International School Ho Chi Minh City Campus

International School Ho Chi Minh City, with a long history of nearly 30 years of construction and development, is one of the few schools in HCMC offering a full International Baccalaureate (IB) program for children ages 3 to 19. Until 2022, International School Ho Chi Minh City has two campuses for primary and secondary students. To learn about the primary international school campus and secondary international school campus, follow the article below.

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Overview of International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC)

ISHCMC is the first international school in Ho Chi Minh City, established in 1993 in District 3 as International Grammar School. In 1997, the school name was changed to International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), combined with the relocation to District 2.

Comparison of International School Ho Chi Minh City and ISHCMC-AA


View of the International School of Ho Chi Minh City
View of the International School of Ho Chi Minh City

With an emphasis on achievement, the school has received full accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). ISHCMC is the first IB World School in Ho Chi Minh City offering 3 IB programs, including PYP, MYP and DP.

Moreover, in 2011, ISHCMC became a member of the Cognita Family, the world’s leading educational organization. ISHCMC aims to inspire wellbeing, happiness, and education which help our students thrive as energetic, engaged, and empowered learners. Thus, Cognita Group proposes Global Be Well Day, an annual occasion when Cognita schools collapse the curriculum for one day to focus on wellness with activities and events involving students, parents, and employees.

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Inheriting Cognita’s spirit of community cohesion, ISHCMC proposes the slogan “One community, two campuses”. The tagline highlights the effort put forward by ISHCMC to promote a consistent culture at both campuses. ISHCMC organizes many yearly activities, typically Celebration of Culture, to connect the two campuses. Celebration of Culture is an annual activity taking place within a week to showcase, share and celebrate the diversity of the ISHCMC community. Many activities take place throughout the week to spread that spirit, such as wearing traditional outfits, learning how to wear your friends’ costumes, flag parades, etc.

ISHCMC students at the Celebration of Culture
ISHCMC students at the Celebration of Culture

The primary campus at International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC)

The International School Ho Chi Minh City’s primary campus is at 28 Vo Truong Toan Street, An Phu Ward, Thu Duc City. To encourage innovation through inquiry-based education on the Primary Campus, ISHCMC has an award-winning Primary Library, Fab Lab, Makerspace, food tech rooms, film studio, and separate art studios. Also, students can use the gymnasium, adventure playground, 25-meter, 6-lane pool, and outdoor courts.

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The primary campus of the International School Ho Chi Minh City
The primary campus of the International School Ho Chi Minh City

The primary school at ISHCMC provides a strong foundation for children and prepares them for more than secondary school. To make the world a better place, ISHCMC’s duty is to cultivate enthusiastic, involved, and self-confident students in their learning.

The primary international school campus’s curriculum is divided into 2 levels, including the Early Explorers Programme (for 2 – 4 years old) and the IB Primary Years Programme (for kindergarten – grade 5).

ISHCMC’s Early Explorers Programme aims to introduce children to question-based learning and spark a love of learning. The program aims to develop the skills and attitudes that each child needs to succeed, including social skills, self-management, communication, thinking, and research.

Through the IB PYP, ISHCMC makes learning relevant and meaningful by building on prior educational experience, using an inquiry-based approach, and focusing on the child as a learner. Students ask questions, investigate, and examine what they know and want to learn. Teachers employ provocations across disciplines to pique students’ interest in the world and how it works.


Summer Camp in ISHCMC details (2022)


The inquiry-based approach to teaching is used at ISHCMC
The inquiry-based approach to teaching is used at ISHCMC


The secondary campus at International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC)

The secondary campus at International School Ho Chi Minh City is located at 1 Xuan Thuy Street, Thao Dien, Thu Duc City which is 5 km from the primary school. Through technologically advanced classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, and senior student study areas, the secondary campus provides a great chance for student learning. In particular, this campus also has unique facilities like the Information & Communication Center, professional theater, recording studio, design suites, music practice rooms, NBA-size basketball courts, sports field rooftops, etc., which help prepare students for careers in the modern economy.


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The secondary international campus features a standard swimming pool
The secondary international campus features a standard swimming pool

In the second international school campus, the curriculum is divided into 2 levels including IB MYP (Grades 6 – 10) and IB DP (Grades 11 – 12). However, in Grades 11 – 12, students can choose the pathway based on their purpose. In detail, there are 3 pathways to graduation containing pathway 1 (ISHCMC High School Diploma), pathway 2 (IB Diploma Programme + ISHCMC High School Diploma = IB Courses), and pathway 3 (IB Diploma Programme).

ISHCMC provides a wide range of college and university counseling services to support students to prepare for success in higher education and beyond. Counselors give personalized help in choosing the school that best meets all aspects of the student including personal, social, academic, and financial aid.


Children at International School Ho Chi Minh City study in their own way
Children at International School Ho Chi Minh City study in their own way

In addition, ISHCMC offers an academic program called the Intensive English Language Program (IELP) for students aged 12 to 14. This program is designed to help students whose mother tongue is not English succeed academically at ISHCMC and beyond. Students will learn to actively participate in a rigorous 20-week or 40-week IB-style curriculum in Mathematics, Science, Language Acquisition, and the Humanities while strengthening their foundational English skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

If parents want to know the detailed curriculum, you can access Secondary School and download the document.

For each international school campus, the curriculum and facilities are tailored to the age of the students. Through those investments, ISHCMC always wants to give students the best experience. With the provision of education programs for children from preschool to high school, parents can choose ISHCMC as the place for their children to study through years from infancy to adulthood. If parents want to visit the school, please click through Your Personalized Virtual Tour of ISHCMC to schedule a tour.


1. How many campuses does International School Ho Chi Minh City have?

ISHCMC has 2 campuses, primary campus is located at 28 Vo Truong Toan St. and secondary campus is located at 1 Xuan Thuy St., Thu Duc City

2. Where is ISHCMC’s first campus located?

The first campus is located in District 3, named International Grammar School. In 1997, this school was renamed International School Ho Chi Minh City and moved to its current location in District 2.