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At BIS HCMC, leadership is more than just a title — it’s about inspiring others, fostering a sense of community, and embracing personal growth. This year’s Head Students, in Year 13, — Atom, JaeYeon, Tim, and Serena — embody these values with authenticity and dedication, each bringing their unique strengths, creativity, and passion to their roles.

BIS HCMC Barracudas competed at the FOBISIA Swimming Competition at Rugby School Thailand. Facing 16 schools from across Asia, our swimmers showcased exceptional talent, dedication, and sportsmanship in an unforgettable event, bringing home 3rd place overall!

We are thrilled to announce that a record three students from the BIS HCMC Class of 2025 have received offers from the University of Oxford, ranked number 3 in the world, and the University of Cambridge, ranked number 5 in the world. A huge congratulations to Quynh An, YeongSeo (Judy) and JaeYeon on their extraordinary achievement that sets a new benchmark for BIS students. These achievements come as BIS students begin to secure outstanding offers from top universities around the world, including USA, UK, Australia and Asia and these numbers will only continue to rise as more decisions will be made over the coming weeks.

We are proud to announce the achievements of ten BIS HCMC students who have been recognised with the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards and Oxford AQA Go Further Awards 2024. These prestigious awards celebrate the highest performers in Cambridge and Oxford IGCSE exams across a wide range of subjects. This year, BIS HCMC students have excelled in Mathematics, English Language and Literature, Art and Design, Mandarin Chinese, Biology, Music, and Foreign Languages, showcasing the diversity of talent within our school.

Joining BIS HCMC in Foundation Stage 2 (F2) is a fantastic age to begin a lifetime love for learning, encouraged and nurtured by our experienced and committed class and specialist teachers, who personalise learning unique to every child.  We look back at what our F2s have experienced in less than one term already at BIS HCMC.

Last month it was an honour to welcome Mr Tim Rhys-Evans (MBE) to BIS HCMC for three days, to run a series of unique ‘Choral Singing Days’ for our students and wider community, as well as workshops  on university and career opportunities in the fields of music and performing arts. Mr Rhys-Evans is a renowned vocal teacher specialising in choral conducting and is currently the Musical Director at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and leader of the National Youth Choir of Wales. He is also the founder and musical director of the famous choirs; 'Only Men Aloud', 'Only Boys Aloud', 'Only Kids Aloud' and 'Only Girls Aloud'. 

Congratulations to our graduating class of 2024 who are embarking on the next chapter of their educational journey, at some of the top universities across the globe.  From Harvard University and UCLA in the USA, University of Cambridge and Imperial College London in the UK, Korea University and Seoul National University in South Korea to National University of Singapore, The University of Sydney, University of Toronto and University of Amsterdam, our students are off to the best of the best!  Not to mention other top Universities in Australia and Korea as students are currently applying and receiving offers for a February 2025 start at universities including University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales and Yonsei University.

Last Tuesday 17th September our Early Years and Primary students and staff excitedly came together to celebrate Moon Festival. Also known as Mid- Autumn Festival and ‘Tết Trung Thu’ in Vietnamese, Moon Festival is a significant cultural event in Vietnam. It’s held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the year. This is also one of the highlights of international school life here at BIS HCMC as we value and respect the significance and embrace the culture and traditions of our beautiful host country, Vietnam.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 11 class of 2024, for their impressive IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) results. This incredible cohort of 155 students, our largest IGCSE class in the history of the school, have significantly surpassed UK and international averages and were awarded 97% of all grades at A*-C.  An incredible 62% of all grades awarded were at A*-A.

We are incredibly proud to announce that our class of 2024, with a cohort of just over 102 students, have achieved outstanding IBDP results, significantly outperforming all IBDP Global averages. Once again, the hard work, commitment, skills, and attitude of our students has been recognised with stunning academic results that place them among the very best worldwide. These results now provide our students with an astounding choice of some of the top universities worldwide.

Every year BIS HCMC takes students from across several year groups, in Primary and Secondary to the FOBISIA Friendly Games, held near Pattaya in Thailand.  This provides our young athletes with the opportunity to compete at a high level against other British International Schools across Asia in athletics, basketball, football, swimming and T-ball as well as form global friendships with their peers throughout the region.

Last month we were proud to have three student ambassadors attend this year’s NAE-UNICEF Student Summit, hosted for the first time ever in Houston, Texas from 12 to 19 June 2024.  The event was hosted at Nord Anglia’s two schools in the city: The Village School and the British International School of Houston. Houston was chosen as the ideal location for the Summit thanks to being the first officially recognised “Child-Friendly City” in the United States of America.

At BIS HCMC we embrace and celebrate learning, not just for our children but for everyone within our community. We believe that investing time and commitment towards our own personal and team development helps to promote positive engagement which, in turn, further supports our passion and strengths within our learning environment. To share the great work that has taken place BIS HCMC Primary had our annual ‘Celebration of Learning’ event with all teachers joining together to celebrate the width and breadth of adult learning that has occurred within BIS HCMC this year.

From Slipknot to Taylor Swift, our BIS bands put on a show to remember last week, and all for our community partners! The incredible “Live Aid” concert was 100% organised by our secondary student Co-Curricular club “Make a Move” and make a move they did - raising 18 million VND for Heartbeat Vietnam and Laws for Paws. Discover how our students led this event from idea to execution, covering graphic design, marketing, event management and communication and how they rocked the Founders Auditorium.   

Our sports teams are rounding up the final SISAC season of the year, with the city championships competing against international schools across Ho Chi Minh City. The championships are a culmination of all they have achieved in their training this year, and we are so proud of their efforts. Many of them will now go on to compete across some of the best schools in Asia, as our U11 FOBISIA team will be off to Thailand next week in swimming, athletics, basketball and football. Read more from our P.E teachers who have rounded up their final SISAC City championships of this year, in Basketball, Table Tennis and Swimming.   sPORTS AWARDS

On Saturday 18th May, 102 students, split into two groups for two ceremonies, made their way to the Park Hyatt in District 1. Over at least 14 years this venue has witnessed thousands of BIS students graduate. Following in the footsteps of their predecessors, our Year 13s prepared to join the outstanding alumni of BIS HCMC.

It’s been a phenomenal year for our BIS Barracudas swim team, and they ended it in style with first place champions in our own BIS Invitational 2024 in April and overall champions last weekend at the ISHCMC International Swim Invitational 2024.  The last major swim meet of the year for our entire Barracudas squad. 

What is CAS? CAS stands for Creativity, Activity and Service and is one of the core elements of the IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) that our students follow in Sixth Form. Find out how our sixth-form students have been making the most of their service projects, impacting communities and making real change in Vietnam. 

Meet Michelle - a BIS HCMC Year 13 student who transformed an unexpected pandemic move into a journey of leadership and academic success. We sat down with her to unlock the secrets to her success and how she secured a spot at Harvard, alongside 8 other US universities. 

As our Year 13s and Year 11s begin their study leave and start to prepare for their International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams, we are sure some of our parents might wonder what they can do to help their child through this challenging time, to support their wellbeing and overall success. Luckily our Advice, Support and Counselling (ASC) team has shared 6 top tips for parents to help their child persevere during exam season.