Cities / Hanoi / British Vietnamese International School Hanoi
British Vietnamese International School Hanoi
Nord Anglia bilingual school at Royal City in Thanh Xuan, offering a British-Vietnamese curriculum from toddler through A-Levels to 1,000+ students from 15 nationalities.
In brief
Nord Anglia's bilingual sister school to BIS Hanoi, on a purpose-built campus next to Royal City in Thanh Xuan, blending the English National Curriculum with Vietnamese MOET content.
BVIS Hanoi opened in August 2013 on the Royal City site, joined Nord Anglia in 2015, and now sits at over 1,000 students from early years through Sixth Form. The bilingual model is the differentiator: most subjects in English, plus the Vietnamese national curriculum delivered in Vietnamese, leading to IGCSEs and the IB Diploma. CIS and WASC accredited.
Parent feedback is warm on pastoral care, the strong music and arts programme, and the way teachers handle the language-switching for younger children. The pull is strongest for Vietnamese and mixed-heritage families who want their children fully literate in both languages. Pure expat families with no Vietnamese at home find the bilingual load can be heavy in the early years.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| F1 (Foundation 1) | 2 | ₫261,800,000 |
| F2 (Foundation 2) | 3 | ₫261,800,000 |
| F3 (Foundation 3) | 4 | ₫354,400,000 |
| Year 1 | 5 | ₫480,400,000 |
| Year 2 | 6 | ₫496,100,000 |
| Year 3 | 7 | ₫496,100,000 |
| Year 4 | 8 | ₫496,100,000 |
| Year 5 | 9 | ₫496,100,000 |
| Year 6 | 10 | ₫496,100,000 |
| Year 7 | 11 | ₫582,600,000 |
| Year 8 | 12 | ₫593,300,000 |
| Year 9 | 13 | ₫593,300,000 |
| Year 10 | 14 | ₫606,800,000 |
| Year 11 | 15 | ₫606,800,000 |
| Year 12 | 16 | ₫661,500,000 |
| Year 13 | 17 | ₫661,500,000 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | ₫3,500,000 | |
| Registration Fee - Early Years (non-refundable) | ₫23,600,000 | |
| Security Deposit (refundable) | ₫35,400,000 | |
| Registration Fee - Primary & Secondary (non-refundable) | ₫70,800,000 |
Reviews
The bilingual sister to BIS Hanoi inside the Nord Anglia stable, and a different proposition from it. Lessons in both English and Vietnamese through early years and primary, English-led from Year 7, IGCSE then A Level at the top. The roll is predominantly Vietnamese with a smaller international cohort (Korean families the next largest group), so the social texture is closer to a Vietnamese family school in English than to a classic expat school. Academics under Paul Holyome have firmed up, with a record 2025 leaver cohort and a clutch of Oxford, UCL, KCL, Columbia, Sydney and Korean SKY offers. Location in the Royal City complex in Thanh Xuan puts it inside central Hanoi rather than out at Long Bien or Tay Ho.
Positives
- Bilingual model. The actual reason most families pick BVIS over BIS. Core subjects taught in both languages through primary, narrowing to English-led delivery in secondary while Vietnamese literature, history and culture continue. Children come out genuinely operating in both, which is the brief.
- A Level and IGCSE outcomes. 2025 A Level cohort of 83, the largest in the school's history, sat 100% pass with 47% at A*-A and 71% at A*-B. University destinations include Oxford, UCL, KCL, Columbia, Cornell, Sydney, Yonsei and Seoul National. IGCSE results in the same year were described as record-breaking.
- Facilities and enrichment. Purpose-built Royal City campus with three buildings stepped through early years, primary and secondary. Indoor 25m pool, two sports halls, theatre and auditorium, climbing wall. The Nord Anglia tie-ups feed real programming into music, performing arts and STEAM, not just marketing language.
- Pastoral and community. Parents describe close teacher relationships and active parent involvement, with a 2025 Nord Anglia Silver Distinction for social impact projects (first school in Southeast Asia to receive it). Reading culture and parent-school engagement around primary literacy come up positively.
Considerations
- Student mix. A Vietnamese-majority roll with Korean families second and a smaller spread of other nationalities. International in curriculum and language of delivery, but not in social composition the way UNIS or BIS Hanoi are. Suits Vietnamese families wanting a British route without losing the home language; reads thinner to families wanting a heavily international peer group.
- Location. Royal City sits in Thanh Xuan, central Hanoi, attached to Vietnam's largest underground retail complex. Convenient for families inside the inner districts, less so for those settled in the Tay Ho expat belt, where the commute pushes long. Air quality is the Hanoi-wide caveat that applies here as everywhere in the city.
- Teacher experience and pay. Staff-side commentary points to salary increments that come only on contract renewal every two years and have not kept up with inflation, plus complaints that policy changes don't always involve consultation. Views on management are split rather than uniformly negative.
- Fees. Tuition for 2025/26 runs from VND 251.7m in foundation to VND 636m at the top of secondary, the premium bracket inside Hanoi. The bilingual delivery and Nord Anglia programming are real, but the bill is consistent with the city's most expensive schools.
Leadership
Paul Holyome
Paul Holyome has over 25 years of educational experience and has served as the Principal of BVIS Hanoi since August 2022. Prior to this role, he was the Executive Principal of Compass International School Doha in Qatar for three years. His earlier career in the UK included positions as Vice Principal of an Academy and Headteacher of a large secondary school. Mr. Holyome is committed to the Nord Anglia philosophy of providing high-quality, personalized learning that encourages students to achieve more than they may ever have thought possible, while celebrating their unique heritage and culture.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Accrediting Commission for Schools) 02
Academic results
- A-Level A*-A 2025 47%
- A-Level Pass Rate 2025 100%