Saigon South International School (SSIS)

What the school is

A developer-founded school that runs as a non-profit

SSIS was founded in 1997 by the Phu My Hung Corporation, with founders Ferdinand P. Tsien and Lawrence S. Ting, to serve the developing township south of District 1. The corporation owns the school. SSIS describes its operation as not-for-profit, governed by a three-member board, with all tuition reinvested in the school.

Not-for-profit status concerns how the school uses its income. The school can still generate a surplus; the status governs how that income is used.

The six-hectare campus is in the Hillview area of Phu My Hung. Facilities include three soccer fields, gardens and an indoor swimming pool. The school reports average faculty experience of 17–18 years and says more than 70% hold advanced degrees. These are school-published figures; ask about the teachers and staff continuity in your child’s division.

Academics in practice

American curriculum, two senior pathways

The American standards-based programme leads to AP courses and the IB Diploma in high school. Both can support university applications in multiple countries; subject choices and admission requirements matter more than a simple US-versus-non-US distinction. WASC accreditation is separate from EARCOS, NAIS, SEASAC and MRISA memberships. OpenApply also lists Apple Distinguished School recognition, whose current designation period should be confirmed.

An undated public claim places the school’s average IB Diploma score more than six points above the worldwide average. It gives no examination year or cohort size, so it is not a current comparison. The school also reports offering the SAT and PSAT on campus.

Documented provision includes learning-support departments across divisions, English-language learning support, accelerated maths and a one-to-one device programme. The reported device arrangement uses iPads in Grades 2–3 and laptops in Grades 4–12. Languages include Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese; options vary by grade.

Admissions and cost

Tuition, payment dates and joining fees

The 2026–27 fee schedule lists annual tuition under the quarterly-payment option in VND: 530,192,000 for EC 3–4; 603,200,000 for Kindergarten; 730,808,000 for Grades 1–5; 782,687,000 for Grades 6–8; 832,426,000 for Grades 9–10; and 924,546,000 for Grades 11–12. The schedule offered a 6% discount for full payment by 25 June 2026, listing VND 869,073,000 for Grades 11–12. That deadline has passed. Nord Anglia’s cross-school table broadly corroborates the figures, but it is published by another school operator.

The quarterly-payment schedule divides annual tuition into 35%, 25%, 25% and 15%, with due dates in June, September, November and February. The school warns that late payment can prompt a review of enrolment. Application, registration and enrolment-deposit charges are separate, and the school does not publish their amounts, so the first-year budget needs an itemised quotation.

OpenApply lists scholarships without current eligibility rules, deadlines or award values. The school describes an inclusive approach to admissions, which is not a guarantee of a place.

The family experience

The school run and campus community

The campus is in the master-planned Phu My Hung township, with parks, housing and local services nearby. Compare the school journey with each parent’s work journey. Families considering homes in eastern parts of the city should test the cross-city route rather than rely on an estimated travel time.