Saigon South International School (SSIS)

The short version

The short version

SSIS is an American standards-based school for Early Childhood through Grade 12 in Phu My Hung, District 7, founded in 1997 and enrolling roughly 1,200–1,500 students from more than 45 nationalities. In high school it offers both Advanced Placement courses and the IB Diploma Programme — the only school in HCMC offering both.

It is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and operates as a not-for-profit.↗↗

For a relocating family, the practical summary is this: SSIS is the default for US-curriculum families and for anyone basing themselves in District 7’s Phu My Hung township — a credible, transparent, not-for-profit alternative to the for-profit groups across the river. It suits families targeting US universities or wanting AP/IB flexibility.

It suits less well those wanting British or full-continuum IB pathways, or anyone committed to living in Thao Dien.

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 — the developer of the Phu My Hung urban area — with founders Ferdinand P. Tsien and Lawrence S.

Ting, to serve the new township south of District 1. The corporation still owns the school, but SSIS operates as a not-for-profit entity governed by a three-member school board, and states that 100% of tuition is invested in students: “No shareholders, no partner schools.

Only your child.”↗↗

That makes SSIS structurally unique in the city’s premium tier: BIS is Nord Anglia, ISHCMC is Cognita, AIS is Inspired — all for-profit groups — while SSIS describes itself as the only not-for-profit PreK–12 international school in HCMC. For families who care where the margin goes, this is the school where there isn’t one.↗

The campus matches the township logic: six hectares in the Hillview district of Phu My Hung, marketed as the largest and greenest school campus in the city, with three full soccer fields, gardens and an indoor swimming pool.

Faculty are school-reported at 17–18 years’ average experience with over 70% holding advanced degrees — numbers to probe on a visit, but consistent with the school’s stability pitch.↗

Academics in practice

American curriculum, two senior pathways

The academic spine is American standards-based from Early Childhood up, with the unusual feature of two senior tracks: Advanced Placement courses for US-style depth, and the full IB Diploma for breadth and non-US admissions.

SSIS is fully WASC-accredited, a member of EARCOS, NAIS, SEASAC and MRISA, and is listed as Vietnam’s only Apple Distinguished School in the OpenApply directory.↗↗

The school reports that its students’ average IB Diploma scores run more than six points above the worldwide average — among the highest in HCMC — but the claim is undated in public sources, so treat it as directional and ask for the last three years of IB and AP results with cohort sizes.

The school also offers the SAT and PSAT on campus, which matters for US applications.↗

Support structures are documented: learning-support departments in all divisions, ELL support, accelerated maths, and a 1:1 device programme (iPads in Grades 2–3, laptops in Grades 4–12). Languages offered include Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Under Decree 86/2018/ND-CP, Vietnamese-citizen enrolment is capped at just under 50% of the roll.↗↗

Admissions and cost

A fee page other schools should copy

SSIS publishes its full 2026/27 schedule openly. Tuition (quarterly-instalment option, in VND) is: EC 3–4: 530,192,000; Kindergarten: 603,200,000; Grades 1–5: 730,808,000; Grades 6–8: 782,687,000; Grades 9–10: 832,426,000; Grades 11–12: 924,546,000.

Paying the full year by 25 June 2026 earns a 6% discount — dropping Grades 11–12 to VND 869,073,000. Nord Anglia’s independent cross-school table matches these figures almost exactly.↗↗

Quarterly instalments split 35%/25%/25%/15% across June, September, November and February due dates, and the school warns that missing due dates can trigger a review of a student’s enrolment status.

Separate application, registration and enrolment-deposit charges exist — the amounts sit in collapsible sections of the fee page that were not text-retrievable at research time, so request them in writing before budgeting year one.↗

Two admissions notes: the school offers scholarships (directory-listed, unusual in this market), and it describes itself as inclusive rather than selective — consistent with a township community school. As always in HCMC, ask about current availability in your child’s specific grade rather than assuming rolling entry means instant entry.↗

The family experience

District 7 versus Thao Dien — the real choice

Choosing SSIS is usually choosing Phu My Hung: a master-planned, green, family-oriented township roughly 15 minutes from District 1, with wide roads, parks and a large Korean and international community.

Families based there get a short, sane school run; families working in Thu Duc or the eastern districts would face a cross-city commute — which is why SSIS and the Thao Dien cluster rarely compete for the same household twice.↗

Community texture follows the model: a stable, long-tenured faculty (the school cites average teacher tenure above four years), strong parent-community programming, and the SEASAC/MRISA sports and activities circuit across Southeast Asia.

Families arriving from US public or independent schools consistently report the standards-based curriculum and report-card conventions feel familiar — a smaller transition shock than British or IB systems.

Take these to the school

Questions that move beyond the tour script