Nha Trang’s international schools split into small English-language schools and full Cambridge campuses. In 2026 the monthly fee runs from roughly $230 at the cheapest to $600 and more at the established schools, before lunch and the school bus. Published prices differ by source and year, so always ask each school for its current list.
Tuition is the smaller surprise. The bigger one is whether the parents’ visa lasts as long as the school year, and there is an easy way to sort that out before you pay a deposit.
Which international schools does Nha Trang have?
Nha Trang has about five international options that come up again and again in expat groups and school listings. They differ in curriculum, language of teaching and price, so check each one against your child’s age and English level before you read the brochure.
- AVE Academy International School: a Cambridge curriculum campus listed for ages 2 to 18, so one campus can follow a child from nursery to graduation.
- Singapore Vietnam International School Nha Trang: teaches Cambridge alongside the Vietnamese curriculum, listed for ages 3 to 18.
- Kid Castle: a Canadian-run kindergarten and school in the An Vien area in the south, with teaching in English only and a school bus at extra cost.
- EFI: a school with a kindergarten attached, also in An Vien, so children of different ages can share one campus and one drop-off.
- Blessed Hope Learning Center: the cheapest international option I found, in the north of the city, with Filipino teachers and a strong Catholic emphasis in the timetable.
How much do international schools cost in Nha Trang?
The established English-language private schools in Nha Trang start from about 15 million VND a month, which is around $600 in 2026, according to a relocation guide for Russian-speaking families. Kid Castle lists places from about $300 a month, and Blessed Hope came in near $230. For a family that is not Catholic I lean toward Kid Castle even at the higher price, because the Catholic emphasis shapes the daily timetable at Blessed Hope and that is a lot to accept just to save on the fee. The Cambridge campuses charge by the year, so ask for the annual figure, and I always convert it to a monthly one before comparing, since a yearly number placed next to Kid Castle’s monthly one makes the campus look far pricier than it is.
The listed tuition is only part of the bill. Lunch, the school bus, registration and uniforms are usually separate. A 2023 parent review of Kid Castle put a full month with lunch and bus at about $500, against a listed tuition from about $300, so expect the real bill to land well above the listed fee until you see a written breakdown.
Compare this with living costs in my Da Nang cost of living breakdown if you are weighing two cities.
Can your child go to a Vietnamese public school?
Vietnamese public schools charge no tuition, but teaching is entirely in Vietnamese and enrolment usually needs registered temporary residence at an address inside the school’s catchment area. Most foreign families on a tourist stamp or an e‑visa do not have that, so public school is realistic mainly for families holding a temporary residence card.
Some families get a child enrolled through a local intermediary, but that is a grey area and it can fall apart between school years. The school calendar and enrolment rules are set by the Ministry of Education and Training and the provincial education department, so ask the district office before you plan around it.
Is an English-language school too hard for a child with no English?
It often is for a child of 9 to 12 with no English: the first 6 to 12 months in an English-language school are a heavy language load, and that stress is easy to underestimate. Younger children, roughly 5 to 7, usually adapt much faster. If your child has no English yet, give them a term of English lessons before a full switch.
A small school with a mixed-language group is a gentler start than a large Cambridge campus. Ask whether the school offers a trial day and whether a language-support class is included in the fee. I treat a refusal of a trial day as a warning sign, since a school sure of its teaching rarely minds a child sitting in for a morning.
What does your visa have to do with the school year?
Your visa usually runs out long before the school year does: a Vietnamese school year lasts roughly nine months, but one e‑visa covers 90 days, and evisa.gov.vn charges $25 for a single entry and $50 for multiple entries. A parent who enrols a child for September and then runs out of visa in week 12 of term faces a choice between leaving mid-year and needing two or three exits or fresh e-visas across the school year, the first one around week 12 of term. Families that plan the school carefully often leave the visa for last.
Doing this yourself is possible, and the visa-free versus e‑visa comparison shows how. The common snag is the payment step, because the portal refuses many cards. I submit the application and pay the government fee with a card the portal accepts, and I check the dates against your school term. Message me on WhatsApp and tell me when the term starts, I will map out the visa side for you.
How should you choose a school in Nha Trang?
Choose a small, cheaper English-language school if the child is young or new to English, and a Cambridge campus if you plan to stay for years and want a recognised diploma. Choose Vietnamese public school only if you hold a residence card. In every case, ask for a written all-in price including lunch and bus.
The school is only half of a family move. The other half is a legal stay that matches the term, and the guide to moving to Vietnam with kids covers the wider costs.
If you would rather not track visa dates while you are also choosing schools, send me your arrival date and the school start date and I will work out what to file and when.
