15 reasons why parents should choose VAS international school for their children

In today's fast-paced world, selecting the right school is a pivotal decision for parents seeking to equip their children with a global edge, blending academic excellence with holistic development. Vietnam Australia International School (VAS), with its bilingual programs and innovative approaches, stands out as a premier choice in Ho Chi Minh City, offering a nurturing environment that fosters confidence, skills, and cultural awareness for future success.

This guide explores 15 compelling reasons - from immersive English immersion to comprehensive facilities and extracurriculars - to help you decide if VAS is the ideal international school for your family. Whether you're prioritizing safety, creativity, or international qualifications, VAS delivers a balanced education tailored to Vietnamese families' aspirations.

1. Trained in a bilingual environment

The bilingual learning, training, development, and entertainment environment at VAS is one of the top factors addressing parents' questions about whether to enroll their children in an international school. With its mission to provide students with a comprehensive educational foundation, VAS ensures that students not only master subject knowledge but also possess high application skills, confidently and proficiently using English for daily communication.

The bilingual environment at VAS supports children in developing English in the most natural way

To help students gain more opportunities to practice English and enhance their language abilities, VAS always encourages students to use English in daily interactions. Additionally, the school has established a clear learning pathway, increasing the amount of academic English instruction across various subjects, specifically as follows:

CEP Pathway: 19-20 periods per week are dedicated to English for students following the Advanced CEP Pathway. In addition, upon reaching high school, students will explore and learn subjects such as ICT, Global Perspectives, and International Trade.
CAP Pathway: Designed with an average of 22-25 English periods per week. Subjects taught entirely in English for students include: Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Science, ICT, Business, and Global Perspectives.
CAPI Pathway: 100% of subjects are taught entirely in English, with English instruction ranging from 28-36 periods per week. VAS proudly leads as a bilingual school in terms of academic English hours, providing students with an environment to train and refine their language skills.

Furthermore, VAS skillfully integrates and organizes extracurricular activities, clubs, and English competitions to make the language training process for students more engaging and lively. The activities are extremely diverse, allowing students of any proficiency level to participate confidently: drama performances, English debates, reading clubs, MC roles, podcasting, and more.

2. Develop essential life skills

Life skills education is one of the aspects that VAS particularly emphasizes. The skills that VAS equips students with not only help them accumulate additional useful knowledge but also enable them to mature independently day by day. Depending on each age group, the school and teachers organize and design programs and activities to cultivate appropriate life skills. For example:

For preschool children: From the preschool age, young children are equipped with the most foundational and basic life skills. At VAS, preschoolers develop life skills through play-based learning activities, comics, films, and real-life experiential activities. These skills include self-care abilities, tidying up belongings neatly, maintaining personal hygiene, and communication skills with teachers and friends around them.
Primary school students at VAS: Building on the foundational skills acquired in preschool, primary students continue to develop more advanced skills such as self-defense when encountering strangers, swimming skills, awareness of gender and school romances, and school behavior etiquette.
Secondary school students: This is one of the most crucial stages for students, marking significant development and refinement in physical and cognitive abilities. Therefore, VAS focuses on equipping students with skills that maximize their potential and best prepare them for their future careers: logical thinking, creative thinking, critical thinking, personal emotion management, public speaking skills, leadership, and problem-solving.

VAS helps students develop and refine their skills day by day

3. Learn in a modern, safe, and supportive setting

A modern and safe educational environment is a crucial factor when parents consider whether to enroll their children in an international school. At Vietnam Australia International School (VAS), a high-quality and secure educational setting is always placed at the forefront.

VAS is the first Vietnamese school to be recognized by Cambridge Assessment International Education as a partner. Therefore, parents can feel confident about the educational environment their children experience at VAS. Classrooms are fully equipped with advanced teaching tools, including projectors, interactive screens, and high-speed internet connectivity. This setup facilitates efficient teaching and learning, enabling students to access information easily and develop technology usage skills.

VAS provides a modern learning environment that supports both teaching and learning

Safety is a top priority at Vietnam Australia International School. The school implements comprehensive security measures, such as surveillance camera systems, secure entry doors, and fire prevention and response protocols. Staff members are trained to monitor and provide necessary support to students. Parents can rest assured that their children are studying in a safe and reliable environment.

In addition, the school conducts regular disinfection and cleaning of shared areas, including dining facilities, restrooms, multi-purpose playgrounds, and swimming pools. Furthermore, all ingredients used in students' meals are rigorously inspected to ensure food safety and hygiene, providing sufficient energy and nutrients for the students.

4. Enjoy fully equipped and high-quality facilities

When considering whether to enroll children in an international school, facilities are one of the key factors. As a member of the Cambridge international school network, parents can be confident in the quality of facilities and equipment that VAS uses for teaching. Additionally, VAS continuously improves and enhances its facilities to meet the learning and experiential needs of parents and students effectively:

VAS campuses are constructed and designed by reputable organizations, strictly adhering to safety and fire prevention regulations. In particular, VAS emphasizes creating green spaces close to nature, providing students with a fresh and comfortable learning environment. For instance, the Sala campus is built on an expansive area of over 20,000 m², with only 30% dedicated to construction. The Sala campus grounds feature abundant green areas, offering students a fresh and intimate learning setting.
Functional classrooms, laboratories, and libraries are fully equipped to meet all teaching, learning, and specialized knowledge development needs of students. Moreover, VAS provides a comprehensive facilities system that maximizes sports requirements (soccer fields, swimming pools, competition courts) and talent development needs (painting rooms, music rooms, studios).
Classrooms are thoughtfully arranged and equipped with modern devices, while ensuring natural lighting for the learning space.

Classrooms, functional rooms, and common activity areas all meet international standards

5. Follow an international-standard education program

VAS has developed a learning pathway aligned with Cambridge standards, recognized and accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). With the prestige, experience, and quality of the Cambridge program, parents will likely have fewer concerns about whether to send their children to Vietnam Australia International School.

Parents and students can choose one of the four following learning pathways that suit their aspirations and directions: Cambridge English Program Advanced (CEP Advanced), Cambridge General Education Program (CAP), Cambridge Full International Integration Program (CAPI). In addition, the curriculum integrates many practical subjects with high applicability, related to global issues such as Global Perspectives, Information and Communication Technology...

Alongside the internationally standardized learning pathways, VAS students are also ensured comprehensive knowledge in accordance with the National Education Program (MOET). VAS applies active learning methods in the teaching process to stimulate students' thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. This is a method widely used in many countries around the world, emphasizing the role of students and promoting their natural development.

>>> See more: The Cambridge International Program and things to note

6. Enhance critical and creative thinking skills

With over 19 years of experience in education, VAS not only understands the importance of cultivating thinking skills in the formation and development of students' brains but also creates numerous activities to stimulate children's creative thinking:

Developing emotional thinking: VAS helps students recognize and control their emotional states, thereby guiding them to adjust personal behavior. Emotional thinking also enables students to empathize with others and manage intense emotional states.
Training thinking through games and problem-solving activities: VAS creates a learning environment integrated with games to enhance the vibrancy of knowledge absorption. Additionally, situational handling activities require students to think from multiple perspectives, thereby boosting problem-solving abilities.
Encouraging critical thinking: VAS encourages students to freely express personal opinions and engage in civilized, open debates with peers, thereby contributing ideas and learning from each other.

In recent years, VAS has introduced a strategic advancement by integrating the Design Thinking subject into teaching and learning activities at the school. Design Thinking is part of the overall project-based teaching and learning model, where teachers use a creative and systematic approach to guide students in problem-solving. Students will be led through the basic stages of Design Thinking, including Empathize - Define the problem/objective - Ideate - Prototype/model - Test/evaluate. Through this process, students will discover creative solutions to address specific real-world problems.

Students are encouraged to ask questions about issues and raise any doubts at VAS

7. Build independence and self-discipline

VAS always aims to equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to become global citizens. Cultivating independence, self-care abilities, and proactive traits in students is a key focus of the school's development efforts. Therefore, parents can feel completely assured about whether to enroll their children in the international VAS school. The knowledge and skills that students accumulate from VAS form a solid foundation and valuable preparation, enabling them to confidently enter the world, pursue their dreams, and passions.

Activities at VAS to foster independence and proactivity among students include: group discussions in learning, outdoor learning activities, and self-care skill training (organizing belongings, cooking, survival skills).

8. Grow with confidence and resilience

The learning environment at VAS instills greater confidence in students' abilities and capacities through integrated training activities in the curriculum.

The English environment at VAS plays a vital role in developing students' communication skills. By daily exposure to the international language, students become more confident when speaking in front of crowds, sharing personal viewpoints, and expressing their opinions.
VAS also places special emphasis on training life skills for students. Through these activities, students easily adapt and integrate into new environments, becoming flexible and confident individuals.
At the same time, VAS provides numerous physical training activities, talent development, and participation in competitions. This gives students opportunities to confidently showcase and nurture their talents in a supportive and encouraging environment.

VAS provides children with a solid foundation to confidently express themselves

Additionally, VAS builds a strong academic foundation and clear career orientation for students. This helps them feel more confident in choosing their educational paths and personal development, trusting their decisions, and preparing to face future challenges.

9. Support well-rounded physical development

The Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) system not only focuses on learning and research but also ensures comprehensive activities such as dining, rest, play, especially physical development and health care for students. VAS takes pride in its international-standard kitchen, with regularly changing menus that provide adequate nutrition for students' appropriate growth. In addition, the multi-purpose courts and modern swimming pools allow students to engage in recreational play and sports training to enhance their health.

Moreover, VAS organizes annual activities such as Halloween, sports festivals, and competitions with diverse interesting themes. This creates a vibrant, varied learning and living environment, exploring and developing students' artistic talents.

Nutritious meals for children at VAS

10. Engage in diverse extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities are an important factor when parents consider whether to enroll their children in an international school. At VAS, students are not only equipped with knowledge but also trained and developed in personal life experiences through real-world experiential and extracurricular activities. This is a crucial part of comprehensive education, helping students accumulate new, exciting experiences and build positive values, preparing them for the future. VAS's extracurricular activities are diverse in quantity and types:

Extracurricular activities combining learning and experiences help students easily apply learned knowledge to reality. This develops their ability to associate and flexibly apply knowledge.
In-class extracurricular clubs allow students to explore and develop their talents in areas such as soccer, basketball, music, dance, and many others.
Annually or periodically, VAS organizes academic competitions and talent contests, providing opportunities for students to showcase their abilities, such as VAS Talks, VAS Olympic, VAS Painting Contest...
Specialized extracurricular clubs help students refine, perfect, and develop themselves in fields of interest, like cooking, yoga, dance...
Community and social activities such as charity work, tree planting... help students nurture love, connect with the community, and form compassion in their surroundings.

Extracurricular activities enhance students’ experiential learning

>>> See more: Explore extracurricular activities at VAS

11. Earn globally recognized qualifications

Graduation qualifications are a factor that many parents weigh when deciding whether to send their children to an international school. As a Cambridge-standard school, VAS provides parents with peace of mind regarding the qualifications students will receive after studying there. The prestige of Cambridge qualifications is highly regarded by universities and employers, offering significant advantages for students when applying to top universities. Additionally, VAS is trusted by international organizations and authorized to establish an examination center on campus:

VAS students can take Cambridge certificates right at the school, including Cambridge Checkpoints (for primary and secondary students), IGCSE (end of grade 10), AS (end of grade 11), and A Level (end of grade 12).
In addition, students can take international information and communication technology certificates such as ICDL Starter and Full License.
VAS is authorized by the British Council, IDP Education organization, and University of Cambridge as an IELTS Examination Center. Students can register to take the exam to obtain IELTS General Training or IELTS Academic Training certificates.

Qualifications and certificates at VAS hold global value

12. Experience diverse cultures and global values

At schools under the VAS bilingual international school system in Ho Chi Minh City, students are provided opportunities to communicate, converse, and study with teachers and friends from various countries around the world. This multinational learning environment brings diversity in development and thinking, with varied perspectives.

This offers students a precious opportunity to interact, learn, and absorb positive values from international peers. Moreover, living in an environment with many friends and teachers using foreign languages helps students practice and improve their foreign language skills.

13. Easily adapt and integrate internationally

Parents often worry that a learning environment with many international friends and teachers might make it difficult for students to adapt. However, in reality, this proves to be an ideal environment that helps students overcome shyness and fear, thereby easily integrating with those around them. International friends and teachers from various countries and cultures at VAS bring students extensive knowledge about people and the world. This helps them better understand the interesting differences between Vietnamese culture and those of other countries worldwide. Additionally, possessing diverse cultural knowledge is a significant advantage when students study abroad or work in international settings in the future.

Furthermore, VAS implements a Career Counseling Program across the entire school system, helping students identify suitable orientations based on their interests, aspirations, and family financial conditions:

Career counseling tailored based on personality and interest surveys.
Establishing personalized learning pathways according to each student's direction.
Organizing workshops and seminars on studying abroad with participation from universities in various countries (UK, Australia, Hong Kong, USA, New Zealand...) to help students better understand the processes, required documents, and preparations needed for a successful study abroad experience.

VAS students are provided with career guidance organized by the school to facilitate their future integration into the international environment

14. Benefit from a safe and convenient school bus service

One factor that helps parents decide whether to enroll their children at VAS is the school’s bus service. VAS provides a school bus service to make students’ journeys between home and school easier and more convenient. The service currently supports all grade levels with two flexible options: one-way or round-trip.

Ensures students arrive at school on time without disrupting parents’ daily work.
Makes it easy to track each child’s travel route, ensuring they get to and from school safely. In addition to the driver, VAS assigns bus attendants on each route to provide the best care and support for students.
Helps students build good habits and skills around punctuality, self-care, and taking care of their belongings on the bus.

The school’s pick-up and drop-off service ensures students arrive at school safely

15. Receive regular healthcare and medical check-ups

When considering whether to enroll at VAS, health care is a standout advantage. VAS places special emphasis on student health to ensure the best possible physical condition during their studies. To meet this need, students participate in annual health programs, including periodic general check-ups, vision screening, dental care, and especially obesity screening, to support well-rounded physical development.

A medical team is always on site at all VAS campuses and continually enhances its professional expertise to meet every student need. Medical staff not only advise on basic issues but also assist students with specific concerns they encounter, ensuring comprehensive care and support across all aspects of health and physical well-being.

Annual health check-ups at VAS

In addition, the school also prioritizes students’ mental health. Since the 2023–2024 academic year, the Well-being Education program has been implemented across all VAS campuses to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and how to care for it, helping students maintain a positive mindset in both study and daily life.

We hope this VAS’s article gives parents a clear, detailed view of whether to choose the Vietnam Australia International School (VAS) for their children. With many innovations in the 2025–2026 school year, VAS promises to bring students engaging educational experiences. For detailed information on updates for the new school year and personalized consultation about the school’s programs, please contact: www.vas.edu.vn – 0911 26 77 55.

>>> See more:

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