Ho Chi Minh City education department proposes dissolution of American International School Vietnam

The department on Monday provided updates on the situation surrounding AISVN.

Since September 2023, the department has identified the school’s unstable financial condition, which severely affected teaching and learning activities.

In response, the department advised the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to establish an inter-agency task force to assess and support the school.

In January 2024, the department held several direct meetings with the chairman of the school board and the principal to seek solutions.

However, after reviewing the situation, the department determined that the school was no longer capable of maintaining its educational operations.

Although the department had cooperated with relevant agencies to help students complete the 2023–24 academic year, the department officially suspended AISVN’s educational activities for 12 months starting June 28, 2024.

In June 2025, the department held another meeting with representatives of American International Education JSC, the owner of AISVN, and the school to assess their progress in addressing the causes of the suspension.

At that meeting, the department requested a report with evidence showing that the issues had been resolved.

On June 18, Ho Quang Trung, on behalf of American International Education JSC and the school, submitted a report claiming the issues had been addressed and requested a 12-month extension of the suspension period—from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

However, the report failed to demonstrate that the causes of the suspension had actually been resolved.

According to feedback from related authorities, neither the investor nor AISVN submitted the mandatory mid-2025 labor usage report.

Additionally, the company’s headquarters at 220 Nguyen Van Tao Street, Hiep Phuoc Commune, Ho Chi Minh City have been closed.

As of May 31, the school and its owner owed more than VND31 billion (US$1.2 million) in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance contributions. 

The company also failed to fulfill its tax obligations for March and April 2025.

The department concluded that by the end of June 2025, the investor had not provided an effective financial plan to settle outstanding debts or ensure the school’s continued operation.

AISVN failed to meet the conditions to resume operations and had not demonstrated sufficient financial capacity, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.

On March 18, 2024, AISVN halted classes for all students as most teachers did not show up due to unpaid salaries, forcing up to 1,000 students to seek transfers to other schools to avoid disruption to their education.

Its number of teachers dropped from 400 to just 28 in August last year, and there was no principal.

Previously, over half of the parents had invested in ‘education investment packages,’ lending the school VND3-5 billion ($114,279-190,465) each without interest, with the promise of reimbursement after graduation.

AISVN, established in 2006, taught students from three years old to grade 12, according to its website.