Cities / Saigon / Saigon South International School
Saigon South International School
The only not-for-profit international school in Ho Chi Minh City, running American curriculum with IB Diploma and AP in the secondary school from its large Phu My Hung campus. Maximum class size of 20 and a 1:10 teacher-to-student ratio set…
In brief
The non-profit American-curriculum anchor school of Phu My Hung in District 7, founded in 1997 and one of the longest-running and most respected international options in Ho Chi Minh City.
SSIS runs a PreK to Grade 12 American programme augmented by Advanced Placement and the IB Diploma in the upper years, with WASC and CIS accreditation. The campus is the largest and greenest in the city, with three full soccer fields, multiple gardens and a recently built STEAM design centre that added around 18,000 square metres of new learning space in 2024. Roughly 1,500 students from over 40 countries.
The non-profit model gets repeatedly cited by families because tuition reinvestment shows up in the buildings, the small classes and the college counselling team. IBDP scores run several points above the worldwide average, and parents talk about strong staff retention and a settled, community-feeling campus. Critical voices exist, mostly around food service and uneven student support in the upper school, but the consensus tier-one reputation has been stable for years. Fees run roughly 530 to 925 million VND.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC3-4 (Ages 3-4) | 3 | Annual | ₫530,192,000 |
| Kindergarten (Age 5) | 5 | Annual | ₫603,200,000 |
| Grades 1-5 (Ages 6-10) | 6 | Annual | ₫730,808,000 |
| Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) | 11 | Annual | ₫782,687,000 |
| Grades 9-10 (Ages 14-15) | 14 | Annual | ₫832,426,000 |
| Grades 11-12 (Ages 16-17) | 16 | Annual | ₫924,546,000 |
| Application Fee | One-time | ₫10,000,000 | |
| Enrollment Deposit | One-time | ₫45,000,000 | |
| Registration Fee (new students) | One-time | ₫60,000,000 |
Reviews
- Teachers and parents consistently rank SSIS as the top international school in Ho Chi Minh City, alongside ISHCMC and BIS.
- Not-for-profit status is the single most cited differentiator. Tuition reinvestment is treated as the reason facilities, faculty pay and student-teacher ratios stay where they are.
- One teacher commented "SSIS (Saigon South International School) is top (and non profit)" and named District 7's Phu My Hung as the strongest infrastructure pocket of the city.
- Teacher pay and savings rates are cited as among the highest in Vietnam, second only to UNIS Hanoi in most teacher comparisons. That keeps faculty turnover lower than peers.
- Fewer parent voices than teacher voices online. The parent comments that surface focus on green campus, small classes, and US-style academic pathway with both AP and IB DP.
- Mild critique: the student body skews wealthy, and one older forum thread mentioned a period of teacher departures that posters described as a bad work patch. The current consensus is that this has settled.
Head of school
Dr. Catriona Moran
Dr. Catriona Moran is the Head of School at Saigon South International School. She earned her Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education from the University of Limerick in Ireland, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of San Diego. Her professional background includes serving as an elementary teacher in Ireland and Japan, and holding administrative roles such as K-9 Principal and Curriculum Director in Japan. In Taiwan, she served as Lower School Principal and Acting Head of School at Taipei American School, where she was also the Deputy Head of School before joining SSIS. Dr. Moran is dedicated to holistic education and promoting student voice.
Accreditations
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Accrediting Commission for Schools) 01
- Council of International Schools 02
Academic results
- Accreditation WASC, CIS, AAIE
- Distinction Vietnam's only Apple Distinguished School