BIS: application about US$180, registration about US$2,800 and a deposit of about US$940.
ISHCMC: admission fee about US$1,900 and an annual development fee about US$2,600, with transport and IB exam fees on top.
SSIS: application about US$380, registration about US$2,300 and a US$1,700 deposit credited to tuition.

Budget for buses, uniforms, lunches, devices and camps too. If your employer is paying, check whether the package covers one-off fees or only annual tuition.

Bilingual schools

Cheaper "international" or bilingual schools combine the Vietnamese national programme with Cambridge English, such as the VAS campuses [6]. They suit families staying long term, but the Vietnamese core curriculum makes them a harder fit for kids heading back to an Australian classroom.

Thao Dien or District 7?

Saigon traffic means the school run decides where you live. Since the 2025 administrative reforms the old district names have been replaced by new wards, but locals and estate agents still use them.

	Thao Dien and An Phu (old District 2)	Phu My Hung (District 7)
Main schools	AIS Thao Dien, ISHCMC, BIS, European International School	SSIS, Canadian International School, Renaissance
Feel	Leafy villas, cafés, lots of expats	Planned suburb, wide streets, quieter
Commute to CBD	Short over the bridge or tunnel	Longer, depending on route
Watch out for	Street flooding in heavy rain	Distance from Thao Dien schools

AIS's Thu Thiem campus sits between the two, near the tunnel to the old District 1 [1]. See our renting guide for what housing costs in each area.

Getting a place

Popular year levels fill up, especially the early years at the big IB schools. AIS asks applicants to sit an English language assessment and meet the principal or deputy, and places children who need it in an English as an Additional Language programme [1].

Shortlist by curriculum first. IB or British if you plan to return to Australia for Year 11 or 12; the IB Diploma is the cleanest path to Australian universities.
Enquire 6–12 months ahead, especially for August starts. Ask directly about waitlists for your child's year level.
Gather records: two years of school reports, any NAPLAN results, learning support reports and immunisation records.
Ask about mid-year entry. Australian families often arrive in January, halfway through the northern-hemisphere school year.
Get the fee schedule in writing, including refund terms if your posting ends early.

Coming home to an Australian school

This is where Australian families get caught out. Plan for the return from the day you enrol.

Year levels and the calendar

International schools run August to June. Coming home in January can mean a half-year jump or repeat. Talk to the receiving school early, and bring full-year reports. Tasmania's TASC, for example, recognises only completed academic years or completed qualifications from overseas, and needs full-year reports, ID and translations where relevant [7]. Other states have their own rules, so check with the school you're heading to.

Senior years

Avoid moving in the middle of Year 11 or 12. Either finish the IB Diploma abroad or come home before Year 11 starts.

If your child finishes the IB Diploma in Saigon, UAC converts the score to a Combined Rank that's comparable with the ATAR in every state and territory [4]. For offers from August 2026, an overall IB score of 40 out of 45 converted to a Combined Rank of 96.85 for students who sat outside Australia [4].

Citizenship and other admin

Make sure a child born in Vietnam is registered as an Australian citizen by descent before you need a passport for the move home. Our guide to schooling Australian kids abroad and coming home covers the paperwork in more detail.

For first-hand reviews of schools, buses and teachers, join Cooee Vietnam, our Facebook group for Australians in Vietnam.

International schools in Saigon: the Australian options, fees and the trip home