Reigate Grammar School Vietnam is a not-for-profit international school that blends a traditional British independent school education with Vietnamese values.

Previously known as the International School of Vietnam (ISV), Reigate Grammar School Vietnam offers an international education combined with British grammar school values to students from pre-K through to Grade 12. 

Located in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai district, RGS Vietnam is a not-for-profit Cambridge International School that offers IGCSEs, the Cambridge AICE Diploma, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Here’s a school that has carved out its own learning path to a university education. It follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) for Grades 1 – 5, then shifts to the Cambridge curriculum from middle school for Grades 6 – 10, and the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11-12. Both programmes are very globally-focused, they offer a wide range of subjects, their qualifications are widely recognised by international universities, and they are flexible enough to adapt to different learner needs. 

It plans to offer the choice of A Levels in the Sixth Form from August 2023.

In its new partnership with the British independent school, Reigate Grammar School, RGS Vietnam has adopted several aspects of RGS culture and life. Parents can expect a happy, welcoming school where children are challenged while having the choice to explore subjects that feel relevant to them; learning is further enriched with a broad education that extends far beyond the formal curriculum.

In line with RGS UK, RGS Vietnam is a selective school that still holds onto the grammar school approach of its founding roots as an-all boys free school in 1675. As the school says:

"As a grammar school, we place considerable emphasis on acquiring good work habits in the early years."

But while it may be a very academic school, it is not a hothouse; this is a school that expects its students to be hardworking and independent learners, but in a far more relaxed learning environment that some other leading international schools.

At the official signing ceremony between ISV and RGS, Mai Bich Thuy, Founder and Chairman of ISV, said:

“I am strongly convinced that our new Reigate Grammar School Vietnam will be a great success because it has the vigor of a nine year-young ISV and huge experience of a 346 year-old Reigate Grammar School plus all the Vietnamese, British and international best practices that both sides have accumulated in the process.

"I am also strongly convinced that this new school will make a worthy contribution to the educational and cultural ties between the two countries, thus contributing to the fine ongoing strategic partnership between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.”

Reigate Grammar School Vietnam joins the international family of RGS Schools, located in the UK, China and Morocco. RGS is also planning to open a Sixth Form College in Hanoi in 2023, and, potentially, a third secondary international school soon after that.

Shaun Fenton is the long-serving headteacher of RGS UK since September 2012, having previously led Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham and Sir John Lawes School, Hertfordshire. He was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School and Keble College, Oxford. He has also been appointed 

The curriculum
RGS Vietnam's elementary school follows IB’s PYP, which the school says teaches students “why they should know something and how it connects to other subjects and the world around them”. Subjects include language and literacy, maths, art, music, PE, science, and social studies. In line with the PYP structure, learning focuses on Knowledge (What do we want the students to know?), Concepts (What do we want the students to understand?), Skills (What do we want students to be able to do?), Attitudes (What do we want students to value?), and Action (How do we want students to act?).

All subject areas are integrated rather than being taught in isolation, and students are encouraged to become confident and independent learners through play, inquiry, and exploration. From K2 to Grade 5, ISV teaches Vietnamese and French three times a week. Students learn in small groups, individually with teachers, independently at learning centres, and in whole class activities; lessons are held in classrooms, outdoor areas, and in shared areas.

In Grades 6 – 8, teachers deliver the Cambridge 1 curriculum, which includes English, maths, humanities, science, Vietnamese or French, ICT, PE, art, music, and drama. From Grade 9, secondary students follow the IGCSE curriculum, which includes English, maths, design technology, world languages (Vietnamese, French, or Korean), and PE, as well as four options from a choice of physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, art and design, music, travel and tourism, French, and computer studies.

In Grades 11 – 12, students study the IBDP; from August 2023, they will also have the choice of studying A Levels with options including English, maths, further maths, physics, biology, chemistry, business and economics, and the arts.

All year groups have specialist classes in music and the arts, languages (French and Vietnamese), ICT, and PE. To support ISV’s inquiry-based learning programme, the school has a well-equipped library and media centre where students have access to print and digital resources.

Beyond the classroom

The academic year features regular field trips, which vary from museum visits to attending cultural events. There’s also a programme of school events, many of which are organised by the active Parent-Teacher Association, including International Day, a Christmas fair, and a Tet market to celebrate Vietnamese culture.

Extra-curricular activities are offered at lunchtimes, after school, and at weekends, and there’s a wide choice ranging from sport and the arts to ICT and robotics; there are also classes in French and Vietnamese. Students have the opportunity to play for non-competitive clubs and compete in a wide variety of sports teams in badminton, football, swimming, cycling, and even boxing. The school competes in local and international tournaments, as well as the Singapore International Triathlon.

Students in all grades are given an opportunity to develop their leadership skills with a place on the Student Council or as a school prefect.

Campus and facilities

Its campus in the Hoang Mai district is described as a “21st century learning community”. This purpose-built campus centres around four-storey buildings set within a leafy green setting featuring gardens and trees. Facilities include well-equipped classrooms, library, science labs, an ICT room with 3D printer, art and music rooms, two indoor swimming pools (a learner pool and a competition pool), outdoor play areas, and a multi-function gymnasium with basketball and badminton courts that is also used as a theatre for up to 1,000 people.

Admission and fees

Tuition fees are VND 493,482,413 (USD $21,367.50) for Grade 1 and increase to VND 558,502,055 (USD $24,182) for Grade 6 and VND 693, 542, 850 (USD $30,030) for Grade 12.

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