Hanoi Academy

In Brief

Quick context. Hanoi Academy opened in 2009 as the city's first bilingual school. Sits in Ciputra, north of West Lake. Most expat families live in Tay Ho proper, so it's a slightly less expat-heavy crowd than UNIS or BIS. Predominantly Vietnamese student body with some international families.

Where it fits in the market. It's the budget IB option. Around $12-18k a year versus $25k+ at UNIS or BIS. Kids do the Vietnamese MOET curriculum alongside Cambridge IGCSE, then IB Diploma in the final two years. That dual-track is genuinely useful for Vietnamese kids who might want either local university or overseas. Less obviously useful for an expat family on a short posting.

What people actually say. The picture from staff is rough. Recurring themes are high teacher turnover, weak management, and HR that "treats staff like numbers on a spreadsheet." According to one teacher, management is "appalling" and creates "an extremely toxic environment." Another said the school is "losing students every year because of increased competition" and is cutting teacher pay to fund marketing. Parents echo the turnover issue and a few have mentioned discipline problems in older year groups.

The honest read. Academic outcomes on paper look fine - they push out IGCSE and IB grades and most leavers go on to university. But the engine room is wobbly. If your friend's kids will be there for one or two years and the price gap to BIS/UNIS matters, it's defensible. If they're staying longer or want a settled expat community and consistent teaching staff year-on-year, BIS, UNIS or Concordia are the safer bets. Worth visiting in person, asking directly how many of last year's teachers are still there, and talking to two or three current parents before signing.