Maurice Nguyễn and Rosie Ngô had studied and lived overseas but returned to Vietnam to raise their family.
They wanted a world-class, British-style education for their daughter, but it was 1997, and no such institution existed in Saigon. So they founded British International School Ho Chi Minh City (BIS HCMC), which has developed into a prestigious institution with a reputation for academic and social excellence.
One Global Group, Two Premium International Schools
As BIS students graduated and continued on to impressive, globally esteemed universities, the school started noticing a troubling trend. Maurice explained to Saigoneer that “as students progressed through BIS, accessing an extremely high quality of international education, we were finding that some of our local Vietnamese nationals were losing the ability to effectively communicate in their mother tongue. Additionally, they were becoming detached from their own heritage and culture and asking themselves, ‘who am I and where do I really come from?’”
This realization struck a nerve with Maurice because “when students connect with their own language, culture and traditions, they truly understand two very important aspects of their own identity – they know who they actually are and where they come from,” he said. “This helps them to think differently, engage and fit within an ever-changing world whilst also knowing where they belong.”
With these students in mind, in 2011, the team behind BIS opened the British Vietnamese International School (BVIS) with the goal of “giving families a choice to maintain and develop their cultural identity and allowing students to fully experience an international education,” Maurice said.
An Opportunity to Find The Path Suited for Each Student
For the past fifteen years, BVIS has been providing students with a premium international school education while allowing them to strengthen deep connections with their linguistic and cultural identity. They achieve this by delivering the National Curriculum of England in the Primary years in both English and Vietnamese while transitioning to an international education in the Secondary curriculum via 93% English instruction.
In addition to the equal balance of languages in the primary years, BVIS differs from BIS by offering the International A Levels for secondary students. Compared to BIS’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), it fosters a specialized, subject-focused pre-university pathway for students certain in their career trajectories. Both globally recognized programs prepare students to thrive at top universities around the world.
Bảo Quyên represents BVIS at the prestigious STEAM Conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA.
With the united collaboration of BVIS and BIS, parents have the opportunity to choose the school that represents the right fit for their child’s strengths, aspirations, and cultural goals. The decision is not a matter of good or bad, but rather, the right fit for each individual. Maurice stresses: “What’s important to know is this: regardless of which school you choose, your child will experience the same high standard of teaching, outstanding pastoral care, and world-class learning opportunities. At both BIS and BVIS, we share the same unwavering commitment to excellence.”
Collaboration Enhances Learning Opportunities
Despite serving different demographics, BIS and BVIS are intimately connected. They support each other by sharing best practices, leadership training, and a commitment to excellence as empowered by their membership in the Nord Anglia Education group. Together, BIS and BVIS represent a united educational community where every student benefits from a broader network of learning, leadership, and values.
Joint teacher development, school leadership forums, and occasional co-hosted community and charity events allow the faculty of both schools to share ideas and develop from one another’s experiences. Meanwhile, the students of both schools enjoy joint events, competitions, student council meetings, and cultural exchange projects, allowing them to broaden their global outlook and connect to larger, more diverse communities.
Both BVIS and BIS are able to further their students’ and teachers’ connections with networks far beyond their campuses thanks to Nord Anglia. A collaborative network of more than 80 schools worldwide provides access to an exchange of ideas and experiences at a global level, including through partnerships with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Juilliard, and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Shaun Williams, Regional Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Middle East and India at Nord Anglia Education, told Saigoneer that exclusive global conferences, professional development, and shared best practices help BVIS and BIS both “raise standards, stay innovative, and deliver the best to your child.” Meanwhile, “for students, it opens a world of opportunity. They take part in exclusive global summits, regional sports competitions, and collaborative events with world-leading institutions — all designed to develop leadership, creativity, and confidence on a global stage.”
Bright Futures Ahead with Shared Commitments to Excellence
As BVIS’s 15th anniversary approaches in the next academic year 2025-2026, the school is focused on strengthening its position as one of the leading international schools —offering a distinctive educational experience for families who wish to combine international learning with a strong connection to the Vietnamese language and cultural identity.
Further exemplifying the connection between BVIS and BIS, the school will welcome a new principal. Dee Grimshaw will arrive at BVIS after six years as headteacher at BIS. Meanwhile, Simon Higham, the current principal at BVIS will become the new principal at BIS. This leadership transition is part of the ongoing strategy to ensure the schools remain aligned with one another while adapting to the evolving needs of their unique communities.
Because BVIS and BIS are both united around the same commitment to world-class teaching and learning, pathways to top global universities, and holistic development and are supported by Nord Anglia, two unique but complementary pathways exist in Saigon. As Maurice explained: “Ultimately, we’re proud to offer these two distinctive pathways because we know that no two families — and no two students — are exactly alike. And that’s exactly why we’ve created environments where every child can thrive, in the way that suits them best.”
